Mark 15:1-47

Christ in the Bible: Mark’s Gospel

Keith Simons

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Chapter 15

Jesus and Pilate

Verses 1-15

The *Jews did not have power over their own country. So their leaders did not try to kill Jesus. Instead, they sent Jesus to Pilate. Pilate ruled Judea on behalf of *Caesar (the king of Rome). They asked Pilate to decide what would happen to Jesus.

Perhaps they thought that Pilate would want to kill Jesus. Jesus had said that he was the Christ. And the Christ was the *Jews’ future king. If the *Jews had a new king, that king would be *Caesar’s enemy. So it would be Pilate’s duty to kill the king of the *Jews.

But Pilate had his own ideas.

First, Pilate tried to save Jesus. Pilate did not like the leaders of the *Jews. Perhaps he wanted to make them angry. But also, Pilate was afraid of Jesus. Like Herod, Pilate thought that Jesus came from God (Mark 6:14-16; John 19:7-11). Pilate did not want God to be angry with him.

Pilate always wanted to feel powerful and important. That was why he liked to make someone free at *Passover. He decided that he would make Jesus free. But the crowd did not want Jesus. They asked for Barabbas. Barabbas had fought against Pilate’s government.

Jesus had not fought against the government. But Pilate was afraid of the crowd. He thought that they might fight against him. So he did the thing that the crowd wanted. He made Barabbas free. And he told his soldiers that they must kill Jesus.

The soldiers hurt Jesus

Verses 16-20

Soldiers usually did cruel things to a man before they killed him. Here, they chose carefully how they would hurt Jesus. People said that he was the king of the *Jews. So the soldiers did the kind of things that they would do for a king. But they did those things in a cruel way.

They made a crown for Jesus. A crown is the beautiful hat that a king wears. But Jesus’ crown was not beautiful. The soldiers had made it out of sharp branches that cut Jesus’ head. It caused him to bleed.

A king would carry a long stick. The soldiers chose a stick for Jesus. But they used it to hit him on the head.

The soldiers did many things like that. They caused Jesus a lot of pain. They laughed because they had hurt him.

Then they led Jesus out of the city. They would kill him at a place called Golgotha. The same place is sometimes called Calvary.

The *cross

Verses 21-24

The *cross was wood, and it was heavy. Because of his pain, Jesus was too weak to carry it. So the soldiers told an African man called Simon that he must carry it.

The soldiers often killed men who had done something against the *law. They usually did it in a place called Golgotha. (This place is also called Calvary.) Golgotha was near Jerusalem. It was by the road. Many people passed that place.

The soldiers fixed Jesus to the *cross. They used *nails (sharp metal) and a hammer. They put the *nails through Jesus’ hands and feet. Then they lifted up the *cross. Jesus hung from it; but he was still alive. He would remain there until he died. He would be there for about 6 hours.

The soldiers had already taken Jesus’ clothes. They played a game; the winner got the best clothes.

The people near Jesus’ *cross

Verses 25-32

The two men who died with Jesus were bad men. They had attacked other people; and they had taken things from those people. But the soldiers caught those two men. The soldiers wanted to cause those men a lot of pain. Then other men would be afraid to do the same things.

But Jesus had not done any wrong things. The soldiers put a notice on each *cross. The notice explained why the soldiers were killing each man. Jesus’ notice read: ‘the king of the *Jews’.

Many people passed that place. They too were cruel to the men who were dying. And they were very cruel to Jesus.

Some people repeated the words in Mark 14:58. Mark does not explain those words, but John explains them (John 2:19-22). The people did not understand those words. But clearly, Jesus was saying that God would do something new. And that new thing was even better and more important than *God’s Great House was. These people told Jesus that they did not believe it. He had promised something new. But he was dying, and that would be the end of his promises. Before he saved God’s people, he would have to save himself.

Even the important *priests were saying these things about Jesus. The future king of Israel, called the Christ, would save God’s people. But a dead Christ cannot save anyone. A dead king could not fight on behalf of God’s people. Jesus could only do these things if he were alive.

