Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen Mk. 15:1. Immediately in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Sanhedrin held a consultation and, having bound Jesus, led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate. Mk. 15:2. Pilate asked Him: Art Thou the King of the Jews? And He answered and said unto him: Thou sayest it. Mk. 15:3. And the chief priests accused Him of many things. Mk. 15:4. And Pilate again asked Him: Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You? Mk. 15:5. But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled. Mk. 15:6. Now at every feast he released to them one prisoner, whomever they requested. Mk. 15:7. And there was one named Barabbas, who was bound with his fellow insurgents, who had committed murder during the insurrection. Mk. 15:8. And the crowd began to cry out and ask Pilate for what he always used to do for them. Mk. 15:9. He answered them, saying: Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews? Mk. 15:10. For he knew that the chief priests had delivered Him out of envy. Mk. 15:11. But the chief priests stirred up the people to ask that he would rather release Barabbas to them. Mk. 15:12. Pilate, answering, said to them again: What then do you want me to do with Him Whom you call the King of the Jews? Mk. 15:13. They cried out again: Crucify Him. Mk. 15:14. Pilate said to them: What evil then has He done? But they cried out all the more: Crucify Him. Mk. 15:15. Then Pilate, wishing to do what was pleasing to the people, released Barabbas to them, and having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to be crucified. The Jews delivered the Lord to the Romans; therefore they themselves were delivered by the Lord into the hands of the Romans. And the words of Scripture were fulfilled: "Woe to the lawless one, for he shall be repaid according to the works of his hands" (Isa. 3:11); and again: "Repay them according to their deeds" (Ps. 28:4); and again: "As you have done, so shall it be done to you" (Obad. 1:15). To Pilate's question, "Are You the King of the Jews?" the Lord gives an ambiguous answer. For the words "You say so" can be understood thus: you speak the truth — you yourself have declared Who I am; but they can also be understood thus: I do not say this, but you say it. But when asked a second time, Christ answered nothing and thereby brought Pilate to amazement. For Pilate marveled that He, being learned in the law and eloquent and having the ability to overthrow with a single answer the slanders brought against Him, said nothing, but on the contrary, humbly endured the accusations. Notice then the bloodthirstiness of the Jews and the moderation of Pilate (although he too is worthy of condemnation, because he did not firmly stand up for the righteous man). For they cried out, "Crucify Him," while he, though feebly, nevertheless attempted to free Jesus from condemnation. Therefore he asked again, "What shall I do with Jesus?" — trying to give them the opportunity to release the Lord as innocent, which is why he delayed and put it off. Finally, yielding to their demand, he had the Lord scourged, that is, struck with a leather whip, so that it would appear that they had received Him as one already condemned at the tribunal, and "handed Him over to be crucified." For he wished to do what was pleasing and agreeable to the people, and not what was pleasing to God. Mk. 15:16. And the soldiers led Him away inside the courtyard, that is, into the Praetorium, and they assembled the whole cohort, Mk. 15:17. And they clothed Him in purple, and, having plaited a crown of thorns, placed it on Him; Mk. 15:18. And they began to greet Him: Hail, King of the Jews! Mk. 15:19. And they struck Him on the head with a reed, and spat on Him, and, falling on their knees, bowed down to Him. Mk. 15:20. And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, and put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him. Mk. 15:21. And they compelled a certain passerby, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, coming from the field, to carry His cross. The military class, always finding consolation in acts of violence and insult, now too displayed its customary character. For if the Jews, who had heard so many teachings from Christ and had received from Him so often and so many benefactions, inflicted upon Him so many outrages, then what shall we say of the pagans? So they call together against Him an entire cohort, clothe Him in purple as a king for mockery, and begin to strike Him; they take a crown of thorns instead of a diadem, and a reed instead of a scepter. These servants of the devil compelled, as it is said, a certain man to carry His cross; meanwhile, another evangelist says that Jesus went out, bearing the cross Himself (Jn. 19:17). But both things happened: at first He Himself carried the wood of the cross for some time, and when they found another able to carry it, they compelled this latter man, and the cross was borne by him. And why is it also mentioned whose father this man was? For greater confirmation, because that man was probably still alive and could recount everything concerning the cross. But let us also clothe ourselves in purple, the royal garment. What I mean is that we must walk as kings, treading upon the serpent and the scorpion and overcoming sin. We are called Christians, that is, anointed ones, just as kings were once called christs. Therefore let our life not be slavish and base, but royal and free. Let us wear the crown of thorns, that is, let us strive to be crowned with a life that is strict, temperate, and free from fleshly pleasures, rather than one that is luxurious, self-indulgent, and given over to sensual enjoyments. Let us also become "Simon," which means obedience, and take up the cross of Jesus, "mortifying our members which are upon the earth" (Col. 3:5). Mk. 15:22. And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which means: the Place of the Skull. Mk. 15:23. And they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink; but He did not accept it. Mk. 15:24. And those who crucified Him divided His garments, casting lots for them, to determine