Introductory remarks:
In the last chapter we left Jesus in the hands of His enemies. They are about to crucify Christ. We also left Peter a bundle of nerves; we must understand that unlike Peter, attempting to free Christ from His enemies; we should not study the crucifixion of Christ with the object of pity, but praise. We should read about His suffering with Joy that we are redeemed from our sins, and that we now have life because He paid that awful price. This is one of the main reasons that I object to the making a movie about His passion; the only thing that Hollywood can arouse in the sinner is sympathy, and Christ does not want sympathy, but faith. This chapter may be outlined as follows: Jesus before Pilate vv. 1-5; Jesus sentenced to die vv. 6-15; the soldiers mock Jesus vv. 16-20; the crucifixion of Jesus vv. 21-32; the death of Jesus vv. 33-41; the burial of Jesus vv. 42-47.
Jesus Before Pilate
(Matt. 27:1-2; Luke 23:1-5; John 18:28-38)
Verse 1, "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."
LGT "And immediately [in the] morning, the chief priests, having formed a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole Sanhedrim, having bound Jesus carried [Him] away, and delivered [Him] up to Pilate."
"And straightway in the morning,"
This was somewhere in between three a.m. and six a.m.
"The chief priests held a consultation with the scribes and the whole council,"
"They met to prepare a concerted plan of action (Gould). But their action was illegal on the night before and they felt the need of this ratification after dawn which is described in Luke 22:66-71, who does not give the illegal night trial" (Robertson).
"And bound Jesus,"
"He was bound on His arrest (John 18:12) when brought before Annas who sent Him bound to Caiaphas (John 18:24) and now bound again as He is sent to Pilate (Mark 15:1; Matt. 27:2). It is implied that He was unbound while before Annas and then before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin" (Robertson).
"And carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate."
"The reason that they did this was that the Sanhedrin could condemn Jesus to die, but they could not carry out the execution. Only Rome could do that. Therefore, this body had to appeal to the Roman court for the execution of the death penalty that they had decided upon. Now the charge, which they had brought against Him in the Sanhedrin, would never stand up before Pilate. So they met early the next morning to formulate charges that would stand up before the Roman court and would make legal the action of the night before" (McGee).
Verse 2, "And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it."
LGT "And Pilate questioned Him, Are You the King of the Jews? And He answering said to him, Thou sayest."
Jesus answers Pilate with a positive, that's right, I am. "Pilate's question reveals the secret of the morning meeting. The crafty Sanhedrists put a political construction on the confession of Jesus. The Christ, therefore, a pretender to the throne of Israel" (TEGT). "Here, as in the trial before the Sanhedrin, this is the one question that Jesus answers. It is the only question on which His own testimony is important and necessary" (Gould). "The Jews were out on the pavement or sidewalk outside the palace while Pilate came out to them from above on the balcony (John 18:28f.) And had his interviews with Jesus on the inside, calling Jesus thither (John 18:33)" (Robertson).
Verse 3, "And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing."
LGT "And the chief priests were accusing Him repeatedly."
So far, Pilate is considering Jesus to be a religious fanatic, rather than a revolutionary who was attempting to take over the throne, as King of the Jews.
Verse 4, "And Pilate asked him again, saying, Aswerest thou nothing? Behold how many things they witness against thee."
LGT "And Pilate questioned him again, saying, Do You answer nothing? See, of how many things they witness against You."
This verse ties in with verse three; See, how many things they repeatedly charge against You.
Verse 5, "But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marveled."
LGT "But Jesus answered not any more, anything, so that Pilate marveled."
"Pilate was sure of the innocence of Jesus and saw through their envy (Mark 15:10), but he was hoping that Jesus would answer these charges to relieve him of the burden. He marveled also at the self-control of Jesus" (Robertson).
Jesus Sentenced to Die
(Matt. 27:15-26; Luke 23:13-25; John 18:39-19:6)
Verse 6, "Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired."
LGT "Now at the feast he released to them one prisoner, whomsoever they asked of him."
It was a Roman custom at this time to release to the Jews a prisoner of their choice to placate them, and to keep down the possibility of an insurrection; when the custom was instituted is unknown.