Even the other men who were dying next to Jesus said these bad things.

The end of Jesus’ life

Verses 33-36

Jesus reached the place called Golgotha at 9 o’clock. At midday, something strange happened. The whole country became very dark. It remained dark until 3 o’clock.

At 3 o’clock, Jesus shouted something. It was the beginning of Psalms 22; Psalms 22 describes the troubles that the Christ would have. It describes Jesus’ death. David wrote it about 1000 years before Jesus died.

Jesus shouted it because he was alone on the *cross. Jesus had these troubles because of the wrong things that other people have done. He died on behalf of those people. This was necessary so that God would *forgive them (John 1:29; Isaiah 53:5). On the *cross, Jesus had taken the bad things that people do (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 8:3). But God is completely good; and he is against all bad things. So God the Father was not still with Jesus when he died. Even God the Father had left Jesus. So Jesus was really alone.

The people did not hear Jesus clearly and they did not understand these important words. Jesus said ‘Eloi’, which means ‘my God’. But the people thought that he said ‘Elijah’. Elijah was a servant of God who had done some very powerful things. The teachers said that Elijah would come before the Christ (Mark 9:11). And Elijah would help the Christ. So the people thought that Jesus was asking Elijah to help him. They thought that this was Jesus’ last chance. And they waited to see whether Elijah would come.

Jesus’ death and the events after it

Verses 37-39

Jesus’ death happened in a loud and powerful way. Jesus did not die as other men died. It was this that surprised the captain of the soldiers. He called Jesus: ‘the son of God’.

Immediately, powerful things happened in Jerusalem. The most important event happened at *God’s Great House. A strong curtain was in front of the most important room there. That room was special for God. The *priests did not go into it. Only the most important *priest went there, once each year. But that curtain tore completely. God had done it. He did not want his special place to remain separate from his people. He wanted to be with them. He wanted to live in their lives (1 Corinthians 3:16). And this had become possible because of Jesus’ death.

Women who loved Jesus

Verses 40-41

These women knew Jesus well. They knew him in both Galilee and Jerusalem.

These women did not leave Jesus when he died. They were not very near the *cross. But they still saw his death.

These women also watched while the men buried Jesus’ dead body (Mark 15:47). This happened on the Friday.

These same women would return there on the Sunday (Mark 16:1). They found that Jesus’ dead body was not there.

They saw all these events. They loved Jesus. So they did not want to leave him. They were all very sad because of his death. But in the end, God did not disappoint them.

Many bad things happen in believers’ lives. But in the end, God never disappoints anyone who believes him.

Joseph from Arimathea

Verses 42-47

Jesus died on a Friday. The time was 3 o’clock. Sunset was at 6 o’clock. After Friday’s sunset, the *Jews do not work. It is the beginning of Saturday. And Saturday is their special day for rest.

Joseph wanted to bury Jesus’ dead body before Friday’s sunset. Joseph did not want to work on Saturday. So he had to bury the body quickly.

First, Joseph had to ask Pilate for the dead body. That was a dangerous thing to do, because Pilate might be angry. But Joseph was a brave man. And he believed that God wanted him to bury Jesus.

Joseph was an important man. He was a leader of the *Jews. And he was also a man who believed God. Joseph believed that God would soon rule the lives of his people. Because Joseph believed, he wanted to bury Jesus properly. Joseph buried Jesus as people buried a rich man (Isaiah 53:9).

Joseph’s workers had already prepared the place. They had cut a deep hole into the rock. There, Joseph put the dead body. And there was a large stone to cover the front of the hole. Joseph used that stone to close it.

This book is in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words).

