Mark 15:32
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.
Let the Christ
The term "Christ" is derived from the Greek word "Christos," meaning "Anointed One." This title is equivalent to the Hebrew "Messiah." In the Jewish tradition, the Messiah was expected to be a powerful, kingly figure who would deliver Israel from oppression. The use of "Christ" here is deeply ironic, as the mockers fail to recognize that Jesus, in His suffering, is fulfilling the true role of the Messiah, not as a political liberator, but as a spiritual savior.

the King of Israel
This phrase underscores the expectation of a political and nationalistic leader who would restore Israel to its former glory. Historically, the title "King of Israel" would evoke memories of King David, under whose reign Israel experienced prosperity and divine favor. The mockers' use of this title is meant to ridicule Jesus, as they cannot comprehend a king who reigns from a cross. Yet, in God's redemptive plan, Jesus' kingship is established through His sacrificial death and subsequent resurrection.

come down now from the cross
The demand for Jesus to "come down" is a challenge to His divine authority and power. In the Greco-Roman world, gods were often depicted as powerful beings who could easily escape human constraints. The mockers' challenge reflects a misunderstanding of Jesus' mission. His refusal to come down is not a sign of weakness, but of obedience to the Father's will, fulfilling prophecies such as Isaiah 53, which speaks of the suffering servant.

so that we may see and believe
This phrase highlights a conditional faith based on signs and wonders, rather than true spiritual understanding. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus emphasizes belief based on spiritual insight rather than physical evidence (John 20:29). The mockers' demand for a miraculous sign is reminiscent of the Israelites' repeated testing of God in the wilderness, revealing a hardened heart that refuses to accept the truth of Jesus' identity and mission.

And those who were crucified with Him
This refers to the two criminals crucified alongside Jesus. In the Roman world, crucifixion was reserved for the most heinous criminals, serving as a public deterrent. The inclusion of these individuals in the narrative emphasizes the depth of Jesus' humiliation and the extent of His identification with sinners. It also sets the stage for the transformation of one of these criminals, as recorded in Luke 23:39-43, highlighting the power of grace and repentance.

also heaped abuse on Him
The act of heaping abuse is a fulfillment of the prophecy in Psalm 22:7, which speaks of the Messiah being scorned and mocked. This abuse is not just physical, but verbal and emotional, adding to the suffering Jesus endures. It serves to highlight the depth of human sinfulness and the extent of Jesus' love, as He endures such hostility for the sake of humanity's redemption. The mockery also contrasts with Jesus' silence and forgiveness, exemplifying His divine nature and mission.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Christ (Jesus)
Referred to as "the Christ, the King of Israel," Jesus is the central figure in this passage, enduring crucifixion and mockery.

2. The Cross
The instrument of Roman execution, symbolizing suffering and sacrifice, where Jesus was crucified.

3. The Mockers
Those who taunted Jesus, including religious leaders and passersby, challenging Him to prove His divinity by coming down from the cross.

4. The Crucified Criminals
Two individuals crucified alongside Jesus, one of whom also mocked Him, as noted in this verse.

5. Golgotha
The place of the crucifixion, also known as "The Place of the Skull."
Teaching Points
The Nature of True Faith
True faith does not demand signs or miracles but trusts in God's plan and timing. The mockers demanded a sign, yet true belief requires trust beyond what is seen.

The Fulfillment of Prophecy
Jesus' crucifixion and the mockery He endured were foretold in Scripture, affirming the reliability and divine inspiration of the Bible.

Responding to Mockery and Suffering
Jesus' response to mockery was silence and endurance, setting an example for believers to follow when facing ridicule for their faith.

The Irony of the Mockery
The mockers unknowingly proclaimed a profound truth: Jesus is indeed the King of Israel and the Savior, whose power is demonstrated through His sacrifice, not by coming down from the cross.

The Call to Believe
The challenge to "see and believe" is a call to recognize Jesus' true identity and mission, inviting us to believe in Him as the crucified and risen Savior.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the mockery Jesus faced on the cross reflect the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, and what does this teach us about the reliability of Scripture?