Verse 7, "And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made an insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection."
LGT "And there was the one called Barabbas bound with the fellow rioters in insurrection, who in the insurrection committed murder."
Barabbas and his fellow rioters were imprisoned for this certain insurrection against Rome; Barabbas had committed murder while rioting. "Here was a man guilty of murder and guilty of leading an insurrection. He was the chief prisoner at that time. He was actually to be crucified along with the others. I think the Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross intended for Barabbas" (McGee).
Verse 8, "And the multitude, crying aloud, began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them."
LGT "And the crowd, having gone up, began to beg [him to do] as he [always] did to them."
The crowd cried out that Pilate would do the customary thing and release the prisoner of their choice.
Verse 9, "But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?"
LGT "But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye I should release to you the King of the Jews?"
Pilate was sure that the crowd would select Jesus over a known murderer. He thought for sure he would be able to release the Christ, whom he knew to be innocent.
Verse 10, "For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy."
LGT "For he knew that through envy the chief priests had delivered Him up."
Pilate was gradually becoming aware of Jesus' situation with the Sanhedrim. He had probably become aware of Christ through His Triumphal Entry and His teaching in the temple. He was becoming more and more convinced that what the council was doing, they were doing out of envy of The Christ.
Verse 11, "But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them."
LGT "But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, in order that he might rather release to them Barabbas."
The chief priests stirred up the crowd to frenzy demanding Barabbas instead of Christ. "The priest and scribes had amazing success. If one wonders why the crowd was fickle, he may recall that this was not yet the same people who followed Him in triumphal entry and in the temple. That was the plan of Judas to get the thing over before those Galilean sympathizers waked up. It was a case of regulars against an irregular, of priest against prophet (Gould). But Barabbas, as described by Mark, represented a popular passion, which was stronger than any sympathy they might have for so unworldly a character as Jesus - the passion for political liberty. What unprincipled characters they were! They accuse Jesus to Pilate of political ambition, and they recommend Barabbas to the people for the same reason (Bruce). The Sanhedrin would say to the people that Jesus had already abdicated his kingly claims while to Pilate they went on accusing him of treason to Caesar. Rather (mallon) than Jesus. It was a gambler's choice" (Robertson).
Verse 12, "And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?"
LGT "And Pilate answering again said to them, What then [will ye] I should do [to Him] [whom ye call] the King of the Jews?"
Pilate is really trying to get off the hook; however, he should have freed Christ as an innocent Man. The word "then" in this verse means as long as you all want Barrabas what should I do with this innocent Man you call King of the Jews. Pilate is filled with anxiety at the people calling for the release of a known criminal in the place of this Christ.
Verse 13, "And they cried out again, Crucify him."
LGT "But they again cried out, Crucify Him."
The chief priests and the Pharisees had succeeded in turning the people against the Christ.
Verse 14, "Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him."
LGT "And Pilate said to them, For what evil did He commit? And they cried out beyond measure, Crucify Him."
The Greek word for "more exceedingly" is perissos meaning "beyond measure." This word is used by Mark to express the evil intention of the rabble. "This final speech of Pilate presents a subtle combination of honesty and craft. He says what he really thinks: that Jesus is innocent, and he makes sure that the people really mean to stand to what they have said" (TEGT).
Verse 15, "And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified."
LGT "And Pilate, desiring to do that which was satisfactory to the crowd, released to them Barabbas, and delivered up Jesus, having scourged [Him], in order that He might be crucified."
Pilate was in complete control now of the Sanhedrim. He was afraid of what the council might tell Caesar. "Pilate was a weak, vacillating [wavering] politician. He yielded to the cry of the mob, and he delivered the Lord Jesus to be crucified. Roman justice certainly went awry here. An innocent man is to die. But wait a minute - He is taking my place and I am not innocent. He's taking your place also" (McGee)
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
(Matt. 27:27-31; John 19:2-3)
Verse 16, "And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band."
LGT "And the soldiers led Him away within the court, which is the Praetorium, and they called together the whole band."
"And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium;"
"The courtyard, surrounded by the buildings of the Pretorium, so that the people passing through the vestibule [entrance hall] into this quadrangle found themselves in the Pretorium" (Vincent).
