Mark 15 : 1 (ERVEN)
Very early in the morning, the leading priests, the older Jewish leaders, the teachers of the law, and the whole high council decided what to do with Jesus. They tied him, led him away, and handed him over to governor Pilate.
Mark 15 : 2 (ERVEN)
Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Yes, that is right."
Mark 15 : 3 (ERVEN)
The leading priests accused Jesus of many things.
Mark 15 : 4 (ERVEN)
So Pilate asked Jesus another question. He said, "You can see that these people are accusing you of many things. Why don't you answer?"
Mark 15 : 5 (ERVEN)
But Jesus still did not answer, and this really surprised Pilate.
Mark 15 : 6 (ERVEN)
Every year at the Passover time the governor would free one prisoner� whichever one the people wanted.
Mark 15 : 7 (ERVEN)
There was a man in prison at that time named Barabbas. He and the rebels with him had been put in prison for committing murder during a riot.
Mark 15 : 8 (ERVEN)
The people came to Pilate and asked him to free a prisoner as he always did.
Mark 15 : 9 (ERVEN)
Pilate asked them, "Do you want me to free the king of the Jews?"
Mark 15 : 10 (ERVEN)
Pilate knew that the leading priests had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous of him.
Mark 15 : 11 (ERVEN)
But the leading priests persuaded the people to ask Pilate to free Barabbas, not Jesus.
Mark 15 : 12 (ERVEN)
Pilate asked the people again, "So what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?"
Mark 15 : 13 (ERVEN)
The people shouted, "Kill him on a cross!"
Mark 15 : 14 (ERVEN)
Pilate asked, "Why? What wrong has he done?" But the people shouted louder and louder, "Kill him on a cross!"
Mark 15 : 15 (ERVEN)
Pilate wanted to please the people, so he set Barabbas free for them. And he told the soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then he handed him over to the soldiers to be killed on a cross.
Mark 15 : 16 (ERVEN)
Pilate's soldiers took Jesus into the governor's palace (called the Praetorium). They called all the other soldiers together.
Mark 15 : 17 (ERVEN)
They put a purple robe on Jesus, made a crown from thorny branches, and put it on his head.
Mark 15 : 18 (ERVEN)
Then they began shouting, "Welcome, king of the Jews!"
Mark 15 : 19 (ERVEN)
They kept on beating his head with a stick and spitting on him. Then they bowed down on their knees and pretended to honor him as a king.
Mark 15 : 20 (ERVEN)
After they finished making fun of him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him out of the palace to be killed on a cross.
Mark 15 : 21 (ERVEN)
There was a man from Cyrene named Simon walking into the city from the fields. He was the father of Alexander and Rufus. The soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross.
Mark 15 : 22 (ERVEN)
They led Jesus to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means "The Place of the Skull.")
Mark 15 : 23 (ERVEN)
There they gave him some wine mixed with myrrh, but he refused to drink it.
Mark 15 : 24 (ERVEN)
The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. Then they divided his clothes among themselves, throwing dice to see who would get what.
Mark 15 : 25 (ERVEN)
It was nine o'clock in the morning when they nailed Jesus to the cross.
Mark 15 : 26 (ERVEN)
There was a sign with the charge against him written on it. It said, "the king of the jews."
Mark 15 : 27 (ERVEN)
They also nailed two criminals to crosses beside Jesus�one on the right and the other on the left.
Mark 15 : 29 (ERVEN)
People walked by and said bad things to Jesus. They shook their heads and said, "You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days.
Mark 15 : 30 (ERVEN)
So save yourself! Come down from that cross!"
Mark 15 : 31 (ERVEN)
The leading priests and the teachers of the law were also there. They made fun of Jesus the same as the other people did. They said to each other, "He saved others, but he can't save himself!
Mark 15 : 32 (ERVEN)
If he is really the Christ, the king of Israel, he should come down from the cross now. When we see this, then we will believe in him." The criminals on the crosses beside Jesus also said bad things to him.
Mark 15 : 33 (ERVEN)
At noon the whole country became dark. This darkness continued until three o'clock.
Mark 15 : 34 (ERVEN)
At three o'clock Jesus cried out loudly, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani." This means "My God, my God, why have you left me alone?"
Mark 15 : 35 (ERVEN)
Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, "Listen! He is calling Elijah."
Mark 15 : 36 (ERVEN)
One man there ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with sour wine and tied it to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to get a drink from it. The man said, "We should wait now and see if Elijah will come to take him down from the cross."
Mark 15 : 37 (ERVEN)
Then Jesus cried out loudly and died.
Mark 15 : 38 (ERVEN)
When Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the bottom.
Mark 15 : 39 (ERVEN)
The army officer who was standing there in front of the cross saw what happened when Jesus died. The officer said, "This man really was the Son of God!"
Mark 15 : 40 (ERVEN)
Some women were standing away from the cross, watching. Among these women were Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James and Joses. (James was her youngest son.)
Mark 15 : 41 (ERVEN)
These were the women who had followed Jesus in Galilee and cared for him. Many other women who had come with Jesus to Jerusalem were also there.
Mark 15 : 42 (ERVEN)
This day was called Preparation day. (That means the day before the Sabbath day.) It was becoming dark.
Mark 15 : 43 (ERVEN)
A man named Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to go to Pilate and ask for Jesus' body. Joseph was an important member of the high council. He was one of the people who wanted God's kingdom to come.
Mark 15 : 44 (ERVEN)
Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead. So he called for the army officer in charge and asked him if Jesus was already dead.
Mark 15 : 45 (ERVEN)
When Pilate heard it from the officer, he told Joseph he could have the body.
Mark 15 : 46 (ERVEN)
Joseph bought some linen cloth. He took the body from the cross, wrapped it in the linen, and put the body in a tomb that was dug in a wall of rock. Then he closed the tomb by rolling a large stone to cover the entrance.
Mark 15 : 47 (ERVEN)
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw the place where Jesus was put.
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