2. In what ways can we demonstrate true faith in our lives, especially when we are tempted to demand signs or immediate answers from God?

3. How can Jesus' response to mockery and suffering serve as a model for us when we face ridicule or persecution for our faith?

4. What is the significance of the irony in the mockers' words, and how does it deepen our understanding of Jesus' mission and identity?

5. How can we apply the call to "see and believe" in our daily walk with Christ, and what steps can we take to strengthen our faith in His promises?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 22
This Psalm is prophetic of the suffering of the Messiah and is echoed in the mockery Jesus faced, highlighting the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

Isaiah 53
Describes the suffering servant, which aligns with Jesus' experience on the cross, emphasizing His role in bearing the sins of many.

Luke 23:39-43
Provides a fuller account of the interaction between Jesus and the criminals, showing a contrast between mockery and faith.

Matthew 27:42-44
Offers a parallel account of the mockery Jesus faced, reinforcing the consistency of the Gospel accounts.
The Crucifixion: the Human DeedR. Green Mark 15:16-32
The Mockery of JesusA.F. Muir Mark 15:16-20, 29-32
The Closing SceneJ.J. Given Mark 15:16-41
The CrucifixionE. Johnson Mark 15:21-32
A Glorious ReproachHomilistMark 15:31-32
The Demand of Sinners UnreasonableS. Harris.Mark 15:31-32
The Heroism of the CrucifiedW. H. Aitken, M. A.Mark 15:31-32
The Savior's HelplessnessA.F. Muir Mark 15:31, 32
The Sight of the Saviour's SufferingDr. Talmage.Mark 15:31-32
People
Alexander, Barabbas, Elias, Elijah, James, Jesus, Joseph, Joses, Mary, Pilate, Rufus, Salome, Simon
Places
Arimathea, Cyrene, Galilee, Golgotha, Jerusalem, Place of the Skull
Topics
Belief, Believe, Christ, Cross, Crosses, Crucified, Descend, Evil, Heaped, Insulted, Insulting, Insults, Reproached, Reproaching, Reviled
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Mark 15:32

     2054   Christ, mind of
     2206   Jesus, the Christ
     5818   contempt

Mark 15:22-32

     5879   humiliation

Mark 15:24-32

     5824   cruelty, examples

Mark 15:25-37

     1680   types

Mark 15:29-32

     2545   Christ, opposition to
     5550   speech, negative
     5838   disrespect
     5893   insults
     8817   ridicule, objects of

Mark 15:29-34

     2525   Christ, cross of
     5901   loneliness

Mark 15:29-37

     2412   cross, accounts of

Mark 15:31-32

     6252   temptation, and Christ
     7464   teachers of the law

Library
Simon the Cyrenian
'And they compel one Simon, a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear His Cross.'--Mark xv. 21. How little these soldiers knew that they were making this man immortal! What a strange fate that is which has befallen chose persons in the Gospel narrative, who for an instant came into contact with Jesus Christ. Like ships passing athwart the white ghostlike splendour of moonlight on the sea, they gleam silvery pure for a moment as they cross its
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christ and Pilate: the True King and his Counterfeit
'And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate. 2. And Pilate asked Him, Art Thou the King of the Jews? And He answering said unto him, Thou sayest it. 3. And the chief priests accused Him of many things: but He answered nothing. 4. And Pilate asked Him again, saying, Answerest Thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against Thee. 6. But Jesus yet
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Death which Gives Life
'And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear His cross. 22. And they bring Him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. 23. And they gave Him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but He received it not. 24. And when they had crucified Him, they parted His garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. 25. And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. 26. And the superscription
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Dying Saviour Our Example.
(On Good Friday.) TEXT: MARK xv. 34-41. HEAVENLY Father! On all who are assembling to day to commemorate the death of the Holy One, in whom Thou wast well pleased, look graciously down! Let not one go away from the cross of Thy Well-beloved without exclaiming, with new, living faith, Truly this was the Son of God! Let not one wipe away his tears of emotion until the heartfelt desire has taken possession of him that his end may be like that of this righteous One! Let not the feeling of holy reverence
Friedrich Schleiermacher—Selected Sermons of Schleiermacher

