Mark's Story (29 page)

Taking the Place of Barabbas

⁶
Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested.
⁷
And there was one named Barabbas,
who was
chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.
⁸
Then the multitude, crying aloud,
^a
began to ask
him to do
just as he had always done for them.
⁹
But Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
¹⁰
For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.

¹¹
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.
¹²
Pilate answered and said to them again, “What then do you want me to do
with Him
whom you call the King of the Jews?”

¹³
So they cried out again, “Crucify Him!”

¹⁴
Then Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?”

But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!”

¹⁵
So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged
Him,
to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

¹⁶
Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison.
¹⁷
And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His
head,
¹⁸
and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
¹⁹
Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him.
²⁰
And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.

The King on a Cross

²¹
Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.
²²
And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.
²³
Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take
it.
²⁴
And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them
to determine
what every man should take.

²⁵
Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.
²⁶
And the inscription of His accusation was written above:

THE KING OF THE JEWS.

²⁷
With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left.
²⁸
So the Scripture was fulfilled
^a
which says,
“And He was numbered with the transgressors.”
^b

²⁹
And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha!
You
who destroy the temple and build
it
in three days,
³⁰
save Yourself, and come down from the cross!”

³¹
Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save.
³²
Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.”
^a

Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

Jesus Dies on the Cross

³³
Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
³⁴
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated,
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
^a

³⁵
Some of those who stood by, when they heard
that,
said, “Look, He is calling for Elijah!”
³⁶
Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put
it
on a reed, and offered
it
to Him to drink, saying, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.”

³⁷
And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.

³⁸
Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
³⁹
So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last,
^a
he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”

⁴⁰
There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome,
⁴¹
who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

Jesus Buried in Joseph’s Tomb

⁴²
Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
⁴³
Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
⁴⁴
Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time.
⁴⁵
So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
⁴⁶
Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.
⁴⁷
And Mary Magdalene and Mary
the mother
of Joses observed where He was laid.

He Is Risen

16
Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary
the mother
of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.
²
Very early in the morning, on the first
day
of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
³
And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”
⁴
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large.
⁵
And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.

⁶
But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.
⁷
But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”

⁸
So they went out quickly
^a
and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Mary Magdalene Sees the Risen Lord

⁹
Now when
He
rose early on the first
day
of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
¹⁰
She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.
¹¹
And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

Jesus Appears to Two Disciples

¹²
After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.
¹³
And they went and told
it
to the rest,
but
they did not believe them either.

The Great Commission

¹⁴
Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.
¹⁵
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
¹⁶
He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
¹⁷
And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
¹⁸
they
^a
will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Christ Ascends to God’s Right Hand

¹⁹
So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
²⁰
And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with
them
and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
^a

Greeting to the Elect Pilgrims

1
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
²
elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

A Heavenly Inheritance

³
Blessed
be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
⁴
to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
⁵
who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
⁷
that the genuineness of your faith,
being
much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
⁸
whom having not seen
^a
you love. Though now you do not see
Him,
yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
⁹
receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of
your
souls.

¹⁰
Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace
that would come
to you,
¹¹
searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
¹²
To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us
^a
they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.

Living Before God Our Father

¹³
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest
your
hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
¹⁴
as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts,
as
in your ignorance;
¹⁵
but as He who called you
is
holy, you also be holy in all
your
conduct,
¹⁶
because it is written,
“Be holy, for I am holy.”
^a

¹⁷
And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay
here
in fear;
¹⁸
knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things,
like
silver or gold, from your aimless conduct
received
by tradition from your fathers,
¹⁹
but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
²⁰
He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
²¹
who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

The Enduring Word

²²
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit
^a
in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
²³
having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
^a
24
because

“All flesh
is
as grass,

And all the glory of man
^a
as the flower of the grass.

The grass withers,

And its flower falls away,

²⁵
But the word of the L
ORD
endures forever.”
^a

Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

2
Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
²
as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
^a
3
if indeed you have tasted that the Lord
is
gracious.

The Chosen Stone and His Chosen People

⁴
Coming to Him
as to
a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God
and
precious,
⁵
you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
⁶
Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

“Behold, I lay in Zion

A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,

And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
^a

⁷
Therefore, to you who believe,
He is
precious; but to those who are disobedient,
^a

“The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone,”
^b

⁸
and

“A stone of stumbling

And a rock of offense.”
^a

They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

⁹
But you
are
a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
¹⁰
who once
were
not a people but
are
now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Living Before the World

¹¹
Beloved, I beg
you
as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
¹²
having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by
your
good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Submission to Government

¹³
Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme,
¹⁴
or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and
for the
praise of those who do good.
¹⁵
For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—
¹⁶
as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
¹⁷
Honor all
people.
Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

Submission to Masters

¹⁸
Servants,
be
submissive to
your
masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
¹⁹
For this
is
commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
²⁰
For what credit
is it
if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this
is
commendable before God.
²¹
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us,
^a
leaving us
^b
an example, that you should follow His steps:

²²
“Who committed no sin,

Nor was deceit found in His mouth”
;
^a

²³
who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed
Himself
to Him who judges righteously;
²⁴
who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
²⁵
For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer
^a
of your souls.

Submission to Husbands

3
Wives, likewise,
be
submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,
²
when they observe your chaste conduct
accompanied
by fear.
³
Do not let your adornment be
merely
outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on
fine
apparel—
⁴
rather
let it be
the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible
beauty
of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
⁵
For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands,
⁶
as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

A Word to Husbands

⁷
Husbands, likewise, dwell with
them
with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as
being
heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

Called to Blessing

⁸
Finally, all
of you be
of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers,
be
tenderhearted,
be
courteous;
^a
9
not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
¹⁰
For

“He who would love life

And see good days,

Let him refrain his tongue from evil,

And his lips from speaking deceit.

¹¹
Let him turn away from evil and do good;

Let him seek peace and pursue it.

¹²
For the eyes of the L
ORD
are
on the righteous,

And His ears
are open
to their prayers;

But the face of the L
ORD
is
against those who do evil.”
^a

Suffering for Right and Wrong

¹³
And who
is
he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?
¹⁴
But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake,
you are
blessed.
“And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”
^a
15
But sanctify the Lord God
^a
in your hearts, and always
be
ready to
give
a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
¹⁶
having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
¹⁷
For
it is
better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.