"And they call together the whole band."
"When any criminal was to be crucified, he was turned over to these soldiers. They were a brutal lot, and they could do as they pleased with the prisoner. They, of course, humiliated their prisoners, tortured them, and made them a plaything for their sadistic appetites. This is the thing they do now with the Lord Jesus" (McGee).
Verses 17, 18, "And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, and began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!"
LGT "And put on Him purple, and placed on Him a thorny crown, having platted it: and they began saluting Him, Hail, King of the Jews!"
They placed a purple robe, signifying royalty, and the soldiers began to salute him, in mockery, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! They had no crown, so they made one from a thorn bush, and stuck it on His head in mock coronation.
Verse 19, "And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him."
LGT "And they kept striking His head with a reed, and kept spitting on Him, and bending the knee, did homage to Him."
The imperfect tenses of these verbs indicate, as you may notice from my LGT, repeated actions of hatred by the soldiers.
Pentecost notes:
"The soldiers took Him away with them to their own quarters in the palace and called together the whole band to enjoy the spectacle . . . and anyone condemned to crucifixion seems, after being scourged, to have been handed over to the soldiery to be handled as they pleased, just as a hunted creature, when it is caught, is flung to the dogs. And, indeed, this comparison is only too appropriate; because, as Luther has remarked, in those days men were treated as only brutes are treated now. To us it is incomprehensible how the whole band should have been called together merely to gloat over the sufferings of a fellow-creature and to turn His pain and shame into brutal mockery. This, however, was their purpose; and they enjoyed it as schoolboys enjoy the terror of a tortured animal. It must be remembered that these were men who on the field of battle were inured [trained] to bloodshed and at Rome found their chief delight in watching the sports of the arena, where gladiators butchered one another to make a Roman holiday.
Their horseplay took the form of a mock coronation. They had caught the drift of the trial sufficiently to know that the charge against Jesus was that He pretended to be a king; and lofty pretensions on the part of one who appears to be mean and poor easily lead themselves to ridicule."
Verse 20, "And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him."
LGT "And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off him, and put on Him His own garments, and led Him out that they may crucify Him."
Notice, they had to put His clothes on Him; He was beaten to a pulp, and so weak He could not even dress Himself.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
(Matt. 27:32-44; Luke 23:26-43; John 19:17-27)
Verse 21, "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."
LGT "And they compel one Simon, a Cyrenian, passing by, coming from a field, the father of Alexander and Rufus, in order that he might carry His cross."
Cyrene was a city in North Africa; Simon may have been a proselyte Jew coming to the Feast in Jerusalem. Christ, after being beaten so badly, was unable to carry His cross, let alone walk.
Verse 22, "And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of the skull."
LGT "And they bring him to the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, place of a skull."
The name "Golgotha" is the Greek word that was derived from the shape of the hill, we call "Calvary", where He was crucified.
Verse 23, "And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not."
LGT "And they offered him wine, medicated with myrrh to drink: but He did not take [it]."
This myrred wine was given to prisoners to deaden the effect of the pain of the cross; He did not take it, for He must suffer alone.
Verse 24, "And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take."
LGT "And having crucified Him, and they divided His garments, casting a lot upon them, who should receive what."
"And when they had crucified him,"
The best translation is, having crucified Him or after they crucified Him; no Gospel writer details the actual crucifixion, but only the details surrounding the cross. Christ was veiled for three hours with darkness, hiding Him from the pity and derision of the crowd; for what Christ did for us on the cross of Calvary He did all alone. But this doesn't stop Hollywood morons from making movies and money from His death; all they are able to do at best is give to the masses blood and gore that excites their morbid curiosity, and cause some immature believers a reason to celebrate Hollywood's silly attempt at religion.
"They parted His garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take."
The parting of His garments is a fulfillment of Psalm 22:18.
Verse 25, "And it was the third hour, and they crucified him."
LGT "And it was [the] third hour, and they crucified Him."
It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified Christ.
Verse 26, "And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS."
LGT "And the inscription of His accusation was written up, THE KING OF THE JEWS."
