1
Very early in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and the scribes and the whole council, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate.

2
Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “You have said so.”

3
Then the chief priests brought many accusations against Him.

4
Pilate asked Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!”

5
But Jesus gave no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

6
Now it was the custom at each feast to release one prisoner to the people, as they requested.

7
And at that time a man named Barabbas was in prison with some other rebels. They had committed murder in the uprising.

8
So the crowd came up and asked that he would do as he usually did for them.

9
Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you this King of the Jews?”

10
For he knew that the chief priests had handed Jesus over because of envy.

11
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask that he should release Barabbas to them instead.

12
Pilate again answered and said to them, “Then what shall I do with the one you call the King of the Jews?”

13
And they cried out again, “Crucify Him!”

14
Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!”

15
And because Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd, he released Barabbas to them. But Jesus he had flogged and handed over to be crucified.

16
Then the soldiers led Jesus into the palace, that is, the governor’s headquarters, and they called together the whole cohort.

17
They clothed Him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and put it on His head.

18
Then they began to salute Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

19
They struck His head with a reed, spat on Him, and knelt down in homage to Him.

20
After they had mocked Him, they took off the purple robe and put His own clothes on Him.

(15-20b) Then Jesus was led out to be crucified.

21
At that time a man named Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in from the country, passed by; and they compelled him to carry Jesus’ cross.

22
They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means: Place of the Skull.

23
Then they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He refused it.

24
Then they crucified Him, and they divided His garments by casting lots for them to decide each one’s share.

25
It was the third hour when they crucified Him.

26
And the reason for His condemnation was written on the inscription placed there: “The King of the Jews.”

27
With Him they crucified two robbers, one on His right and one on His left.

28
[Thus the Scripture was fulfilled which says: “He was counted among the lawless.”]

29
Those who passed by there insulted Him, shaking their heads and saying: “Ha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,

30
come down from the cross and save Yourself!”

31
Likewise the chief priests, together with the scribes, mocked Him among themselves and said: “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself!

32
Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him also reviled Him.

33
At the sixth hour, darkness covered the whole land and lasted until the ninth hour.

34
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice: “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabakhtani?”, which means: My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?

35
When some of those standing there heard it, they said: “Look, He is calling Elijah.”

36
Then someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave it to Jesus to drink, saying: “Let us wait and see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.”

37
Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice and gave up His spirit.

38
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

39
When the centurion, who stood facing Him, saw how He died, he said: “Truly, this man was the Son of God!”

40
There were also some women watching from a distance, among them Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.

41
These women had followed Jesus and served Him while He was in Galilee. And there were also many other women there who had come up to Jerusalem with Jesus.

42
Now when evening had come, since it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,

43
Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was also waiting for the kingdom of God, took courage and went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

44
Pilate was amazed when he heard that Jesus was already dead. So he called the centurion and asked him whether Jesus was already dead.

45
After he had heard the centurion’s report, he was willing to give the body to Joseph.

46
Joseph bought a linen cloth, then he took Jesus’ body down from the cross and wrapped it in the linen cloth. Then he laid Him in a tomb cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

47
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where Jesus was laid.

📖 Mark 15 – The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus Christ

🧾 Summary of Mark 15

This chapter describes the climax of Jesus’ suffering: His trial before Pilate, His mistreatment, crucifixion, death, and burial. This is the heart of the Gospel: Jesus, though sinless, willingly died to save humanity.

Main Points:

Jesus Before Pilate (verses 1–15):
- The priests handed Jesus over to Pilate.
- Pilate realized Jesus was innocent, but because of the pressure of the crowd, he chose to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus.
- Jesus was flogged and handed over to be crucified.
Jesus Mocked by the Soldiers (verses 16–20):
- Jesus was dressed in a purple robe and a crown of thorns.
- They mocked Him as the “King of the Jews,” spat on Him, and struck Him.
- After that, they led Him away to be crucified.
The Crucifixion of Jesus (verses 21–32):
- Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry Jesus’ cross.
- Jesus was crucified at the place called Golgotha.
- He was offered wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not drink it.
- Above the cross was written: “King of the Jews.”
- He was crucified together with two criminals.
- Those who passed by insulted Him and challenged Him to come down from the cross.
The Death of Jesus (verses 33–41):
- At noon, darkness covered the whole land for three hours.
- Jesus cried out:
  “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabaktani?” (My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?)
- He gave up His life and died.
- The curtain of the Temple was torn in two—a sign that access to God was now open.
- A Roman centurion said:
  “Truly, this man was the Son of God!”
- Several women, including Mary Magdalene, watched from a distance.
The Burial of Jesus (verses 42–47):
- Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin who was waiting for the Kingdom of God, asked for Jesus’ body.
- He wrapped Him in linen cloth and laid Him in a rock-hewn tomb.
- Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where Jesus was laid.

📘 Main Teachings of Mark 15

Jesus was innocent, yet He willingly bore the punishment in our place.
People can easily be swayed by crowd pressure and fear, as Pilate was.
Jesus’ suffering was real—physical, emotional, and spiritual.
The crucifixion is the greatest expression of God’s love for humanity.
Jesus’ death opened the way to God (the curtain was torn).
The Roman centurion’s confession shows that Jesus’ love and power reach all people, even Gentiles.

✨ Spiritual Meaning of Mark 15

The cross is the center of Christian faith—proof of God’s boundless love.
Jesus did not come down from the cross because He chose to bear suffering in order to save us.
When the world rejects and mocks, Jesus remains faithful in His mission.
His death was not the end, but the beginning of a new hope.
We are called to take up the cross and follow Him faithfully.