Mark 15:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).

NIV: They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means 'the place of the skull').

NASB: Then they *brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.

CSB: They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull).

NLT: And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which means 'Place of the Skull').

KJV: And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.

NKJV: And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.

Golgotha is the crucifixion site outside the old walls of Jerusalem. This name originally comes from an Aramaic word. Although "skull" is from the Greek root word kranion, the Latin translation is calvaria, from which we get the term "Calvary." The route from the Praetorium to Golgotha is less than half a mile, but the guards beat Jesus so severely (Mark 15:15–19) He cannot carry the 100-pound—45 kilogram—horizontal crossbeam that distance. The guards use their right as Roman soldiers to compel Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus' cross. The location of Golgotha is not certain, but tradition says it is where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre now sits, outside Jerusalem's west wall.

Jesus is not the first king to be driven out of Jerusalem. Late in King David's reign, his son Absalom gathers an army and marches toward the city. David takes most of his household and flees. When the Levites follow with the ark of the covenant, David tells them to return it to the temple. He says, "If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place" (2 Samuel 15:25).

David's situation is not parallel to Jesus', but there are some similarities. They are devoted God-followers being forced out of Jerusalem by evil men. These wicked ones reject God's chosen and convince others the king's removal will be their gain. David flees so that war and death will not come to his people (2 Samuel 15:14). Jesus stumbles toward a sacrifice that will save His people from eternal death. David gathers his army and retakes Jerusalem and his throne (2 Samuel 18). Jesus will return to Israel with a great army, defeat His enemy (Revelation 19:11—20:3), and reign from Jerusalem for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4–6).

As David is accompanied by his household when he flees Jerusalem (2 Samuel 15:15, 18), Jesus is followed by a crowd on the way to the cross (Luke 23:27–31). Included in the crowd is a group of women whose behavior suggests they may be professional mourners. Although Jesus' mother and female followers are there (John 19:25; Mark 15:40), women from Jerusalem traditionally comforted crucifixion victims with wine mixed with myrrh (Mark 15:23). Jesus' words to them are strident, also giving the impression they are not His followers.

Jesus tells the women His crucifixion does not cause them any real hardship. Soon, however, something will happen to make life so difficult they'll be jealous of those who have no children to witness it. This punishment by the Roman government is mild because the threat of true dissent is like green wood: it will not catch fire easily. In the future, when the wood is "dry" and the times are ripe for revolution, the Roman's response will be equally intensified. This is probably a double-prophecy, encompassing the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70 and the coming tribulation.

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.