MarkChapter 15
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1Early in the morning, the chief priests made a plan. The elders, the scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin made it with them. They tied Jesus up and led him away. They handed him over to Pilate. 2Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" "You have said so," Jesus answered. 3The chief priests began to accuse him of many things. 4So Pilate asked him again, "Aren't you going to answer? Look how many things they are accusing you of!" 5But Jesus still did not answer. Pilate was amazed. 6Every year at the feast, Pilate would set one prisoner free for the people. They got to choose which one. 7A man named Barabbas was in prison. He was there with the rebels who had murdered people during an uprising. 8So the crowd came up. They began asking Pilate to do what he always did for them. 9"Do you want me to set the King of the Jews free for you?" Pilate asked. 10He knew the chief priests had handed Jesus over because they were jealous. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd. They got the crowd to ask Pilate to set Barabbas free for them instead. 12So Pilate asked them again, "Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the King of the Jews?" 13They shouted back, "Crucify him!" 14"Why?" Pilate asked. "What evil has he done?" But they shouted even louder, "Crucify him!" 15Pilate wanted to please the crowd. So he set Barabbas free for them. He had Jesus whipped. Then he handed him over to be crucified. 16The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace, called the Praetorium. They called the whole group of soldiers together. 17They put a purple robe on him. They twisted thorns together into a crown and put it on his head. 18Then they began to salute him. "Hail, King of the Jews!" they said. 19Again and again they hit him on the head with a staff. They spit on him. They got down on their knees and bowed to him. 20When they were done making fun of him, they took off the purple robe. They put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. 21A man named Simon from Cyrene was passing by. He was coming in from the country. He was the father of Alexander and Rufus. The soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross. 22They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha. The name means The Place of the Skull. 23There they offered him wine mixed with myrrh. But he did not take it. 24And they crucified him. They divided up his clothes by casting lots. That's how they chose what each one would take. 25It was nine in the morning when they crucified him.a 26The sign with the charge against him said: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27They crucified two robbers with him. One was on his right, and one was on his left. 28—b 29The people passing by shouted insults at him. They shook their heads and said, "Ha! You were going to destroy the temple and build it again in three days. 30So come down from the cross and save yourself!" 31The chief priests and the scribes made fun of him in the same way. They said to each other, "He saved others, but he can't save himself! 32Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now. Then we will see and believe!" Even the men crucified with him insulted him. 33At noon, darkness came over the whole land. It lasted until three in the afternoon.c 34At three in the afternoon, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" This means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"d 35Some of the people standing nearby heard this. They said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah." 36Someone ran and soaked a sponge in sour wine. He put it on a stick and held it up for Jesus to drink. He said, "Leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down."e 37But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last breath. 38And the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39A centurion was standing there in front of Jesus. He saw how Jesus died. He said, "This man really was the Son of God!" 40Some women were also watching from far away. Mary Magdalene was there. Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses was there. Salome was there too. 41These women had followed Jesus in Galilee and taken care of him there. Many other women were there too. They had come up to Jerusalem with him. 42It was already evening. It was Preparation Day, the day before the Sabbath. 43So Joseph of Arimathea came. He was an important member of the Council. He himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. He bravely went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead. So he called the centurion and asked him if this was true. 45The centurion told Pilate it was true. Then Pilate gave the body to Joseph. 46So Joseph bought a linen cloth. He took down the body of Jesus and wrapped it in the cloth. He put it in a tomb that had been cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the opening of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where his body was laid.