Gospel ~ a book that tells about the things that Jesus did. And it includes some things that he taught. There are 4 Gospels in the Bible. They are the books by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Caesar ~ the most important Roman ruler. He lived in the city called Rome.
Roman ~ from the city called Rome; or from its rulers or government.
Passover ~ an important holiday for the Jews. They eat a special meal on this day every year. They remember that God took them away from Egypt. They were slaves in Egypt and Moses led them away.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
cross ~ someone fixed one piece of wood across another piece of wood. This made a cross. The Roman soldiers fixed people to crosses to kill them.
Roman ~ from the city called Rome; or from its rulers or government.
law ~ a country’s rules; the rules that God gave to Moses; one of these rules. The Jews had to obey the laws that God gave to Moses.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
nail ~ a sharp thing that someone has made out of metal. People use a hammer to put a nail through something. This fixes it against something else.
priest ~ a man who offered gifts to God on behalf of other people. The Jews had priests who worked in *God’s Great House.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'forgive, forgave ~ not to remember wrong things that a person has done. God forgives us for the wrong things that we have done. He chooses to do this, but we must change our minds. We must ask him to come into our lives.

Mark’s Good News

Mark’s Gospel

Hilda Bright

Chapter 15

The *trial in front of Pilate 15:1-15

v1 As soon as morning came, the chief priests met with the other leaders and the *scribes and the whole *Sanhedrin. They made a decision. They tied Jesus up and they led him away. They handed him over to Pilate. v2 Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the king of the *Jews?’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is as you say.’ v3 The chief priests accused Jesus of many things. v4 Pilate asked Jesus again, ‘Are you not going to answer? See how many things they accuse you of.’ v5 But Jesus still did not reply. So Pilate was astonished. v6 At the *feast he used to let one prisoner go free. The people could ask for the one that they wanted. v7 Now there was a man in prison called Barabbas. He was there among people who had fought against the *Romans. These people had murdered while they fought. v8 The crowd came. And they asked Pilate to do what he usually did. v9 Pilate replied, ‘Do you want me to set the king of the *Jews free for you?’ v10 He knew why the chief priests had handed Jesus over. It was because they were jealous. v11 But the chief priests persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas instead. v12 Then Pilate said to them, ‘What shall I do with the man whom you call the king of the *Jews?’ v13 The crowd shouted, ‘Fix him to a *cross!’ v14 Pilate said to them, ‘Why, what wrong things has he done?’ But they shouted even louder, ‘Fix him to a *cross!’ v15 Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd. So he let Barabbas go free for them. He ordered his soldiers to strike Jesus many times with terrible whips. Then he handed him over to the soldiers to fix him to a *cross.

Verse 1 The *Sanhedrin had complete authority over *religious matters. But the *Romans did not allow them to kill anyone. The *Roman who governed Judea was Pontius Pilate. He ruled during the years 26-36 *AD. He ruled from the town called Caesarea. He had come from Caesarea to Jerusalem with his soldiers for the *Passover *feast. The *Jewish crowds at *Passover remembered how Moses had led their *ancestors to freedom from Egypt. The crowds might become so excited that they might cause trouble. They might begin to fight in order to gain freedom from *Roman rule.

The *Sanhedrin could not say that Jesus spoke evil words against God. They knew that Pilate would not listen to that. They had to decide how to accuse Jesus of a political crime. They said, ‘Jesus caused people to oppose the *Romans. He said that they should not pay their taxes to the *Romans. He said that he was the *Jewish *Messiah, a king’ (Luke 23:1-2).

Pilate realised that the *Jewish leaders hated Jesus. Otherwise, they would not accuse him to a *Roman.

Verse 2 Pilate asked Jesus if he was king of the *Jews. He was King, but not in a way that Pilate would understand the word ‘king’. He was a king of love, not a king of a political *kingdom.

Verses 3-5 The chief priests continued to accuse Jesus. Pilate was astonished that Jesus did not say anything in reply. But any answer that he gave would be no use. Jesus knew that.

Verse 6 In an effort to gain support from the *Jews, Pilate allowed one prisoner to go free at *Passover time.

Verse 7 There were some men in prison after a recent attack on the *Romans. Among them was Barabbas. He had murdered during the attack, but he may have been a hero among the *Jews.

Verses 8-9 Pilate knew that Jesus had not done anything wrong. So, he asked if he should set free Jesus, ‘the king of the *Jews’.

