Mark 15:18

Mar_15:18

Crucify Him.

The worlds treatment of Christ

John Wesley, at a considerable party, had been maintaining with great earnestness the doctrine of Vox populi, vox Dei, against his sister, a lady whose talents were not unworthy the family to which she belonged. At last the preacher, to put an end to the controversy, put his argument in the shape of a dictum, and said, I tell you, sister, the voice of the people is the voice of God. Yes, she replied, mildly, it cried, Crucify Him, crucify Him. A more admirable answer was, perhaps, never given.

The worlds treatment of Christ

Dr. Blair, at the conclusion of a sermon in which he had descanted with his usual eloquence on the loveliness of virtue, gave utterance to the following apostrophe: O virtue, if thou wert embodied, how would all men love and imitate thee. His colleague, the Rev. R. Walker, preached that afternoon, and took occasion to say, My reverend friend observed in the morning that, if virtue were embodied, all men would love and imitate her. Well, virtue has been embodied; but how was she treated? Did all men love her? Did they copy her? No! She was despised and rejected of men, who, after defaming, insulting, and scourging her, led her to Calvary, where they crucified her between two thieves.

Fickleness of the populace

When Napoleon was returning from his successful wars in Austria and Italy, amid the huzzas of the people, Bourrienne remarked to him that it must be delightful to be greeted with such demonstrations of enthusiastic admiration. Bah! replied Napoleon, this same unthinking crowd, under a slight change of circumstances, would follow me just as eagerly to the scaffold. (Dictionary of Anecdote.)

An indictment against man

I. Here we have the basis of a tremendous indictment against human nature.

1. Human nature does not know good. It if had, it would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

2. Human nature hated goodness in its most attractive form.

3. Humanity is guilty of the utmost possible folly, because in crucifying Jesus it crucified its best friend.

4. Human nature destroyed its best instructor.

5. Human nature submitted to the insolent tyranny of the priests.

6. Human nature was guilty of craven cowardice in striking One who would not defend Himself.

II. Let me shut the door against some self-righteous disclaimers.

1. I should not have done so. Of whom wast thou born, but of a woman, as they were?

2. I would have spoken for Him. Yes; and dost thou speak for Him now? What have you done already? Have you sneered at the gospel? Have you rejected it? Are you ignorant of it? Have you ever doubted His power and His willingness to save? For believers-oh what a sorrow to think we stabbed our Friend to the heart. If we have crucified Him-let us resolve to crown Him. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

15:18 King of the Jews: The formal charge (15:2) on which Jesus was convicted (15:26).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

And when they had mocked him,.... To their satisfaction, and had had enough of this sort of diversion:

they took off the purple from him; and so, in their way, unkinged him;

and put his own clothes on him: both that he might be known to be the same person; and that the four soldiers, who had the charge of him, might have the perquisites of his clothes at his execution:

and led him out to crucify him: they led him out of the "praetorium", or judgment hall, and through the city, without the gates of it, to the usual place of crucifixion; he bearing his own cross, when first led out.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

18. Χαῖρε βασιλεῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων. The soldiers are playing at Ave Caesar and mingling brutal outrage with it. In the Gospel of Peter the formula is “Judge righteously, O king of Israel,” and the title on the cross is “This is the king of Israel”; see on Mar 15:32. Lk., having given the mockery by Herod and his guards (Luk 23:11), omits the mockery by Pilate’s troops, and the one incident may have led to the other, for some of Pilate’s soldiers probably accompanied Him and witnessed Herod’s brutality. But Pilate did not join in the mockery, as Herod did. Herod was exasperated with Jesus for not gratifying his curiosity. Pilate was exasperated, not with Jesus, but with the priests, for preventing him from setting Jesus free. On the voc. βασιλεῦ (not ὁ βασιλεύς) see J. H. Moulton, p. 70.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18. ἀσπάζεσθαι—to salute. This word, in itself, does not contain the idea of homage, but of greeting. It depends on circumstances what the greeting is. Here, they greeted him with a Hail, King of the Jews.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.