The Centurion at the Cross.
MATT. XXVII. 54. Comp. MARK XV. 39. "Now, when the centurion, and they that were with him watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying: Truly this was the [a] Son of God." LUKE XXIII. 47. "Now, when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying: Certainly this was a righteous man." Note.--The centurion here spoken of is the one who, according to Roman custom, presided over the execution (hence called by Seneca centurio supplicio præpositus;
Philip Schaff—The Person of Christ

Joseph of Arimathea
BY REV. ALFRED ROWLAND, D.D.. LL.B. "Joseph of Arimathea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God."--MARK xv. 43. The crucifixion of our Lord produced strange and startling effects in moral experience, as well as in the physical world. The veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom as if a hand from heaven had torn it, in order to teach men that the ancient ritual was done with. Darkness covered the earth, suggesting to thoughtful minds the guilt of the world and
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known

"Himself He could not Save. " --Mark xv. 31
"Himself He could not save."--Mark xv. 31. "He saved others," scorners cried, Beholding Jesus crucified; "Is this the Son of God with power? Lo, in His own afflictive hour, Himself he cannot save." He was the Son of God with power, He "came unto that very hour;" I'll joy in His reproach and shame, "He savest others;" I'll exclaim, "Himself He could not save." His agony and bloody sweat, His cross and passion paid my debt; He saved others when he fell, Yet,--who the mystery can tell? Himself, He
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

Whether Christ was Buried in a Becoming Manner?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ was buried in an unbecoming manner. For His burial should be in keeping with His death. But Christ underwent a most shameful death, according to Wis. 2:20: "Let us condemn Him to a most shameful death." It seems therefore unbecoming for honorable burial to be accorded to Christ, inasmuch as He was buried by men of position---namely, by Joseph of Arimathea, who was "a noble counselor," to use Mark's expression (Mk. 15:43), and by Nicodemus, who was "a ruler of
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

H. The Crucifixion. Ch. 23:26-38
26 And when they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid on him the cross, to bear it after Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. 28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming, in which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the
Charles R. Erdman—The Gospel of Luke, An Exposition

Pilate
"And straightway in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, and bound Jesus, and carried Him away, and delivered Him up to Pilate." ". . . And they lead Him out to crucify Him." MARK 15:1-20 (R.V.) WITH morning came the formal assembly, which St. Mark dismisses in a single verse. It was indeed a disgraceful mockery. Before the trial began its members had prejudged the case, passed sentence by anticipation, and abandoned Jesus, as one
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

Christ Crucified
"And they compel one passing by, Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear His cross. And they bring Him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they offered Him wine mingled with myrrh: but He received it not. And they crucify Him, and part His garments among them, casting lots upon them, what each should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And the superscription of
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Death of Jesus
"And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, He calleth Elijah. And one ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave Him to drink, saying, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to take Him down. And Jesus
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

Part 1 Christ's Humiliation, Exaltation, and Triumph. Phil. 2:8,9; Mark 15:20,24,29; Col. 2:15
Christ's humiliation, exaltation, and triumph. Phil. 2:8,9; Mark 15:20,24,29; Col. 2:15. The mighty frame of glorious grace, That brightest monument of praise That e'er the God of love designed, Employs and fills my lab'ring mind. Begin, my soul, the heav'nly song, A burden for an angel's tongue: When Gabriel sounds these awful things, He tunes and summons all his stungs. Proclaim inimitable love: Jesus, the Lord of worlds above, Puts off the beams of bright array, And veils the God in mortal
Isaac Watts—The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts

The Fourth Word
"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani."--ST. MATT. XXVII. 46; ST. MARK XV. 34. There are three peculiar and distinguishing features of this fourth word which our Saviour uttered from His Cross. 1. It is the only one of the Seven which finds a place in the earliest record of our Lord's life, contained in the matter common to St. Matthew and St. Mark. 2. It is the only one which has been preserved to us in the original Aramaic, in the very syllables which were formed by the lips of Christ. 3. It is the
J. H. Beibitz—Gloria Crucis

