Catena Aurea on Mark
Chapter 15
Lecture 1
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.
2. And Pilate asked Him, “Art thou the King of the Jews?” And He answering said unto him, “Thou sayest it.”
3. And the Chief Priests accused Him of many things: but he answered nothing.
4. And Pilate asked Him again, saying, “Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.”
5. But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.
Bede, in Marc., 4, 44: The Jews had a custom of delivering him whom they had condemned to death, bound to the judge. Wherefore after the condemnation of Christ, the Evangelist adds: “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.” But it must be observed, that they did not then first bind Him, but they bound Him on first taking Him in the garden by night, as John declares.
TheophylactThey then gave Jesus up to the Romans, but were themselves given up by God into the hands of the Romans, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled, which say, “Recompense them after the work of their hands.” [Ps 28:5] It goes on: “And Pilate asked Him, Art thou the King of the Jews?”
Bede: By Pilate’s asking Him about no other accusation, except whether He was King of the Jews, they are convicted of impiety, for they could not even find a false accusation against our Saviour. It goes on: “And He answering said unto him, Thou sayest.” He answers in this way so as both to speak the truth, and yet not be open to cavil.
TheophylactFor His answer is doubtful, since it may mean, Thou sayest, but I say not so.
BedeAnd observe that He does somewhere answer Pilate, who condemned Him unwillingly, but does not choose to answer the priests and great men, and judges them unworthy of a reply. It goes on: “And the Chief Priests accused Him of many things.”
Augustine, de. Con. Evan., iii, 8: Luke has also laid open the false charges which they brought against Him; for he thus relates it: “And they began to accuse Him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.” [Luke 23:2] There follows: “And Pilate asked Him, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.”
BedeHe indeed who condemns Jesus is a heathen, but he refers it to the people of the Jews as the cause. There follows: “But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.” He was unwilling to give an answer, lest He should clear Himself of the charge, and be acquitted by the judge, and so the gain resulting from the Cross should be done away.
Theophylact: But Pilate wondered, because, though He was a teacher of the law, and eloquent, and able by His answer to destroy their accusations, He did not answer any thing, but rather bore their accusations courageously.
Lecture 2
6. Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.
7. And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.
8. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.
9. But Pilate answered them, saying, “Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?”
10. For he knew that the Chief Priests had delivered Him for envy.
11. But the Chief Priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.
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?”
13. And they cried out again, “Crucify him!”
14. Then Pilate said unto them, “Why, what evil hath he done?” And they cried out the more exceedingly, “Crucify him!”
15. And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged Him, to be crucified.
BedePilate furnished many opportunities for releasing Jesus, in the first place contrasting a robber with the Just One. Wherefore it is said: “Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.”
GlossWhich indeed he was accustomed to do, to obtain favour with the people, and above all, on the feast day, when the people of the whole province of the Jews flocked to Jerusalem. And that the wickedness of the Jews might appear the greater, the enormity of the sin of the robber, whom they preferred to Christ, is next described. Wherefore there follows: “And there was one Barabbas, who lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.” In which words their wickedness is shewn both from the heinousness of his signal crime, in that he had committed murder, and from the way in which he did it, because he had in doing it raised a sedition and disturbed the city, and also because his crime was notorious, for he was bound with seditious persons. It goes on: “And the multitude,” when it had come up, “began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.”
AugustineNo one can feel it a difficulty that Matthew is silent as to their asking some one to be released unto them, which Mark here mentions; for it is a thing of no consequence that one should mention a thing which another leaves out. There follows: “But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the Chief Priests had delivered Him for envy.” Some one may ask, which were the words of which Pilate made use, those which are related by Matthew, or those which Mark relates; for there seems to be a difference between, “Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?” as Matthew has it; and, “Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?” as is here said. But since they gave to kings the name of Christs, he who said this man or that must have asked whether they wished the King of the Jews to be released unto them, that is, Christ. It makes no difference to the sense that Mark has said nothing of Barabbas, wishing only to mention what belonged to the Lord, since by their answer he sufficiently shewed whom they wished to have released to them. For there follows: “But the Chief Priests moved the people that he should rather release unto them Barabbas.”
BedeThis demand which the Jews made with such toil to themselves still sticks to them. Because, when the choice was given to them, they chose a robber instead of Christ, a murderer instead of the Saviour, they deservedly lost their salvation and their life, and they subjected themselves to such a degree to robbery and sedition, that they lost their country and their kingdom which they preferred to Christ, and never regained their liberty, body or soul. Then Pilate gives another opportunity of releasing the Saviour, when there follows, “And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I should do unto the King of the Jews?”
AugustineIt now is clear enough that Mark means by “King of the Jews” what Matthew means by the word, “Christ”; for no kings but those of the Jews were called Christs. For in this place according to Matthew it is said, “What then shall I do with Jesus which is called Christ?” [Matt 27:22] There follows: “And they cried out again, Crucify him!”
TheophylactNow see the wickedness of the Jews, and the moderation of Pilate, though he too was worthy of condemnation for not resisting the people. For they cried out, “Crucify”; he faintly tries to save Jesus from their determined sentence, and again puts a question to them. Wherefore there follows: “Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done?” For he wished in this way to find an opportunity for releasing Christ, who was innocent.
BedeBut the Jews giving loose to their madness do not answer the question of the judge. Wherefore it goes on, “And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him!,” that those words of the Prophet Jeremiah might be fulfilled, “Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest, it crieth out against me.” [Jer 12:8] There follows: “And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged Him, to be crucified.”
TheophylactHe wished indeed to satisfy the people, that is, to do their will, not what was agreeable to justice and to God.
Pseudo-Jerome: Here are two goats; one is the scape goat, that is, one loosed and sent out into the wilderness of hell with the sin of the people; the other is slain, as a lamb, for the sins of those who are forgiven. The Lord’s portion is always slain; the devil’s part, (for he is the master of those men, which is the meaning of Barabbas,) when freed, is cast headlong into hell.
BedeWe must understand that Jesus was scourged by no other than Pilate himself. For John writes: “Pilate took Jesus, and scourged Him,” [John 19:1] which we must suppose that he did, that the Jews might be satisfied with His pains and insults, and cease from thirsting for His blood.