Mark 15:26 Study Bible: The superscription of his accusation was written over him, "THE KING OF THE JEWS."

◄ Mark 15:26 ►

And the charge inscribed against Him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

And the charge inscribed against Him
This phrase refers to the Roman practice of placing a titulus, or a written notice, above the head of a crucified person to indicate the crime for which they were being executed. The Greek word for "inscribed" is "epigrapho," which means to write upon or engrave. This inscription was meant to publicly declare the reason for Jesus' crucifixion, serving both as a legal statement and a deterrent to others. Historically, this practice underscores the Roman emphasis on law and order, and the public nature of crucifixion as a means of instilling fear and maintaining control over the populace.

read
The Greek word used here is "epigraphe," which refers to something written or inscribed. The act of reading this charge would have been a public declaration, ensuring that all who passed by understood the supposed crime of the condemned. This highlights the irony and the fulfillment of prophecy, as Jesus, who was indeed the King of the Jews in a spiritual and messianic sense, was being mocked through this inscription.

The King of the Jews
This title is central to understanding the charge against Jesus. In the Roman context, claiming to be a king was seen as a direct challenge to Caesar's authority, thus a political crime worthy of death. However, from a theological perspective, this title is profoundly significant. It acknowledges Jesus' true identity and mission, as foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures. The phrase "King of the Jews" is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah, such as those found in Isaiah and Zechariah. Historically, this title was used mockingly by the Roman soldiers and others who did not recognize Jesus' divine kingship. Yet, for believers, it affirms Jesus' role as the promised deliverer and ruler, not just of the Jewish people, but of all who would come to faith in Him. This phrase encapsulates the tension between earthly power and divine authority, a theme that runs throughout the Gospel of Mark.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Jesus Christ
Central figure of the New Testament, the Messiah, and the Son of God. In this passage, He is being crucified.

2. Pontius Pilate
The Roman governor who authorized Jesus' crucifixion. He ordered the inscription as a formal charge.

3. Golgotha
The place where Jesus was crucified, also known as "The Place of the Skull."

4. Roman Soldiers
They carried out the crucifixion and placed the inscription above Jesus.

5. Jewish Leaders
They opposed Jesus and played a significant role in His arrest and trial.

Teaching Points

The Irony of the Inscription
The title "The King of the Jews" was meant to mock Jesus, yet it proclaimed a profound truth. Reflect on how God can use even the intentions of His enemies to declare His truth.

Fulfillment of Prophecy
The events surrounding Jesus' crucifixion, including the inscription, fulfill Old Testament prophecies. This underscores the reliability of Scripture and God's sovereign plan.

Public Declaration
The inscription was a public declaration of Jesus' identity. Consider how we are called to publicly declare our faith in Christ, even in the face of opposition.

The Kingship of Christ
Jesus' kingship is not of this world. Reflect on how His reign is characterized by humility, sacrifice, and love, contrasting with worldly power.

Understanding Misunderstanding
The misunderstanding of Jesus' kingship by both the Roman authorities and Jewish leaders serves as a reminder to seek a true understanding of who Jesus is, beyond cultural or societal misconceptions.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the inscription "The King of the Jews" reflect both the truth of Jesus' identity and the misunderstanding of those who crucified Him?

2. In what ways does the fulfillment of prophecy in this passage strengthen your faith in the reliability of Scripture?

3. How can we, like the inscription, publicly declare our faith in Jesus in our daily lives?

4. What does Jesus' response to being mocked as "The King of the Jews" teach us about humility and leadership?

5. How can we ensure that our understanding of Jesus' kingship aligns with biblical truth rather than cultural misconceptions?

Connections to Other Scriptures

John 19:19-22
Provides additional context about Pilate's inscription and the Jewish leaders' objection to it.

Matthew 27:37
Also mentions the inscription, emphasizing its role in the crucifixion account.

Luke 23:38
Notes that the inscription was written in three languages, highlighting its public nature.

Isaiah 53:3
Prophecy about the Messiah being despised and rejected, which is fulfilled in the crucifixion.

Psalm 22:6-8
A messianic psalm that foreshadows the mockery and scorn Jesus faced.

Sermons

Christ the King of Kings	Foster's Cyclopaedia	Mark 15:26
Jesus Mocked and Crucified	P. B. Davis.	Mark 15:26
The Crucifixion: the Human Deed	R. Green	Mark 15:16-32
The Mockery of Jesus	A.F. Muir	Mark 15:16-20, 29-32
The Closing Scene	J.J. Given	Mark 15:16-41
The Crucifixion	E. Johnson	Mark 15:21-32

People

Alexander, Barabbas, Elias, Elijah, James, Jesus, Joseph, Joses, Mary, Pilate, Rufus, Salome, Simon

Places

Arimathea, Cyrene, Galilee, Golgotha, Jerusalem, Place of the Skull

Topics

Accusation, Accused, Charge, Crime, Cross, Inscription, Jews, Notice, Statement, Superscription, Writing, Written