Verse 11 The crowd would include people who supported Barabbas. There were probably other people whom the priests had paid to shout against Jesus. People in a crowd often do things that they would never do on their own.

Verse 12 Pilate asked the crowd what he should do with Jesus. That was not a wise question. He should have made the decision himself, and set Jesus free. But perhaps he expected the crowd to support Jesus.

Verses 13-14 The crowd demanded that Pilate should kill Jesus on a *cross. He protested that Jesus was not guilty. But they insisted, ‘Fix him to a *cross.’

Verse 15 Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd, because he was afraid. He was afraid that he would be in trouble. He was already in trouble with the *Jews for several reasons.

1. When he became ruler, he ordered the *Roman army flags to go into Jerusalem. He had to remove them after the *Jews complained.

2. He had used *Temple money to improve the water supply to Jerusalem.

3. People blamed Pilate for the death of *Jews from Galilee while they were in the *Temple (Luke 13:1-4). The *Jews said that Pilate would not be loyal to Caesar if he set Jesus free (John 19:12). They were suggesting that they could make him lose his job. So, Pilate set free a criminal and he ordered the death of an innocent man.

‘Barabbas’ means ‘son of a father’. The name might mean that he was like his father in character. Jesus was ‘the Son of the Father’. He showed what God is like. Barabbas showed hate. Jesus showed love.

The *Romans tied sharp pieces of bone and metal to a leather whip. Then they hit a man’s bare back with it. It was such a cruel punishment that men sometimes died after it. Or they became mad.

They kill Jesus on a *cross 15:16-41

Death on a *cross was only for slaves, or for people who were not *Roman citizens. Jesus would have seen young men die on *crosses near Nazareth when he was a boy.

The soldiers make fun of Jesus 15:16-20

v16 The soldiers took Jesus away into the ruler’s palace. They called together the whole band of soldiers. v17 Then they put a purple coat on him. They made a crown of *thorns to put on his head. v18 They began to greet him, ‘Welcome, king of the *Jews.’ v19 They were striking him on the head with a stick. They were *spitting on him. They went on their knees as if they were showing him honour. v20 When they had finished making fun of him, they took off the purple coat. They put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out in order to kill him on a *cross.

Verse 16 Pilate’s soldiers lived in the ruler’s palace with him.

Verse 17 The *Jews had accused Jesus of saying that he was a king. The soldiers knew that. So, they had their fun. They pretended to give him honour as a king. A soldier’s old red coat would look like the purple coat that the great ruler in Rome wore. They had made the crown out of small very sharp branches from a tree and it would hurt his head. However, it is possible that they put the crown on his head with the points away from his head. Then they were imitating the crown with beams of light like the sun. The rulers in Jesus’ time had their pictures with crowns like that on coins.

Verse 18 The words, ‘Welcome, king of the *Jews’, were like the greeting that people gave to the great ruler in Rome, ‘Welcome, Caesar’. The soldiers knew that the *Jews did not have a king. So they were insulting both Jesus and the *Jews.

Verse 19 Matthew tells us that they put a stick in Jesus’ hand. It looked like the special stick that showed a king’s authority. The king would carry it in ceremonies (Matthew 27:29). Then they hit him with it and they *spat at him. They pretended to give him honour. They went down onto their knees, as men did in front of important people.

Verse 20 The soldiers had made fun of Jesus as a joke. They did not know that they were telling the truth. Jesus was a king. He is still a king.

The soldiers fix Jesus to his *cross 15:21-28

v21 Simon from Cyrene was passing by. He was the father of Alexander and Rufus. He was coming in from the country. The soldiers forced him to carry the *cross. v22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha. The word ‘Golgotha’ means ‘The place of the *Skull’. v23 They offered Jesus wine that they had mixed with *myrrh. But he did not take it. v24 They fixed Jesus to the *cross. Then they shared out his clothes. They played a game of chance. In that way they decided what each soldier should get. v25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they fixed him to his *cross. v26 They fixed a notice above him. It showed the crime of which the rulers accused him. The notice said, ‘King of the *Jews’. v27 They killed two thieves on *crosses at the same time as Jesus. One thief was on a *cross at his right side. And the other one was on a *cross at his left side. [v28 The *scripture came true that said, ‘They counted him among *sinners.’]