what each should take. Mk. 15:25. It was the third hour, and they crucified Him. Mk. 15:26. The inscription of His accusation was written: THE KING OF THE JEWS. Mk. 15:27. And with Him they crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left side. Mk. 15:28. And the word of Scripture was fulfilled: "and He was numbered with the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12). There is a tradition that has come down to us from the holy fathers that Adam was buried on Golgotha. Here the Lord is also crucified, He who heals the fall and death of Adam, so that in the same place the destruction of death would follow where death had its beginning. "They gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink"; but myrrh is the most bitter liquid; this means they gave it to the Lord in mockery of Him. Another evangelist says that the Lord was offered vinegar with gall (Matt. 27:34), and a third, that something else was brought to Him as well. But there is no contradiction in this; amid the lawlessness of that time, some brought one thing, others brought another: one brought vinegar with gall, another brought wine with myrrh. It could also be that the wine was sour and the myrrh was rancid, and consequently the evangelists are in agreement with one another when one of them speaks of wine with myrrh and another of vinegar with gall. For the wine could have been called vinegar, and the myrrh called gall, the first on account of its sourness, the second on account of its bitterness. Likewise, when one says that "they gave Him to drink, but He did not accept it," this does not contradict the other, who says, "and when He had tasted it, He would not drink" (Matt. 27:34). For when it is said "He did not accept it," this already clearly shows that He did not drink. They also cast lots for His garments in mockery of Him, that is, dividing among themselves what were, as it were, royal garments, when in fact they were poor ones. They also wrote the charge for which the Lord was crucified: "The King of the Jews," in order to disgrace His glory, as though He were a seditious man who called Himself a king, so that all who passed by would not only have no pity for Him but, on the contrary, would assail Him as a usurper of royal power. But how is it that Mark says Christ was crucified at the third hour, while Matthew says that the darkness occurred at the sixth hour? It may be said that He was crucified at the third hour, and that the darkness began from the sixth hour and lasted until the ninth. The Lord was also crucified with the robbers so that people would think ill of Him, that He too was an evildoer. But this was by God's dispensation, for on the one hand the prophecy was fulfilled: "He was numbered with the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12), and on the other hand the two robbers were figures of the two peoples — the Jewish and the Gentile. Both of these peoples were lawless — the Gentile, as having transgressed the natural law, and the Jewish, as having transgressed both this law and the written law that God had given them. But the Gentile people proved to be the wise robber, while the Jewish people, on the contrary, remained blasphemers to the end. The Lord is crucified between these two peoples, inasmuch as He is the Cornerstone who unites us in Himself. Mk. 15:29. Those passing by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying: Ha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days! Mk. 15:30. Save Yourself and come down from the cross. Mk. 15:31. Likewise the chief priests also, mocking, said among themselves with the scribes: He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. Mk. 15:32. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with Him reviled Him. "Those passing by," that is, those passing along the road where the Lord was crucified, even they, says the Evangelist, blasphemed the Lord, reproaching Him as a deceiver. Since the Lord, by working miracles, had saved many, the chief priests, like the passersby, also said: He saved others, but He cannot save Himself? They said this mocking His miracles and considering them illusory apparitions. But to say "come down from the cross" — the devil was prompting them to this. Since the prince of evil knew that salvation would be accomplished by the cross, he again tempted the Lord, so that if He descended from the cross, it would be confirmed that He was not the Son of God, and thus the salvation of mankind through the cross would be destroyed. But He was the true Son of God, and for this very reason He did not come down from the cross. On the contrary, since He knew that this would be for the salvation of mankind, He resolved both to be crucified and to endure everything else and to accomplish His work. And those crucified with Him at first both reviled Him. Then one of them acknowledged Him as innocent and even admonished the other when that one was blaspheming. Mk. 15:33. At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land and lasted until the ninth hour. Mk. 15:34. At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice: "Eloi! Eloi! Lamma sabachthani?" which means: "My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me?" Mk. 15:35. Some of those standing there, hearing this, said: look, He is calling Elijah. Mk. 15:36. And one ran and filled a sponge with vinegar and, placing it on a reed, gave Him to drink, saying: wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down. Mk. 15:37. And Jesus, having cried out with a loud voice, gave up the spirit. The darkness was not in one place, but over all the earth. And if at that time it had been the period of the waning of the moon, then someone might still say that this was a natural eclipse. But now it was the fourteenth day of the month, when a natural eclipse is impossible. The Lord utters the prophetic saying in Hebrew, showing that He honors the Hebrew language to His last breath. "Why have You forsaken Me?" He says this from the perspective of human nature, as if to say: why have You, O God, forsaken me—mankind—so that I should have need of God being crucified for me? For it was we, human beings, who were forsaken, while