His charge was written over His cross that He claimed to be the Jew's King. "It may seem an anomalous [strange] statement to say that it was true. It was not true in the way they meant it. He had led no insurrection against Rome. He offered Himself to Israel and was rejected" (McGee).
Verse 27, "And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left."
LGT "And with Him they crucify two robbers; one at [the] right hand, and one at [the] left of Him."
He was crucified between two robbers; some commentators believe they were cohorts of Barabbas.
Verse 28, "And the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors."
LGT (The best manuscripts omit verse 28)
The manuscripts that include verse 28 have Mark quoting Isaiah 53:12.
Verses 29, 30, "And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself, and come down from the cross."
LGT "And the ones passing by swore at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, Aha, the One who destroyed the temple and rebuild [it] three days, save Yourself, and descend from the cross."
We have already covered the fact that none of them understood the spiritual significance of Christ's statements regarding His resurrection, nor could they, for they were all unbelievers; all they could do is curse at Him and mock Him by telling him to come down from the cross.
Verse 31, "Like wise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save."
LGT "And in like manner the chief priests, mocking among one another with the scribes, saying, Others He saved, Himself He is not able to save."
They were mocking Him, but they had no idea how much truth they were speaking; If He saved Himself from the cross, He would never have been able to save others; this is the mystery of salvation only believers are able to understand, and I might add, glory in for all eternity; this is Redemption; we are bought with the precious blood of Christ.
Verse 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."
LGT "The Christ, the King of Israel! Let Him descend now from the cross, in order that we may see and believe. And the ones who were crucified together with Him, cursed Him."
The ranting and railing continued even from the robbers. It is a lie from hell that they would believe if He came down from the cross; if He descended from the cross it would have not made any difference if they believed or not, for they still would have been lost, for Christ had to die in this manner. Mark and Matthew do not give the account of the penitent robber being saved.
The Death of Jesus
(Matt. 27:45-56; Luke 23:44-49; John 19:28-30)
Verse 33, "And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour."
LGT "And [the] sixth hour being come, darkness came over all the land until [the] ninth hour."
The sixth hour was noon, for the third hour was nine A.M. The darkness shrouded the cross for three hours while the Son of God became sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus hung on the cross for six hours; the first three hours, from nine to noon, He was subjected to human cruelty by all those passing by, wagging their heads, and jutting out their lips in derision at Christ; this was all part of the human suffering of the Christ. The last three hours was shrouded in darkness while our Christ took the sin of the world upon Himself; this darkness left Christ all alone in His spiritual suffering for you and for me; there was left no man to share in Christ suffering; we can not describe what He went through as He was separated from His heavenly Father, who had been sharing His deity with from eternity past; we can only think about what it meant for Him; we will spend eternity learning about what it cost our Christ because of our sins; we will spend eternity praising Him for purchasing our redemption in that three hours with His own precious blood; here on earth, with the aid of the Word of God, we are able to only begin to share in the fellowship of His suffering, and the power of His resurrection (Phil. 3:10).
Verse 34, "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? Which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
LGT "And the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani? Which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, for what end have You forsaken Me?"
As I pointed out in the last verse, Christ suffered in these last three hours, dying spiritually for your sin and my sin.
McGee adds:
"Now will you notice this: the first three hours were from 9: A.M. until 12 noon; the second three hours were from 12 noon to 3:00 P.M. Jesus hung on the cross for six hours. In the first three hours there was physical light; in the second three hours there was physical darkness. But in the first three hours there was spiritual darkness; in the second three hours there was spiritual light. Why? Because in those first three hours man did his worst. They crucified Him and they reviled Him. Even those who were hanging with Him on the cross reviled Him. At least at the first, both thieves did. At that time the enemy, marching around down beneath the cross, were wagging their heads and ridiculing Him. In the first three hours man was working, doing his very worst; in the second three hours God was working. He was suffering at the hands of man in the first three hours; He was suffering for man in the last three hours. In the first three hours He was dying because of sin; in the second three hours He was dying for the sin of the world. So during the time of the physical darkness, there was actually spiritual darkness, there was actually spiritual light and God was working. In those first three hours sin was doing all it could to destroy Him; in the second three hours He is making His soul an offering for sin. In those last three hours He is paying for the sin of the world. It was during this period that He was made sin for us; He became sin for us. He was forsaken of God and yet, even at that time, God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself (2 Cor. 5:19). What a paradox [absurdity] we find here."