Verse 21 Jesus was on his way to die on a *cross. So he should have carried the short beam part of the cross himself. The soldiers may have thought that Jesus could not walk with it. Jesus may have been weak because they had whipped him. Simon was from Cyrene in North Africa. He may have been a worker out in the country. His sons Alexander and Rufus may have been well-known Christians in Rome. Paul mentions a Rufus in Romans 16:13. Simon’s experience when he carried the *cross may have caused him to become a *disciple. It is even possible that he is the same person as ‘Black Simon’. ‘Black Simon’ was a leader in the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1).

Verse 22 ‘Golgotha’ was called ‘the *Skull’, perhaps because they killed people on *crosses there. It may have been a hill with the shape of a *skull.

Verse 23 Jesus was going to die on a *cross. A mixture of wine and *myrrh was a drug that some women from Jerusalem offered to such a person. It would help to make the pain a little less terrible. Jesus refused it. He wanted to be aware of what was happening.

Verse 24 The soldiers had to stay there because friends might have tried to rescue the men on *crosses. The *Romans allowed their soldiers to keep a prisoner’s clothing. Each soldier had one piece of Jesus’ clothing. They had to choose who would have the outer coat. They played a game of chance in order to do that (John 19:23-24). Mark’s readers would remember the words in Psalms 22:18. ‘They divided my clothes among them. They played a game for my clothing.’

Verse 26 The notice ‘the King of the *Jews’ was there to show a ‘crime’. But it was showing the truth about Jesus. The priests complained to Pilate, but he refused to change it (John 19:21-22).

Verse 27 All his life, Jesus had been the friend of *sinners. On the *cross, he was still with *sinners. The thieves were in the places that James and John had asked for (10:37).

[Verse 28] is in some copies of Mark’s book. The words are from Isaiah 53:12.

Many people make fun of Jesus 15:29-32

v29 The people who passed by shouted insults at Jesus. They shook their heads and they said, ‘Ah! So you would destroy the *Temple and build it again in three days! v30 Save yourself and come down from the *cross!’ v31 In the same way, the chief priests and *scribes made fun of him among themselves. They said, ‘He saved other people. He cannot save himself. v32 Let the Christ, the king of Israel (the *Jewish people), come down now from the *cross. When we see that, we will believe.’ Those who were hanging on the crosses next to Jesus also made fun of him.

Verse 29 Jesus suffered *physical pain on the *cross. But he also suffered the cruel laughter of people who were passing by. The priests and even the thieves next to him laughed at him too.

Jesus’ enemies said that he had insulted God. Now people insulted Jesus. They also said, ‘We heard him say, “I will destroy this *Temple that people have made with their hands. After three days, I will build another one” ’ (14:58). If he had the power to do that, then he would have the power to come down from the *cross.

Verses 31-32 The priests said that Jesus had saved other people. They spoke the truth when they said that. Jesus had rescued people from diseases and evil *spirits (1:34). He had saved a man by forgiving him (2:5-10). The priests demanded a sign, as the *Pharisees had (8:11). He should prove that he was the *Messiah by a *miracle. They would believe that he was the *Messiah then. Jesus could have saved himself but he would not. By his suffering, he was showing God’s love for everyone. Also, he was making it possible for God to forgive us. People believe in him now because he did not come down from the *cross. The thieves were in the same situation as Jesus. They realised that he was different from them. And so they laughed at him.