He was never forsaken by the Father. Listen to what He Himself says: "I am not alone, because the Father is with Me" (Jn. 16:32). Or He also speaks on behalf of the Jews, since He Himself was a Jew according to the flesh: "Why have You forsaken Me," that is, the Jewish people, so that they would crucify Your Son? Just as we commonly say "God clothed Himself in me," meaning in human nature, so here too the expression "You have forsaken Me" must be understood as meaning My human nature or My Jewish people. "And one ran, filled a sponge with vinegar, and gave it to Him to drink," so that the bitterness of the vinegar might kill Him more quickly. Jesus gave up His spirit, having cried out with a loud voice, that is, as if summoning death, as the Master who dies by His own authority. And what the cry was, Luke indicated: "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit" (Lk. 23:46). By this the Lord also accomplished for us that the souls of the saints depart into the hands of God. For before, the souls of all were held in Hades, until He came who proclaimed release to the captives. Mk. 15:38. And the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Mk. 15:39. And when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He so cried out and gave up the spirit, he said: Truly this Man was the Son of God. Mk. 15:40. There were also women watching from afar: among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, Mk. 15:41. Who, when He was in Galilee, followed Him and ministered to Him; and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem. The veil was torn as a sign that the grace of the Spirit had departed from the temple, that the Holy of Holies would become visible and accessible to all, as indeed came to pass when the Romans entered, and that the temple itself mourns. Just as the Jews customarily did in misfortunes and tore their garments, so too the temple, as if animate, showed the same during the sufferings of the Creator, tearing its garment. But something else is signified by this as well. Our flesh is the veil of our temple, that is, of the mind. So then, the power that the flesh had over the spirit was torn by the sufferings of Christ "from top to bottom," that is, from Adam to the last human being. For Adam too was sanctified by the sufferings of Christ, and his flesh is no longer subject to the curse and corruption; on the contrary, we have all been honored with incorruption. The centurion, that is, the commander over a hundred soldiers, seeing that He died so sovereignly, was amazed and confessed. Notice how the order was reversed! The Jews put Him to death, a pagan confesses; the disciples scatter, the women remain. "There were," says the Evangelist, "women there as well; among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses," that is, the Theotokos, who was a mother to them. Since She was betrothed to Joseph, and James and Joses were the sons of Joseph, She is called their mother, as a stepmother, just as She was also called the wife of Joseph in the capacity of a bride. There also was Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee, and many others. But the Evangelist mentioned only the most important ones. Mk. 15:42. And when evening had already come, — because it was Friday, that is, the day before the Sabbath, — Mk. 15:43. Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the council, who himself was also waiting for the Kingdom of God, came and boldly went in to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Mk. 15:44. Pilate was amazed that He had already died, and, summoning the centurion, asked him whether He had been dead long. Mk. 15:45. And when he had learned it from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. Mk. 15:46. He, having bought a linen cloth and taken Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mk. 15:47. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where He was laid. Blessed Joseph, while still serving the Law, recognized Christ as God, which is why he dared to undertake this praiseworthy feat. He did not reason thus: here I am, a wealthy man, and I may lose my wealth if I ask for the body of One Who was condemned for claiming royal power for Himself, and I shall become hateful to the Jews — no, he did not deliberate on anything of the sort within himself, but, setting aside everything as less important, he asked for one thing alone — to commit the body of the Condemned One to burial. "Pilate marveled that He was already dead," for he thought that Christ would endure suffering for a long time, as the robbers did, which is why he asked the centurion, "Has He been dead long?" That is, could He really have died before the expected time? Having received the body, Joseph bought a linen shroud and, taking the body down, wrapped it in it, honorably committing what is honorable to burial. For he was himself a disciple of Christ and knew how to honor the Master. He was "prominent," that is, a man of honor, pious, and blameless. As for the title of councillor, this was a certain dignity or, rather, a service and civil office, the holders of which had to manage the affairs of the court, and in this they were often exposed to dangers from the abuses characteristic of that position. Let the wealthy and those occupied with public affairs hear how the dignity of councillor in no way hindered the virtue of Joseph. The name "Joseph" means "offering," and "Arimathea" means "take it up." Let us also, following the example of Joseph, always apply zeal to virtue and take it up, that is, the true good. May we be deemed worthy to receive the Body of Jesus through Communion and to lay it in a tomb hewn from rock, that is, in a soul that firmly remembers and does not forget God. May our soul be hewn from rock, that is, having its foundation in Christ, Who is the Rock. May we wrap this Body in a linen shroud, that is, may we receive it in a pure body, for the body is, as it were, the shroud of the soul. The Divine Body must be received not only into a pure soul but also into a pure body. And one must indeed wrap it, that is, cover it and not expose it, for the Mystery must be covered, kept hidden, and not disclosed.