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Mark 15:26

     2206   Jesus, the Christ
     2215   Christ, Son of David
     2312   Christ, as king
     5201   accusation
     5366   king
     7505   Jews, the

Mark 15:21-27

2412 cross, accounts of

Mark 15:22-32

5879 humiliation

Mark 15:24-26

5281 crucifixion

Mark 15:24-32

5824 cruelty, examples

Mark 15:25-37

1680 types

Library

Simon the Cyrenian
'And they compel one Simon, a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear His Cross.'--Mark xv. 21. How little these soldiers knew that they were making this man immortal! What a strange fate that is which has befallen chose persons in the Gospel narrative, who for an instant came into contact with Jesus Christ. Like ships passing athwart the white ghostlike splendour of moonlight on the sea, they gleam silvery pure for a moment as they cross its …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christ and Pilate: the True King and his Counterfeit
'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. 6. But Jesus yet …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Death which Gives Life
'And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear His cross. 22. And they bring Him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. 23. And they gave Him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but He received it not. 24. And when they had crucified Him, they parted His garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. 25. And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. 26. And the superscription …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Dying Saviour Our Example.
(On Good Friday.) TEXT: MARK xv. 34-41. HEAVENLY Father! On all who are assembling to day to commemorate the death of the Holy One, in whom Thou wast well pleased, look graciously down! Let not one go away from the cross of Thy Well-beloved without exclaiming, with new, living faith, Truly this was the Son of God! Let not one wipe away his tears of emotion until the heartfelt desire has taken possession of him that his end may be like that of this righteous One! Let not the feeling of holy reverence …
Friedrich Schleiermacher—Selected Sermons of Schleiermacher

The Centurion at the Cross.
MATT. XXVII. 54. Comp. MARK XV. 39. "Now, when the centurion, and they that were with him watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying: Truly this was the [a] Son of God." LUKE XXIII. 47. "Now, when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying: Certainly this was a righteous man." Note.--The centurion here spoken of is the one who, according to Roman custom, presided over the execution (hence called by Seneca centurio supplicio præpositus; …
Philip Schaff—The Person of Christ

Joseph of Arimathea
BY REV. ALFRED ROWLAND, D.D.. LL.B. "Joseph of Arimathea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God."--MARK xv. 43. The crucifixion of our Lord produced strange and startling effects in moral experience, as well as in the physical world. The veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom as if a hand from heaven had torn it, in order to teach men that the ancient ritual was done with. Darkness covered the earth, suggesting to thoughtful minds the guilt of the world and …
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known

"Himself He could not Save. " --Mark xv. 31
"Himself He could not save."--Mark xv. 31. "He saved others," scorners cried, Beholding Jesus crucified; "Is this the Son of God with power? Lo, in His own afflictive hour, Himself he cannot save." He was the Son of God with power, He "came unto that very hour;" I'll joy in His reproach and shame, "He savest others;" I'll exclaim, "Himself He could not save." His agony and bloody sweat, His cross and passion paid my debt; He saved others when he fell, Yet,--who the mystery can tell? Himself, He …
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

Whether Christ was Buried in a Becoming Manner?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ was buried in an unbecoming manner. For His burial should be in keeping with His death. But Christ underwent a most shameful death, according to Wis. 2:20: "Let us condemn Him to a most shameful death." It seems therefore unbecoming for honorable burial to be accorded to Christ, inasmuch as He was buried by men of position---namely, by Joseph of Arimathea, who was "a noble counselor," to use Mark's expression (Mk. 15:43), and by Nicodemus, who was "a ruler of …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

H. The Crucifixion. Ch. 23:26-38
26 And when they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid on him the cross, to bear it after Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. 28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming, in which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the …
Charles R. Erdman—The Gospel of Luke, An Exposition

Pilate
"And straightway in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, and bound Jesus, and carried Him away, and delivered Him up to Pilate." ". . . And they lead Him out to crucify Him." MARK 15:1-20 (R.V.) WITH morning came the formal assembly, which St. Mark dismisses in a single verse. It was indeed a disgraceful mockery. Before the trial began its members had prejudged the case, passed sentence by anticipation, and abandoned Jesus, as one …
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

Christ Crucified
"And they compel one passing by, Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear His cross. And they bring Him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they offered Him wine mingled with myrrh: but He received it not. And they crucify Him, and part His garments among them, casting lots upon them, what each should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And the superscription of …
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Death of Jesus
"And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, He calleth Elijah. And one ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave Him to drink, saying, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to take Him down. And Jesus …
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

Part 1 Christ's Humiliation, Exaltation, and Triumph. Phil. 2:8,9; Mark 15:20,24,29; Col. 2:15
Christ's humiliation, exaltation, and triumph. Phil. 2:8,9; Mark 15:20,24,29; Col. 2:15. The mighty frame of glorious grace, That brightest monument of praise That e'er the God of love designed, Employs and fills my lab'ring mind. Begin, my soul, the heav'nly song, A burden for an angel's tongue: When Gabriel sounds these awful things, He tunes and summons all his stungs. Proclaim inimitable love: Jesus, the Lord of worlds above, Puts off the beams of bright array, And veils the God in mortal …
Isaac Watts—The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts

The Fourth Word
"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani."--ST. MATT. XXVII. 46; ST. MARK XV. 34. There are three peculiar and distinguishing features of this fourth word which our Saviour uttered from His Cross. 1. It is the only one of the Seven which finds a place in the earliest record of our Lord's life, contained in the matter common to St. Matthew and St. Mark. 2. It is the only one which has been preserved to us in the original Aramaic, in the very syllables which were formed by the lips of Christ. 3. It is the …
J. H. Beibitz—Gloria Crucis

The Shortest of the Seven Cries
As these seven sayings were so faithfully recorded, we do not wonder that they have frequently been the subject of devout meditation. Fathers and confessors, preachers and divines have delighted to dwell upon every syllable of these matchless cries. These solemn sentences have shone like the seven golden candlesticks or the seven stars of the Apocalypse, and have lighted multitudes of men to him who spake them. Thoughtful men have drawn a wealth of meaning from them, and in so doing have arranged …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 24: 1878

Third Stage of Jewish Trial. Jesus Formally Condemned by the Sanhedrin and Led to Pilate.
(Jerusalem. Friday After Dawn.) ^A Matt. XXVII. 1, 2; ^B Mark XV. 1; ^C Luke XXII. 66-23:1; ^D John XVIII. 28. ^a 1 Now when morning was come, ^c 66 And as soon as it was day, ^b straightway ^c the assembly of the elders of the people was gathered together, both chief priests and scribes; and they led him away into their council, ^a all the chief priests and { ^b with} the elders ^a of the people ^b and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, and ^a took counsel against Jesus to put …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

First Stage of the Roman Trial. Jesus Before Pilate for the First Time.
(Jerusalem. Early Friday Morning.) ^A Matt. XXVII. 11-14; ^B Mark XV. 2-5; ^C Luke XXIII. 2-5; ^D John XVIII. 28-38. ^d and they themselves entered not into the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover. [See p. 641.] 29 Pilate therefore went out unto them, and saith, What accusation bring ye against this man? 30 They answered and said unto him, If this man were not an evildoer, we should not have delivered him up unto thee. [The Jewish rulers first attempt to induce …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Third Stage of the Roman Trial. Pilate Reluctantly Sentences Him to Crucifixion.
(Friday. Toward Sunrise.) ^A Matt. XXVII. 15-30; ^B Mark XV. 6-19; ^C Luke XXIII. 13-25; ^D John XVIII. 39-XIX 16. ^a 15 Now at the feast [the passover and unleavened bread] the governor was wont { ^b used to} release unto them ^a the multitude one prisoner, whom they would. { ^b whom they asked of him.} [No one knows when or by whom this custom was introduced, but similar customs were not unknown elsewhere, both the Greeks and Romans being wont to bestow special honor upon certain occasions by releasing …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Crucifixion.
Subdivision A. On the Way to the Cross. (Within and Without Jerusalem. Friday Morning.) ^A Matt. XXVII. 31-34; ^B Mark XV. 20-23; ^C Luke XXIII. 26-33; ^D John XIX. 17. ^a 31 And when they had mocked him, they took off from him the ^b purple, ^a robe, and put on him his garments [This ended the mockery, which seems to have been begun in a state of levity, but which ended in gross indecency and violence. When we think of him who endured it all, we can not contemplate the scene without a shudder. Who …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Morning of Good Friday.
The pale grey light had passed into that of early morning, when the Sanhedrists once more assembled in the Palace of Caiaphas. [5969] A comparison with the terms in which they who had formed the gathering of the previous night are described will convey the impression, that the number of those present was now increased, and that they who now came belonged to the wisest and most influential of the Council. It is not unreasonable to suppose, that some who would not take part in deliberations which were …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Crucified, Dead, and Buried. '
It matters little as regards their guilt, whether, pressing the language of St. John, [6034] we are to understand that Pilate delivered Jesus to the Jews to be crucified, or, as we rather infer, to his own soldiers. This was the common practice, and it accords both with the Governor's former taunt to the Jews, [6035] and with the after-notice of the Synoptists. They, to whom He was delivered,' led Him away to be crucified:' and they who so led Him forth compelled' the Cyrenian Simon to bear the Cross. …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Death of Jesus.
Although the real motive for the death of Jesus was entirely religious, his enemies had succeeded, in the judgment-hall, in representing him as guilty of treason against the state; they could not have obtained from the sceptical Pilate a condemnation simply on the ground of heterodoxy. Consistently with this idea, the priests demanded, through the people, the crucifixion of Jesus. This punishment was not Jewish in its origin; if the condemnation of Jesus had been purely Mosaic, he would have been …
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

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