The death of Jesus 15:33-41

v33 At noon, there was darkness over the whole country. It lasted until three o’clock. v34 At three o’clock, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ This means, ‘My God, my God, why have you left me alone?’ v35 Some people were standing near. And they heard what Jesus said. They said, ‘Look, he is calling for Elijah!’ v36 Someone ran and filled a *sponge with sour wine. He put it on a stick. And he gave it to Jesus to drink. He said, ‘Wait! Let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.’ v37 Jesus gave a loud cry and he took his last breath. v38 The *Temple curtain tore in two, from top to bottom. v39 The *Roman officer was standing in front of Jesus. He heard Jesus’ cry. And he saw how he died. He said, ‘This man really was the Son of God.’ v40 There were some women there who were watching from a distance. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and Salome were among them. v41 In Galilee, they had followed Jesus and they had taken care of his needs. There were many other women there who had come up to Jerusalem with him.

Verse 33. God may have used a natural cause to make the darkness. It may have been a dust storm that God caused. It could not have been because the moon stopped the light from the sun at the time of the *Passover. *Passover is always when the whole of the moon is shining. But, in the *Old Testament, darkness is a sign of God’s judgement (Amos 5:20; Amos 8:9). Jesus had said, ‘I am the light of the world’ (John 8:12). The darkness was a sign that God’s punishment was coming on human *sin. And Jesus had linked himself with human *sin. ‘For us, God caused him to be *sin who knew no *sin’ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Verse 34 Jesus’ words in *Aramaic came from Psalms 22:1. For the first time ever, Jesus felt that something separated him from God. God had left him because of our *sin. This was a terrible time. As a man, he knew the feeling of despair that people sometimes suffer. There is therefore no human feeling that Jesus does not understand. But Jesus was suffering so that God could forgive people. He was like the servant in Isaiah’s poem who suffered on behalf of other people (Isaiah chapter 53). Jesus felt the darkness of being cut off from God. That is what *sin causes. Those who ask God to forgive them in Jesus’ name will not stay in the darkness. They will live ‘in the light’ with him (1 John 1:7).

Jesus may have remembered the rest of Psalms 22. ‘God has not hidden his face. He has heard when he cried out to him’ (Psalms 22:24).

Verses 35-36 Someone thought that Jesus was asking Elijah to rescue him. There was a tradition that Elijah would come to the help of good people in trouble. The man who offered Jesus the drink of the soldiers’ cheap wine was curious. He wanted to know whether Elijah would come.

Verse 37 The loud cry was probably the cry of ‘It is finished’ that John recorded (19:30). That meant that Jesus had completed God’s work.

Verse 38 The curtain in the *Temple separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Only the priest could go into the Most Holy Place. He went in once every year in order to pray. He prayed that God would forgive him and all the *Jews. The curtain tore as a sign that people could now approach God themselves, because of Jesus. Jesus is the Chief Priest. The *sacrifice that he offered was himself. The death of Jesus was a *sacrifice that nobody needed to repeat every year. He opened the way to God by his death, which he offered once for all time (Hebrews 10:11-12).

Verse 39 The *Roman army officer had probably seen many men die. But he realised that the death of Jesus was different. He said that Jesus was ‘the Son of God’. The officer was a *Gentile. His words were a sign that *Gentiles would be part of the Christian church. ‘Son of God’ were the words with which Mark began his *Gospel (1:1).

Verses 40-41 Mary, the mother of Jesus, and John were at the *cross (John 19:25). Mark writes about Mary Magdalene. She came from Magdala, on the west coast of Lake Galilee. Mary, who was the mother of James the younger and Joses, was there too. Salome was the mother of James and John. She was probably the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. They were all witnesses at the death of Jesus.

Joseph from Arimathea buries Jesus 15:42-47

v42 Evening came. It was the day of Preparation, the day before the *Sabbath. v43 Joseph from Arimathea was a respected *Jewish leader. He was waiting for the *kingdom of God. He had the courage to go to Pilate and to ask for the body of Jesus. v44 Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead. He sent for the *Roman officer. And he asked him if Jesus had died. v45 He heard from the officer that Jesus was dead. Then he allowed Joseph to have the body. v46 Joseph bought some good cloth for the body. He took the body down from the *cross and he wrapped it in the good cloth. He laid Jesus in a cave that his men had dug out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the grave. v47 Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, saw where Joseph had laid Jesus.