The Shortest of the Seven Cries
As these seven sayings were so faithfully recorded, we do not wonder that they have frequently been the subject of devout meditation. Fathers and confessors, preachers and divines have delighted to dwell upon every syllable of these matchless cries. These solemn sentences have shone like the seven golden candlesticks or the seven stars of the Apocalypse, and have lighted multitudes of men to him who spake them. Thoughtful men have drawn a wealth of meaning from them, and in so doing have arranged
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 24: 1878

Third Stage of Jewish Trial. Jesus Formally Condemned by the Sanhedrin and Led to Pilate.
(Jerusalem. Friday After Dawn.) ^A Matt. XXVII. 1, 2; ^B Mark XV. 1; ^C Luke XXII. 66-23:1; ^D John XVIII. 28. ^a 1 Now when morning was come, ^c 66 And as soon as it was day, ^b straightway ^c the assembly of the elders of the people was gathered together, both chief priests and scribes; and they led him away into their council, ^a all the chief priests and { ^b with} the elders ^a of the people ^b and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, and ^a took counsel against Jesus to put
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

First Stage of the Roman Trial. Jesus Before Pilate for the First Time.
(Jerusalem. Early Friday Morning.) ^A Matt. XXVII. 11-14; ^B Mark XV. 2-5; ^C Luke XXIII. 2-5; ^D John XVIII. 28-38. ^d and they themselves entered not into the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover. [See p. 641.] 29 Pilate therefore went out unto them, and saith, What accusation bring ye against this man? 30 They answered and said unto him, If this man were not an evildoer, we should not have delivered him up unto thee. [The Jewish rulers first attempt to induce
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Third Stage of the Roman Trial. Pilate Reluctantly Sentences Him to Crucifixion.
(Friday. Toward Sunrise.) ^A Matt. XXVII. 15-30; ^B Mark XV. 6-19; ^C Luke XXIII. 13-25; ^D John XVIII. 39-XIX 16. ^a 15 Now at the feast [the passover and unleavened bread] the governor was wont { ^b used to} release unto them ^a the multitude one prisoner, whom they would. { ^b whom they asked of him.} [No one knows when or by whom this custom was introduced, but similar customs were not unknown elsewhere, both the Greeks and Romans being wont to bestow special honor upon certain occasions by releasing
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Crucifixion.
Subdivision A. On the Way to the Cross. (Within and Without Jerusalem. Friday Morning.) ^A Matt. XXVII. 31-34; ^B Mark XV. 20-23; ^C Luke XXIII. 26-33; ^D John XIX. 17. ^a 31 And when they had mocked him, they took off from him the ^b purple, ^a robe, and put on him his garments [This ended the mockery, which seems to have been begun in a state of levity, but which ended in gross indecency and violence. When we think of him who endured it all, we can not contemplate the scene without a shudder. Who
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Morning of Good Friday.
The pale grey light had passed into that of early morning, when the Sanhedrists once more assembled in the Palace of Caiaphas. [5969] A comparison with the terms in which they who had formed the gathering of the previous night are described will convey the impression, that the number of those present was now increased, and that they who now came belonged to the wisest and most influential of the Council. It is not unreasonable to suppose, that some who would not take part in deliberations which were
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Crucified, Dead, and Buried. '
It matters little as regards their guilt, whether, pressing the language of St. John, [6034] we are to understand that Pilate delivered Jesus to the Jews to be crucified, or, as we rather infer, to his own soldiers. This was the common practice, and it accords both with the Governor's former taunt to the Jews, [6035] and with the after-notice of the Synoptists. They, to whom He was delivered,' led Him away to be crucified:' and they who so led Him forth compelled' the Cyrenian Simon to bear the Cross.
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Death of Jesus.
Although the real motive for the death of Jesus was entirely religious, his enemies had succeeded, in the judgment-hall, in representing him as guilty of treason against the state; they could not have obtained from the sceptical Pilate a condemnation simply on the ground of heterodoxy. Consistently with this idea, the priests demanded, through the people, the crucifixion of Jesus. This punishment was not Jewish in its origin; if the condemnation of Jesus had been purely Mosaic, he would have been
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

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