Mark 15:16 The soldiers led him away within the court, which is the Praetorium; and they called together the whole cohort. 17 They clothed him with purple, and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 They began to salute him, “Greetings, King of the Jews.” 19 They struck his head with a reed, and spat on him, and bowing their knees, did homage to him. 20 When they had mocked him, they took the purple off of him, and put his own garments on him. They led him out to crucify him. NHEB
Mark has devoted about a third of his Gospel to a single week in Jesus’ life and we are now getting to the heart of why he is writing this account. At this point in the narrative, the disciples have scattered because despite their three years with Jesus, they don’t get it. It was the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection that finally clued them in. (Paul tells us in Romans 1:4 that Christ is declared to be the Son of God, with power, by the resurrection from the dead).
The Phoenicians loved to crucify people as they wanted a punishment that was a slow, painful and embarrassing (the person was naked) way to die. Rome couldn’t wait around for people to die over the course of a day(s) so they started scourging as a way to speed up the process. This was especially important in the case of Jesus since He had to be off the cross and buried by sundown as you couldn’t have a body on the cross during Passover.
The whip used for scourging (most translations use “flogging” which sounds less severe to modern ears) was made of leather of differing lengths. Iron balls were attached near the end of each of these thongs and often hooks made from sheep bones would be placed at the end. The damage to the muscles and tissues of the back along with the loss of blood would leave the victim very near death. Mockery and ridicule are also part of process and in the case of Jesus, greatly magnified since He was crucified as an insurgent. Part of this ridicule is the crown of thorns and the purple robe.
There are differences in the way the Eastern and Western church depict this moment artistically. Jesus is never shown with a crown of thorns in the Eastern church because that is a symbol of mockery and also because Jesus is not a victim here. Rather, Jesus embraced the cross of His own accord so Eastern art and icons will show him as peaceful and as having a halo over His head. (The halo to signify that He is the Son of God). The Eastern church hates images of Jesus suffering to the point of it almost being considered blasphemy. On the Western side, we would say that we are drawn to these images of suffering and mockery because we relate to Him and the humanness of His suffering.
Genesis 3: 17 To Adam he said, “Because you have listened to your wife’s voice, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 Thorns also and thistles will it bring forth to you; and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” NHEB
Some see the thorns in His crown as a reversal of the punishment meted out by God to Adam in the Garden of Eden. Along that same line, both the Eastern and Western churches view Jesus as the “new” Adam.
Mark 15:21 And they forced one passing by, Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might carry His cross. NHEB
Cyrene is located in northern Africa about where modern day Libya lies. Later as Rome falls, northern Africa becomes the center of Christianity. (Augustine is the bishop of Hippo in northern Africa about 300 years later). Rufus is also mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:13. Jesus is too weak from the scourging to carry the cross by Himself so a passerby is forced to help. Our common picture is of Him dragging the whole cross but there are scholars who say that the vertical piece is already in place so that what Simon is carrying for Jesus is the crossbar which itself weighs between 75 to 125 pounds.
Mark 15:22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha, which is translated, “The place of a skull.” 23 They offered him wine mixed with myrrh to drink, but he did not take it. 24 Crucifying him, they parted his garments among them, casting lots on them, what each should take. 25 It was nine in the morning, and they crucified him. 26 The superscription of his accusation was written over him, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 27 And they crucified two outlaws with him, one on his right and one on his left. 28 [[EMPTY]] 29 Those who passed by defamed him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself and come down from the cross!” 31 In the same way even the chief priests – together with the experts in the law – were mocking him among themselves: “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! 32 Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with him also spoke abusively to him. NHEB
One possible location of Golgotha (Calvary in Latin) is underneath the Church of the Holy Selpuchre. An early Christian tradition dating back to the Empress Helena (mother of Constantine) is that Golgotha (place of the skull) is where Adam is buried. While this certainly has some theological appeal for us, the Jewish tradition places Adam‘s grave in Hebron. Another possibility is in the Garden Tomb area because it looks like a skull. Verse 28 is a reference about being “numbered among the transgressors” but is omitted in many translations of Mark since these words don’t appear in the earliest manuscripts that we have. These words do show up the texts (and all translations) of Luke 22:37.
One of the gifts of the Magi was myrrh which is used, among other things, for pain relief. The Eastern church will say that Jesus rejects this mixture because He is in charge. There is a general mockery followed by that of the chief priests. The sixth hour is noon and the ninth hour is 3 P.M.
Mark 15:33 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 34 At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 35 When some of those standing nearby heard this, they said, “Behold, He is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus to drink, saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.” BSB
The narrative changes at the sixth hour (noon) as it is not only a literal reference but a spiritual one, as well. In the 9th hour, Jesus says “why have You forsaken Me?” which is described as one of the most perplexing things He ever said. The quote, in Aramaic, is from Psalm 22:1. Notice here that Jesus doesn’t use the term “Abba” as He did in the garden but uses “Eloi” which Mark has translated as a more formal “My God”.
Psalm 22: 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?…. 7 All those who see me mock me. They insult me with their lips. They shake their heads, saying, 8 “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him. Let him rescue him, since he delights in him.”…. 13 They open their mouths wide against me, like lions tearing prey and roaring. 14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it is melted within me. 15My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; and you have brought me into the dust of death. 16 For many dogs have surrounded me. A company of evildoers have enclosed me. They have pierced my hands and my feet. 17 I can count all of my bones. They look and stare at me. 18 They divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast a lot. NHEB