Verse 35, "And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias."
LGT "And some of the ones standing by, having heard, said, Lo, He calls Elias."
The crowd misunderstood the Aramaic when He cried out, My God, My God, nevertheless, they were mocking him with these words, He calls Elias.
Verse 36, "And one filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down."
LGT "And having run, a certain one, [and] filled a sponge with vinegar, having put [it] on a reed, gave Him to drink, saying, Let be, let us see if Elias comes to take him down."
They now give Him some wine to drink; this was not the same gall mixed with myrrh they offered Him at first, to dull His pain; this was a last bit of refreshment that would allow Him to utter His last words.
Verse 37, "And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost."
LGT "And Jesus having uttered a loud cry, expired."
It was not until He became sin for us, that He was able to die; that is what He meant when He said, no man takes My life, I give it freely. "Jesus received the vinegar for a purpose. His parched lips and throat would not render clear articulation until thus moistened. His senses now revived, He uttered the final redemptive words: It is finished! The work of redemption, which was the object of His earthly life, had been completed and the plan of salvation established. The prophecy with reference to the Messiah had been realized and the last suffering for sin endured. Nothing had been left undone or unborn. It was a shout of triumph. He cried with a loud voice, not the weakened utterance of one dying from physical exhaustion, but of a Conqueror in the full flush of strength and victory. His task was complete" (Shepherd - The Christ).
Verse 38, "And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom."
LGT "And the veil of the temple was rent into two, from top to bottom."
The veil was torn in two the moment that He said it is finished and died, suggesting several important doctrines; first, from top to bottom suggests that it was torn in two by God; second, it was no longer necessary for the high priest to enter the Holy of Holies once a year on behalf of himself and the people; third, we all now are a kingdom of priest, with the freedom to enter God's throne of grace at will; fourth, Christ had finished our redemption whereas we are all purchased with His precious Blood; fifth He put an end to the Old Economy of Law and introduced this wonderful system of Grace, For we are now no longer under the Law but under grace.
McGee wrote:
"At that very instant, the veil was torn in two. The veil speaks of the humanity of Christ. The Book of Leviticus gives us more understanding of the veil because the Book of Leviticus has to do with the service in the tabernacle. That veil, you will recall, speaks of the humanity of Christ, and this carries a tremendous message. You see, the humanity of Christ, or the life of Christ, shuts us out from God. His sinless life shows how sinful ours are. The minute He died, the veil was rent. It is His death that brings us to God, friend, not His life."
Verse 39, "And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God."
LGT "And having seen, the centurion, the one who stood by opposite Him, said, Truly this Man was a Son of God."
This centurion was stationed opposite near Christ, where he was able to hear His every word. I would only be speculating on whether this centurion actually became a believer at this time; The literal translation is not the Son of God, but a Son of God, that is, a demigod, One who would naturally demand reverential awe. For those of you that need to speculate, I will give McGee's take on this sentence, so you will be able to rest easy concerning this centurion; and also because I find it an interesting bit of information explaining the simple way a person could have been saved; for I believe their were also priest performing their duties when the veil was torn in two.
"I believe that this was the confession of faith in this centurion and this was as far as he could go at this time. He couldn't have said anything that would have revealed his faith more than this. He acknowledged that Jesus is God's Son. He acknowledged who He was and certainly what He was doing. I do not believe that this man had all the details of theology. This man never read Strong's theology or any of my books, but this man knew enough to take his place beneath the cross of Christ. And, you know, that is all God has ever asked any sinner to do. He asks us to come in faith to Him. That is what this man is doing. We must remember that he was a pagan Roman, and he had the cruel job of crucifying men. He was certainly made very tender at this time."
You understand, that this is not what the Scripture here points out; this confession of the centurion does not have in it, in the original language, all that McGee reads into it; Is it possible? Yes. Is it taught this way here? No. We have the story of the repentant robber who hung alongside Christ in Matthew's Gospel, and this is a phenomenon that spiritually signifies that faith alone in Christ alone is all that is necessary for our salvation.
