151 And immediately in the morning the chief priests, having taken counsel with the elders and scribes and the whole sanhedrim, bound Jesus and carried [him] away, and delivered [him] up to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered and said to him, Thou sayest. 3 And the chief priests accused him urgently. 4 And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? See of how many things they bear witness against thee. 5 But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marvelled.
6 But at [the] feast he released to them one prisoner, whomsoever they begged [of him]. 7 Now there was the [person] named Barabbas bound with those who had made insurrection with [him], [and] that had committed murder in the insurrection. 8 And the crowd crying out began to beg [that he would do] to them as he had always done. 9 But Pilate answered them saying, Will ye that I release to you the King of the Jews? 10 for he knew that the chief priests had delivered him up through envy. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd that he might rather release Barabbas to them. 12 And Pilate answering said to them again, What will ye then that I do [to him] whom ye call King of the Jews? 13 And they cried out again, Crucify him. 14 And Pilate said to them, What evil then has he done? But they cried out the more urgently, Crucify him.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Mark 15:1-14
Commentary on Mark 15:1-14
(Read Mark 15:1-14)
They bound Christ. It is good for us often to remember the bonds of the Lord Jesus, as bound with him who was bound for us. By delivering up the King, they, in effect, delivered up the kingdom of God, which was, therefore, as by their own consent, taken from them, and given to another nation. Christ gave Pilate a direct answer, but would not answer the witnesses, because the things they alleged were known to be false, even Pilate himself was convinced they were so. Pilate thought that he might appeal from the priests to the people, and that they would deliver Jesus out of the priests' hands. But they were more and more urged by the priests, and cried, Crucify him! Crucify him! Let us judge of persons and things by their merits, and the standard of God's word, and not by common report. The thought that no one ever was so shamefully treated, as the only perfectly wise, holy, and excellent Person that ever appeared on earth, leads the serious mind to strong views of man's wickedness and enmity to God. Let us more and more abhor the evil dispositions which marked the conduct of these persecutors.