Verse 42 The day when *Jews prepared for the *Sabbath was Friday. The *Sabbath began at sunset on Friday, about six o’clock. Then it was against the *Jewish law to do physical work.

Verse 43 Joseph came from a town that was 20 miles north west of Jerusalem. He was a member of the *Sanhedrin. He had remained silent. Or he had no opportunity to change the decision to kill Jesus. The *Romans left bodies on crosses to warn other people. But God’s rules meant that a man’s body should not stay on a *cross after sunset (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). Joseph was being fairly brave. People would know now that he was a friend to Jesus. That might have been dangerous for Joseph. Joseph also risked the possibility that Pilate might refuse his request.

Verses 44-45 Pilate was surprised that Jesus had died so quickly. But the *Roman officer was able to support Joseph’s request. Mark shows clearly that Jesus died. Some people want to deny the *resurrection. So they say that Jesus did not really die. But Pilate, the *Roman officer, Joseph and the women all knew that Jesus did suffer actual death.

Verse 46 Joseph had little time between Jesus’ death at three o’clock and the beginning of the *Sabbath at six o’clock. John says that Nicodemus helped him (John 19:38-40). The grave was a large cave that men had dug out of the rock. It belonged to Joseph and it had never had a body in it before (Matthew 27:60). He used a heavy stone to roll across the entrance.

Verse 47 The women knew which cave Joseph had put Jesus in. They intended to return after the *Sabbath in order to *anoint Jesus’ body.

trial ~ a legal examination by which a judge decides if a person is guilty of a crime; the examination of a person in a court of law to discover whether he is guilty or not of a crime.
scribes ~ writers, especially the Jewish lawyers.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Sanhedrin ~ the group of Jewish priests and other leaders.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
feast ~ a special meal; a religious ceremony.
religious ~ something that people do as part of the worship of God.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that someone has fixed together in the shape of a cross. People put Jesus on a cross in order to kill him.
religious ~ something that people do as part of the worship of God.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
AD ~ AD 50 means the year that was 50 years after Jesus came, and so on.
Passover ~ the important day when Jews remember that God freed them. He freed them from being slaves in Egypt at the time of Moses.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
ancestors ~ people in the past from whom one's parents came.
Messiah ~ the Jews' word for the king who would come and rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
kingdom ~ people or place that a king rules; or people that God rules.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
thorn ~ sharp, hard point on a plant or bush.'spit, spat ~ send liquid out of the mouth very quickly.
skull ~ the bone of the head.
myrrh ~ an oil with a bitter smell.
scriptures ~ the books in the Old Testament or in the Bible.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.
sinner ~ someone who does not obey God’s commands. But some Jews used the word for anyone who did not obey all their extra rules.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
disciples ~ people who follow someone in order to learn from him.
skull ~ the bone of the head.
physical ~ about the body.
spirit ~ the part of a person who is alive that we cannot see. There are good spirits, like God’s Spirit and his angels. And there are bad spirits, like Satan and his angels.
angel ~ God’s special messenger.
Satan ~ the chief evil spirit.
messenger ~ a person who gives a message.
Pharisees ~ a group of Jews who thought that they obeyed all God’s commands. Many Pharisees did not like the things that Jesus taught. These men thought that they were not doing any wrong things. So, they became very proud.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
miracle ~ a wonderful work that someone does by God’s power.
sponge ~ soft material that holds liquid.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.
Aramaic ~ the language that the Jews spoke when Jesus was on earth.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
sacrifice ~ a gift to God to ask him to forgive sins; or to thank him for something. A gift to God, often an animal or bird, by the Jews to ask God to forgive their sins. Jesus gave himself to die as a sacrifice for our sins.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Gentiles ~ people who are not Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
gospel ~ good news that God saves people from sin by Jesus Christ.
Gospel ~ one of the first four books in the New Testament.
save ~ rescue from the results of sin.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.
Sabbath ~ seventh day of the week, a day of rest for Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
resurrection ~ when a dead person becomes alive again.
anoint ~ to mark a person with oil; sometimes it showed that God had chosen that person.