Catholic Commentary on Mark 15

"When the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, 'Surely this man was the Son of God!'" (Mark 15:39)

Before Pilate

Jesus stands before Pontius Pilate. Pilate asks: Are you the king of the Jews? Jesus answers: You have said so. To the chief priests' many accusations he says nothing. Pilate is amazed. The crowd, stirred up by the chief priests, chooses Barabbas, a man imprisoned for insurrection and murder, over Jesus. Barabbas is released. The innocent man is condemned. This exchange is one of the most theologically loaded moments in the Passion narrative: Barabbas, guilty, goes free; Jesus, innocent, takes his place. The name Barabbas means "son of the father." The true Son of the Father dies so that the guilty son of another father might live. It is the Gospel in miniature.

The soldiers mock Jesus as a king: a purple robe, a crown of thorns, a salute. They think they are performing a joke. They are enacting an irony that will outlast the Roman Empire: the man in the crown of thorns is the only king whose kingdom will never end.

The Crucifixion

Jesus is crucified at nine in the morning. The inscription reads: The King of the Jews. He is crucified between two criminals. Those who pass by hurl abuse: if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. The chief priests mock: he saved others but he cannot save himself. At noon, darkness covers the land for three hours. At three in the afternoon Jesus cries out: Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani? My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? These are the opening words of Psalm 22, a psalm that begins in desolation and ends in vindication. Jesus does not pray from a script. He prays from the tradition of his people, taking the deepest human cry of abandonment and bringing it before the Father. The Catechism does not explain away this darkness but affirms that the Son of God truly experienced the weight of human desolation so that no human being who ever cries out in darkness can say Christ does not know it (CCC 603).

The Centurion's Confession

When Jesus dies, the curtain of the Temple is torn in two from top to bottom. The barrier between humanity and the Holy of Holies is gone. The centurion who stands opposite Jesus and sees how he dies says: Surely this man was the Son of God. A Roman soldier, a pagan, a man who has supervised this execution, makes the confession that Peter made at Caesarea Philippi and that the Father confirmed at the Transfiguration. At the Cross, the truth breaks through the most unlikely witness. The women are there too, watching from a distance: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and Salome. They do not abandon him.

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, stand at Calvary. Do not rush past it to the Resurrection. The darkness matters. The cry of abandonment matters. The torn curtain matters. This is where your redemption was accomplished: not in a palace, not in a philosophy, but in the body of a man nailed to wood on a Friday afternoon outside Jerusalem. The Son of God died for you. Let that be the ground under your feet today.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, from the Cross you cried out in the darkness and gave up your spirit. Your death tore the veil and opened the way to the Father. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

15
Jesus Delivered to Pilate
(Matthew 27:1–2)
1 Early in the morning, the chief priests, elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin * 15:1 Or the whole Council devised a plan. They bound Jesus, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate.
 
2 So Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
 
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
 
3 And the chief priests began to accuse Him of many things.
 
4 Then Pilate questioned Him again, “Have You no answer? Look how many charges they are bringing against You!”
 
5 But to Pilate’s amazement, Jesus made no further reply.
The Crowd Chooses Barabbas
(Matthew 27:15–23; Luke 23:13–25)
 
6 Now it was Pilate’s custom at the feast to release to the people † 15:6 Literally Now at the feast he would release to them a prisoner of their choosing. 7 And a man named Barabbas was imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. 8 So the crowd went up and began asking Pilate to keep his custom.
 
9 “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” Pilate asked. 10 For he knew it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over.
 
11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead.
Pilate Delivers Up Jesus
(Matthew 27:24–26)
 
12 So Pilate asked them again, “What then do you want me to do with the One you call the King of the Jews?”
 
13 And they shouted back, “Crucify Him!”
 
14 “Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?”
 
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”
 
15 And wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
(Isaiah 50:4–11; Matthew 27:27–31; Luke 22:63–65; John 19:1–15)
 
16 Then the soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called the whole company together. 17 They dressed Him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and set it on His head. 18 And they began to salute Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!”
 
19 They kept striking His head with a staff and spitting on Him. And they knelt down and bowed before Him. 20 After they had mocked Him, they removed the purple robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him.
The Crucifixion
(Psalms 22:1–31; Matthew 27:32–44; Luke 23:26–43; John 19:16–27)
 
21 Now Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and the soldiers forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.
 
22 They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull. 23 There they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it.
 
24 And they crucified Him.
 
They also divided His garments by casting lots to decide what each of them would take.‡ 15:24 See Psalms 22:18.
 
25 It was the third hour § 15:25 That is, nine in the morning when they crucified Him. 26 And the charge inscribed against Him read:
 
THE KING OF THE JEWS.
 
27 Along with Jesus, they crucified two robbers,* 15:27 Or insurrectionists one on His right and one on His left.† 15:27 BYZ and TR include 28 So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.” See Isaiah 53:12 and Luke 22:37.
 
29 And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save Yourself!”
 
31 In the same way, the chief priests and scribes mocked Him among themselves, saying, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself! 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” And even those who were crucified with Him berated Him.
The Death of Jesus
(Psalms 22:1–31; Matthew 27:45–56; Luke 23:44–49; John 19:28–30)
 
33 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour ‡ 15:33 That is, from noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 34 At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”§ 15:34 Psalms 22:1
 
35 When some of those standing nearby heard this, they said, “Behold, He is calling Elijah.”
 
36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine.* 15:36 Or a sponge with wine vinegar He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus to drink,† 15:36 See Psalms 69:21. saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.”
 
37 But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last. 38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
 
39 When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus saw how He had breathed His last,‡ 15:39 BYZ and TR saw how, having cried out, He had breathed His last he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
 
40 And there were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses,§ 15:40 Joses is a variant of Joseph; see Matthew 27:56. and Salome. 41 These women had followed Jesus and ministered to Him while He was in Galilee, and there were many other women who had come up to Jerusalem with Him.
The Burial of Jesus
(Isaiah 53:9–12; Matthew 27:57–61; Luke 23:50–56; John 19:38–42)
 
42 Now it was already evening. Since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath), 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent Council member who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.
 
44 Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, so he summoned the centurion to ask if this was so. 45 When Pilate had confirmed it with the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
 
46 So Joseph bought a linen cloth, took down the body of Jesus, wrapped it in the cloth, and placed it in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph * 15:47 Or Joses saw where His body was placed.

*15:1 15:1 Or the whole Council

†15:6 15:6 Literally Now at the feast he would release to them

‡15:24 15:24 See Psalms 22:18.

§15:25 15:25 That is, nine in the morning

*15:27 15:27 Or insurrectionists

†15:27 15:27 BYZ and TR include 28 So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.” See Isaiah 53:12 and Luke 22:37.

‡15:33 15:33 That is, from noon until three in the afternoon

§15:34 15:34 Psalms 22:1

*15:36 15:36 Or a sponge with wine vinegar

†15:36 15:36 See Psalms 69:21.

‡15:39 15:39 BYZ and TR saw how, having cried out, He had breathed His last

§15:40 15:40 Joses is a variant of Joseph; see Matthew 27:56.

*15:47 15:47 Or Joses

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