Mark 15:27
Along with Jesus, they crucified two robbers, one on His right and one on His left.
Along with Him
This phrase indicates the company in which Jesus was crucified. The Greek word "σὺν" (syn) means "with" or "together with," emphasizing the shared experience of crucifixion. Historically, crucifixion was a Roman method of execution reserved for the most heinous criminals and rebels. The inclusion of Jesus among criminals fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah 53:12, which states, "He was numbered with the transgressors." This highlights the humility and the extent of Jesus' sacrifice, as He was willing to be counted among sinners to bring salvation to humanity.

they crucified
The act of crucifixion was brutal and public, designed to be a deterrent to others. The Greek word "σταυρόω" (stauroō) means "to crucify" or "to impale on a cross." This method of execution was not only physically excruciating but also a form of public humiliation. For Jesus, this was the culmination of His earthly ministry, where He bore the sins of the world. Theologically, this act is central to Christian belief, as it represents the atonement for sin and the ultimate expression of God's love and justice.

two robbers
The term "robbers" comes from the Greek word "λῃστής" (lēstēs), which can mean "bandit" or "rebel." These were not mere petty thieves but likely insurrectionists or violent criminals. Their presence alongside Jesus underscores the injustice of His execution, as He was innocent of any crime. This juxtaposition also serves to highlight the grace of God, as one of these robbers would come to recognize Jesus' innocence and divinity, asking to be remembered in His kingdom (Luke 23:42).

one on His right and one on His left
The positioning of the robbers, one on each side of Jesus, is significant. In the ancient world, the right side was often seen as a place of honor. However, in this context, it emphasizes the complete degradation and humiliation Jesus endured. This imagery also fulfills the request of James and John in Mark 10:37, where they asked to sit at Jesus' right and left in His glory. Ironically, those places were occupied by criminals, illustrating the upside-down nature of God's kingdom, where the last shall be first, and the first shall be last (Mark 10:31). This scene invites believers to reflect on the nature of true discipleship, which involves sharing in Christ's sufferings and understanding the cost of following Him.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus
Central figure of the New Testament, the Son of God, who is being crucified for the sins of humanity.

2. Two Robbers
Criminals crucified alongside Jesus, representing humanity's sinfulness and the fulfillment of prophecy.

3. Golgotha
The place of the crucifixion, also known as "The Place of the Skull," located outside Jerusalem.

4. Roman Soldiers
The executors of the crucifixion, representing the authority of the Roman Empire.

5. The Cross
The instrument of execution, symbolizing both suffering and redemption.
Teaching Points
Fulfillment of Prophecy
Jesus' crucifixion between two robbers fulfills Old Testament prophecies, affirming the divine plan and sovereignty of God.

Identification with Sinners
Jesus' position between the robbers symbolizes His identification with sinners, offering redemption to all.

The Reality of Sin and Redemption
The presence of the robbers highlights the reality of sin and the need for redemption, which is available through Christ.

The Choice of Response
The differing responses of the two robbers to Jesus illustrate the choice each person has in responding to Christ's offer of salvation.

The Power of Repentance
The repentant robber's interaction with Jesus demonstrates the power of repentance and faith, even in the final moments of life.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the fulfillment of prophecy in Mark 15:27 strengthen your faith in the reliability of Scripture?

2. In what ways does Jesus' crucifixion between two robbers illustrate His mission to save sinners?

3. Reflect on the different responses of the two robbers. How do these responses challenge you in your own walk with Christ?

4. How can the reality of sin and the need for redemption, as seen in this passage, influence your approach to sharing the Gospel with others?

5. What does the repentant robber's account teach us about the nature of repentance and the assurance of salvation? How can this encourage you in your personal faith journey?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 53:12
This verse prophesies that the Messiah would be "numbered with the transgressors," which is fulfilled in Jesus being crucified between two criminals.

Luke 23:39-43
Provides additional insight into the interaction between Jesus and the two robbers, highlighting themes of repentance and salvation.

Matthew 27:38
Parallel account of the crucifixion, emphasizing the fulfillment of prophecy and the mockery Jesus faced.

John 19:18
Another account of the crucifixion, focusing on the details of the event and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.

Psalm 22:16
A prophetic psalm that describes the suffering of the Messiah, often associated with the crucifixion account.
The MalefactorsJ. J. Davies.Mark 15:27
The Crucifixion: the Human DeedR. Green Mark 15:16-32
The Mockery of JesusA.F. Muir Mark 15:16-20, 29-32
The Closing SceneJ.J. Given Mark 15:16-41
The CrucifixionE. 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
Crosses, Crucified, Crucify, Robbers, Thieves
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Mark 15:27

     2525   Christ, cross of
     5277   criminals
     5555   stealing
     7346   death penalty

Mark 15:21-27

     2412   cross, accounts of

Mark 15:22-32

     5879   humiliation

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

Links
Mark 15:27 NIV
Mark 15:27 NLT
Mark 15:27 ESV
Mark 15:27 NASB
Mark 15:27 KJV

Mark 15:27 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Mark 15:26
Top of Page
Top of Page