Bob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Mark 15:1 - 15:5

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Bob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Mark 15:1 - 15:5


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar_15:1-5

 1 Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate. 2Pilate questioned Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" And He answered him, "It is as you say." 3The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. 4Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, "Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!" 5But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.

Mar_15:1 "Early in the morning" Mark, like all Jewish writings, does not focus on specific times. It is probable that the Jews of Jesus' day divided the night and day into twelve hours each (cf. Joh_11:9), with three four-hour segments. The twenty-four hour day comes from Babylon. The Greeks and Jews borrowed it from them. The sundial was divided into twelve segments.

In chapter 15 Mark has several time markers;

1. sunrise, Mar_15:1 (around 6 a.m. depending on the time of the year)

2. third hour, Mar_15:25 (around 9 a.m.)

3. sixth hour, Mar_15:33 (around noon)

4. ninth hour, Mar_15:34 (around 3 p.m.)

5. evening, Mar_15:42 (sunset, around 6 p.m.)

Luk_22:66-71 gives the details of this meeting. This early meeting was held in an attempt to give some legality to their illegal night trial (cf. A. N Sherwin-White, Roman

Society and Roman Law in the New Testament, pp. 24-47). The chronology of Jesus' trial before Pilate and His crucifixion is:

Matthew Mark Luke John Pilate's Verdict 6th Hour

19:14 Crucifixion 3rd Hour

15:25 Darkness Fell 6th-9th Hour

27:45 6th-9th Hour

15:33 6th-9th Hour

23:44 Jesus Cried Out 9th Hour

27:46 9th Hour

15:34 When these time designations are compared, two interpretive options arise: (1) they are the same. John used Roman time, counting from 12:00 a.m. (cf. Gleason L. Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, p. 364), and the Synoptics used Jewish time, counting from 6:00 a.m. (2) John is asserting a later time for Jesus' crucifixion which would be another example of the differences between the Synoptics and John. However, it seems from Joh_1:39; Joh_4:6 that John sometimes uses Jewish time and sometimes Roman time (cf. M. R. Vincent, Word Studies, Vol. 1, p. 403).

The time designations may be symbolic in all the Gospels for they relate to (1) time of daily sacrifices (i.e., the continual) in the Temple (9 a.m. and 3 p.m., cf. Act_2:15; Act_3:1) and (2) just after noon was the traditional time to kill the Passover Lamb on Nisan 14. The Bible, being an ancient eastern book, does not focus on strict chronology as do modern western historical accounts.

▣ "the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council" See Special Topic: Sanhedrin at Mar_12:13.

▣ "immediately" Mark's gospel is characterized by action ( "then," "and," "immediately"). Jesus is revealed primarily through His actions. The pace of the narrative moves forward through these action words. See note at Mar_1:10.

▣ "and binding Jesus" This may have been a common procedure with criminals or subconsciously it showed their fear of Jesus. Many were afraid He was a magician or sorcerer and that His power was in His hands.

▣ "delivered Him to Pilate" Exactly where this was done is uncertain. Most scholars think Pilate stayed at Herod's palace when in Jerusalem. His normal residence was Caesarea by the sea, where He used another of Herod's palaces as the praetorium. Others feel he stayed in the military headquarters, which was the fortress Antionia, next to the temple. The time would be at daybreak, following Roman customs of early court (probably because of the heat). Pilate ruled Palestine as a representative of the Emperor from a.d. 25/26-36/37 and then was removed because of repeated accusations by Vitellius, Legate of Syria.

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Mar_15:2 "Pilate questioned Him" In what language? The chances of Pilate speaking Aramaic are less than that Jesus could speak Koine Greek. For a good discussion of this see

1. "Did Jesus Speak Greek" by Joseph A. Fitzmeyer, chapter 21, pp. 253-264 in Approaches to the Bible: the Best of Bible Review

2. "The Languages of the New Testament" by J. Howard Greenlee in Expositor's Bible Commentary, vol. 1, pp. 410-411



▣ "'Are You the King of the Jews'" "You" is emphatic and sarcastic. Luk_23:1-2 lists the charges of the Sanhedrin. Joh_19:8-19, adds great detail to the conversation between Jesus and Pilate. Pilate was not concerned with the religious aspect of the charge, but the political aspect.

NASB, NKJV       "'It is as you say'"

NRSV, TEV        "'You say so'"

NJB      "'It is you who say it'"

This is literally "you say that I Am," which may be a Hebraic idiom of affirmation (cf. Mat_26:25; Mat_26:64; Luk_22:70; Luk_23:3) or a cryptic way of answering, implying, "You say so, but implying I am a different kind of king." This seems to have been a private consultation (cf. Joh_18:33-38) within the Praetorium. Jesus must have told the disciples about it or John was present. The Jews would not have entered because it would have made them ceremonially unclean to eat Passover.

The account of Jesus' interrogation by Herod Antipas is left out of Mark's Gospel, but is found in Luk_23:6-12.

Mar_15:3

NASB     "began to accuse Him harshly"

NKJV, NRSV       "accused Him of many things"

TEV      "were accusing Jesus of many things"

NJB      "brought many accusations against him"

This is imperfect tense meaning they accused Him again and again. This must have occurred after Pilate had spoken to Jesus privately (cf. Mar_15:4). A list of some of the accusations is found in Luk_23:2.

Mar_15:5 "Jesus made no further answer" This may be a fulfillment of Isa_53:7 (cf. Mar_14:61; Mat_26:63; Mat_27:12; Joh_19:9).

▣ "so Pilate was amazed" Why was Pilate amazed?

1. Jesus spoke in private to him, but would not speak in the presence of His accusers.

2. The High Priest made so many charges against Him and they were so vehement.

3. Jesus did not act like most prisoners who vigorously defended themselves.