Mark 15:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: save yourself, and come down from the cross!"

NIV: come down from the cross and save yourself!"

NASB: save Yourself by coming down from the cross!'

CSB: save yourself by coming down from the cross!"

NLT: Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!'

KJV: Save thyself, and come down from the cross.

NKJV: save Yourself, and come down from the cross!”

To any other crucifixion victim, this would be a cruel taunt, something they could never do. To Jesus, it's a legitimate temptation. But Jesus has dealt with the same temptation before.

During Jesus' forty days in the wilderness, Satan tempted Him to save Himself by making bread and manipulating the angels into taking care of Him (Matthew 4:1–7). Jesus rebuked both temptations with a combination of Scripture and reverence for God. Then, Satan offered to give Jesus dominion over the world without the cross (Matthew 4:8–11). During the guards' torture, they dress Jesus as caricature of a vassal prince (Mark 15:17), the same position Satan offered Him. Had Jesus taken Satan's offer, humanity would have been condemned forever.

Satan also used Jesus' disciples to tempt Him. When Jesus first revealed He will be rejected and killed by the Jewish leadership, Peter had the audacity to deny Jesus' words (Mark 8:31–33). Jesus called Peter's words satanic. When Judas brought the guards to the garden of Gethsemane, and Peter drew his sword to strike a servant of the high priest, Jesus stopped the attack (Matthew 26:51–52). He told Peter, "Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that I must be so?" (Matthew 26:53–54).

It would have been the stuff of a Hollywood movie for Jesus to suddenly free Himself from His bonds and take vengeance on His accusers and abusers. But that is not why He came. He came to obediently hang on the cross (Philippians 2:8), to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), to lay down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). He does so voluntarily (John 10:18). His reason for coming to earth as a man is only a few hours from completion. He's not going to stop now.

Mark 15:21–32 describes the crucifixion of Jesus. The Romans refined crucifixion to be the most painful and humiliating death imaginable. Victims were usually stripped naked, then tied or nailed to a cross. Executioners were adept at driving nails between bones and arteries, but directly through nerves, extending the victim's agony. Hanging in this position, the condemned could only breathe if they lifted their weight on impaled feet or wrists. Exhaustion would soon lead to suffocation—typically taking a victim two or three days to die. Bodies were usually left to rot in public unless a family member was given special permission to remove them. More painful for Jesus, however, is the total separation from His heavenly Father. Still, though He suffers alone, He suffers with hope (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus' crucifixion is also detailed in Matthew 27:32–44, Luke 23:26–43, and John 19:16–27.

After sham trials, Jesus is taken to the local Roman governor, Pilate. This is the only person in Jerusalem with the legal authority to have Jesus executed. Pilate is not fooled, and he attempts to arrange for Jesus' release. But the ruler's ploys fail, in part because Jesus will not defend Himself, and partly because the mob is intent on His death. Pilate offers a prisoner exchange in Barabbas, and even has Jesus brutally beaten in order to pacify the crowd. Eventually, he caves in and Jesus is crucified. Thanks to His prior abuse, Jesus survives only a few hours on the cross before dying. Jesus is then buried in a tomb belonging to a secret follower among the Jerusalem council.

After being unfairly judged, Jesus will now be unfairly sentenced and cruelly murdered. It's reasonable to say this chapter provides context for everything else contained in the Bible. From Adam and Eve until the last baby born in the millennial kingdom, every person other than Christ is stained with sin. Conscience, law, Jesus' direct leadership, even the indwelling of the Holy Spirit cannot keep us from sinning. Sinless Jesus had to die on the cross, sacrificing Himself in our place, so our sins could be forgiven and we could be reconciled to God. Beneath the violence, darkness, dishonor, and death is the love of God for all mankind (John 3:16). Jesus' crucifixion is also found in Matthew 27, Luke 23, and John 19. The next chapter describes the miracle of His resurrection.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.