Mark 15:44
Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, so he summoned the centurion to ask if this was so.
Pilate was surprised
The Greek word for "surprised" is "θαυμάζω" (thaumazō), which conveys a sense of wonder or amazement. Pilate's surprise indicates that he did not expect Jesus to have died so quickly. Historically, crucifixion was a prolonged and excruciating process, often taking days for the victim to succumb. Pilate's reaction underscores the unusual nature of Jesus' death, which aligns with the scriptural narrative that Jesus willingly laid down His life (John 10:18).

to hear that Jesus was already dead
The phrase "already dead" emphasizes the unexpected swiftness of Jesus' death. In the context of Roman crucifixion, victims often lingered in agony. The Greek word for "dead" is "τεθνήκεναι" (tethnēkenai), which is in the perfect tense, indicating a completed action with ongoing results. This highlights the finality and completeness of Jesus' sacrifice. Theologically, this moment fulfills prophecies such as Isaiah 53:8, which speaks of the Messiah being "cut off from the land of the living."

Summoning the centurion
The centurion was a Roman officer in charge of a hundred soldiers, a man of authority and experience. The Greek word "κεντυρίων" (kentyriōn) reflects his role as a witness to the events of the crucifixion. His testimony was crucial for Pilate to confirm Jesus' death. This interaction underscores the historical reliability of the Gospel accounts, as the centurion's verification serves as an official Roman acknowledgment of Jesus' death.

he asked if Jesus had already died
Pilate's inquiry reflects a procedural step to ensure the legality of releasing Jesus' body. The Greek verb "ἀποθανεῖν" (apothanein) for "died" is in the aorist tense, indicating a specific point in time. This precise questioning by Pilate highlights the importance of confirming Jesus' death, which is foundational to the Christian faith. The death of Jesus is not only a historical event but also a pivotal moment in salvation history, as it precedes His resurrection, the cornerstone of Christian belief.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Pilate
The Roman governor of Judea who presided over the trial of Jesus. He was responsible for authorizing Jesus' crucifixion.

2. Jesus
The central figure of Christianity, whose crucifixion and resurrection are foundational to Christian faith. His death on the cross is the focal point of this passage.

3. Centurion
A Roman officer in charge of a hundred soldiers. In this context, he was responsible for overseeing the crucifixion and confirming Jesus' death.

4. Crucifixion
The method of execution used by the Romans, which involved nailing or binding a person to a cross. It was a common form of capital punishment for criminals and slaves.

5. Death of Jesus
The event that marks the culmination of Jesus' earthly ministry and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah's suffering.
Teaching Points
The Certainty of Jesus' Death
Pilate's surprise and the centurion's confirmation emphasize the reality of Jesus' death, countering any claims that He merely fainted or swooned.

Fulfillment of Prophecy
Jesus' death was not an accident but a fulfillment of God's redemptive plan as foretold in the Scriptures. This underscores the reliability of God's Word.

The Role of Authority
Pilate's involvement and the centurion's role illustrate how God can use secular authorities to accomplish His divine purposes.

The Witness of the Centurion
The centurion's testimony serves as a powerful witness to the truth of Jesus' identity and the significance of His death.

The Impact of the Cross
Reflect on how the reality of Jesus' death should impact our lives, leading us to live in gratitude and obedience to Him.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Pilate's reaction to Jesus' death reflect the unexpected nature of the crucifixion's timeline?

2. In what ways does the confirmation of Jesus' death by the centurion provide assurance of the resurrection's authenticity?

3. How do the events surrounding Jesus' death fulfill Old Testament prophecies, and what does this teach us about the reliability of Scripture?

4. What can we learn from the centurion's response to Jesus' death about recognizing Jesus' true identity?

5. How should the reality of Jesus' death and the fulfillment of prophecy influence our daily walk with Christ?
Connections to Other Scriptures
John 19:31-37
This passage provides additional details about the confirmation of Jesus' death, including the piercing of His side, which fulfills Old Testament prophecy.

Matthew 27:54
The centurion's reaction to Jesus' death, acknowledging Him as the Son of God, highlights the impact of Jesus' crucifixion on those who witnessed it.

Isaiah 53:9
This Old Testament prophecy speaks of the suffering servant's death, which is fulfilled in Jesus' crucifixion and burial.
The BurialE. Johnson Mark 15:40-47
An Honourable ManE. S. Atwood.Mark 15:42-47
Burial of ChristDr. Talmage.Mark 15:42-47
Great Occasions Discover Great QualitiesMark 15:42-47
Joseph of ArimathaeaT. M. Macdonald, M. A.Mark 15:42-47
Joseph's Position and CharacterEd. White.Mark 15:42-47
Legend Respecting JosephH. M. Luckock, D. D.Mark 15:42-47
On the Crucifixion, Death, and Burial, of ChristG. Clayton, M. A.Mark 15:42-47
Secret DiscipleshipDr. Davies.Mark 15:42-47
The BurialJ.J. Given Mark 15:42-47
The Burial of JesusC. S. Robinson, D. D.Mark 15:42-47
The Burial of the CrucifiedA.F. Muir Mark 15:42-47
The BuriersJ. J. Davies.Mark 15:42-47
The Character of an Honourable CounsellorThe PulpitMark 15:42-47
The Crisis in Joseph's LifeR. Glover.Mark 15:42-47
The EntombmentR. Green Mark 15:42-47
Went in Boldly. -- Moral CourageSydney Smith.Mark 15:42-47
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
Already, Believe, Calling, Captain, Centurion, Dead, Died, Hardly, However, Inquired, Marveled, Marvelled, Pilate, Question, Questioned, Sending, Summoning, Surprised, Whether, Wondered
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Mark 15:42-46

     4366   stones
     8811   riches, attitudes to

Mark 15:43-46

     2530   Christ, death of
     7110   body of Christ

Mark 15:44-45

     5250   centurion

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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