Mar 15 | Comm | STEP | Very early in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led him away, and delivered him to Pilate.

‏ Mark 15

1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led him away, and delivered him to Pilate. 2 Then Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And he answered him, "It is as you say." 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, "Have you no answer to make? See how many things they bring against you." 5 But Jesus still made no answer, so that Pilate was amazed. 6 Now at the feast he was accustomed to release for them one prisoner whom they requested. 7 And with the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. 8 And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he had always done for them. 9 But Pilate answered them, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" 10 For he knew it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. 12 And Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man whom you call the King of the Jews?" 13 And they cried out again, "Crucify him!" 14 And Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him!"

15 So Pilate, wanting to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged him, to be crucified. 16 The soldiers led him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and they called together the whole battalion. 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and they twisted a crown of thorns and put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 19 Then they struck him on the head with a reed and spat on him; and falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took the purple robe off him, and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. 21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to carry his cross.

22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). 23 Then they offered him wine mingled with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And when they crucified him, they divided his garments, casting lots for them to determine what each man should take. 25 And it was the third hour, when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge written against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 29 And those who passed by hurled insults at him, wagging their heads, and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!" 31 So also the chief priests mocked him among themselves with the scribes, and said, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" —which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Behold, he is calling Elijah." 36 And one ran and filled a sponge full of wine vinegar, put it on a reed, and offered it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see if Elijah will come to take him down." 37 And with a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 So when the centurion, who stood opposite him, saw that he cried out like this and breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!" 40 There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome, 41 who also followed him and ministered to him when he was in Galilee; and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

42 Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate marveled that he was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Then he bought fine linen, took him down, and wrapped him in the linen. And he laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.