Verses 40, 41, "There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; (who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him); and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem."
LGT "And there were also women looking on from afar off: among whom also [was] Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James the less, and of Joses and Salome, who also when He was in Galilee, followed Him and ministered to Him, and others, many who came up with Him to Jerusalem."
These women made the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem with the Lord. The disciples had already fled to their homes, but the women who were ministering to the physical need of Jesus were having their hopes dashed while they observed from afar.
The Burial of Jesus
(Matt. 27:57-61; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42)
Verses 42, 43,"And now when the even was come, because it was preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, an honorable counselor, which also waited for the Kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus."
LGT "And already evening being come, since it was [the] preparation, which is [the day] before Sabbath, Joseph came who [was] from Arimathaea, [an] honorable counselor, who also himself was waiting for the kingdom of God, having boldness, he went into Pilate and begged the body of Jesus."
Joseph went in the day before the Sabbath, unto Pilate to beg for the body of the Lord, in order that he might bury Him in the tomb he had prepared for himself. Joseph was an upstanding member of the Sanhedrim; Joseph now comes out of the closet boldly, for he was looking forward to the Kingdom of God. Joseph and Nicodemus both became very bold after Christ was crucified; remember how Nicodemus came to Christ in the third chapter of John's Gospel secretly; now they show their grit, and have no more worry about being known.
Verse 44, "And Pilate marveled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead."
LGT "And Pilate wondered if already He were dead; and having called to [him] the centurion, he questioned him if long He had died: "
Pilate wondered if Christ had died so soon, for crucifixion usually lasted a long time, even several days. Pilate wanted to know from the centurion if Christ had actually died.
Pentecost quoting Arthur w. Pink writes:
"This affords evidence of the uniqueness of Christ's death. The Lord Jesus and the two thieves had been crucified together. They had been on their respective crosses the same length of time. But now, at the close of the day, the two thieves were still alive; for it is well known, execution by crucifixion, though exceedingly painful, was usually a slow death. No vital member of the body was directly affected, and often the sufferer lingered on for two or three days, before being finally overcome with exhaustion. It was not natural, therefore, that Christ should be dead after but six hours on the cross - observe how that Pilate marveled if he were dead (Mark 15:44). The request of the Jews to Pilate shows that they were not expecting the three to die unless death was hastened. In the fact that the Savior was dead already when the soldiers came to Him, though the two thieves still lived, we have a further demonstration that His life was not taken from him, but that He laid it down Himself!
This was the first proof that the Son of God had really died. Trained executioners as the Roman soldiers were, it is quite unthinkable that they would make a mistake in a matter like this. Pilate had given orders for the legs of the three to be broken, and they would not dare to disobey unless they were absolutely sure that Christ were dead already."
Verse 45, "And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph."
LGT "And having known [it] from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph."
McGee makes an interesting observation concerning the body of our Lord; "Joseph asked for the body - soma is the Greek word. Pilate gave him the body - ptoma is the Greek word. The first speaks of the total personality, and it is a word of care and tenderness. The word used when Pilate gave the body just means the corps or the carcass. It is a different viewpoint and attitude toward death and toward the bodies of those that are dead. The word Joseph used was a word of tenderness for the body. He wanted Jesus. All Pilate did was to give him a carcass. What a difference that is!"
Verse 46, "And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulcher which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulcher."
LGT "And having bought a linen cloth, and having taken Him down, he wound [Him] in the linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb, which was cut out of a rock, and rolled a stone to the door of the tomb."
Joseph and Nicodemus took the body of the lord down from the cross and wound it in the fine linen cloth, after they had anointed His body in costly perfume. After this they rolled a stone in front of the door of the tomb.
Verse 47, "And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid."
LGT "And Mary, the Magdalene, and Mary the [mother] of Joses looked on with steady and careful contemplation where He was laid."
The women did not forsake Him. This chapter ends with Christ's burial, and the nurture of His faithful women followers. As McGee said, "God bless the women."
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