Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 15:3
And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.
3. And the chief priests accused him ] After the first examination Pilate came forth to the Jewish deputation, standing before the entrance of the palace, and declared his conviction of the innocence of the Accused (Joh 18:38; Luk 23:4). This was the signal for a furious clamour on the part of the chief priests and members of the Sanhedrim, and they accused our Lord of many things, of (1) “stirring up the people,” and (2) “teaching falsely throughout all Juda, beginning from Galilee even to Jerusalem” (Luk 23:5).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Mar 15:3
But He answered nothing.
The silence of our Lord
From our Lords sublime silence we may learn-
1. That the manifestation of anger and temper is inconsistent with a Christian spirit. Again, anger is said to rest in the bosom of fools, a mortifying fact, which should be a corrective to this tendency. Socrates, when kicked by a profligate person, said to those who would have him retaliate, Had an ass kicked me, would you have me kick back in return? It requires no intellect to be angry. It is rather a sign of mulishness. You give an advantage to your adversary. Men get the fruit of the cocoanut tree by exasperating the monkeys that live among the branches, so that the animals hurl down the fruit. The assailants keep up the altercation until their end is gained and their baskets are full. But to be patient is to be godlike. Here, then, are two mirrors. In which is your face reflected? Are you easily irritated, or are you able to patiently stand, like your Lord, answering not a word?
2. No one grace more glorifies God than the spirit shown in the silence of Christ. The following incident is related of that eminent minister, Dr. Hopkins: A brother-in-law who was a sceptic, said that his pious kinsman would bear exasperating circumstances no better than anyone else, and, to try him, stated to him some facts peculiarly aggravating. Dr. H. went away very angry, and the remark was made, I told you so. The night, however, was spent in prayer, and with the morning Dr. H. came and confessed his sin of unholy passion, whereupon his brother was deeply affected, and admitted that this was a spirit which he did not possess. The infidel was led to re-examine the grounds on which he stood. He became a humble follower of Christ and a minister of the gospel. But the objector says, I cannot control myself: what is the remedy? In general, we may answer, Watch and pray. God will do His part, we must do ours. More specifically: Keep yourself from temptations. Again, your physical condition is to be cared for. Late hours, bad ventilation, and improper diet affect the temper. If you eat mince pie, fruit cake, and lobster salad at night, you will have dyspepsia, If you have dyspepsia, you will be cross. Think, again, how belittling to you are these spurts of ill-temper, and let it shame you. Think, too, how trivial are these annoyances, and how transitory life is. Look at Christ, whose whole nature was sweet to the depths of His being, and so was not obliged continually to curb the risings of unholy emotion. Commit your cause unto Him who judgeth righteously, and answer not a word. (American Homiletic Review.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
And the chief priests accused him of many things,…. As that he was a magician, and a blasphemer, and gave out that he was the Son of God; and that he made himself a king, and even forbad the people to give tribute to Caesar, and moved discord, sedition, and rebellion throughout the land;
but he answered nothing. This clause is wanting in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions; but is in the Greek text of the Complutensian edition, and in the Ethiopic version, and agrees with Mt 27:12,
[See comments on Mt 27:12].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Accused him of many things ( ). Imperfect tense, repeated accusations besides those already made. They let loose their venom against Jesus. One of the common verbs for speaking against in court ( and ). It is used with the genitive of the person and the accusative of the thing.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) ”And the high priests accused Him of many things: (kai kategoroun autou hoi archiereis polla) “And the chief priests accused Him (charged Him) with many things,” apparently to impress Pilate, after Pilate did not appear to be convinced that Jesus’ actual claim was hurtful to Caesar, Luk 23:5.
2) “But He answered nothing.” (an interpolation in Mark) though used Mat 27:12; At this composure of Jesus, and vehemence of the Sanhedrin, Pilate marvelled and responded, “I find no fault in this man,” thus publicly adjudicating Him to be innocent of the trumped up charges of the Sanhedrin, Luk 23:4; and Pilate even repeated it a second time, Joh 18:38; Isa 53:9; 1Pe 2:22.
You see Pilate could only preside over civil courts and adjudicate on civil matters, This is why the Jews changed their charges against Jesus, from blasphemy to sedition, failure to pay taxes, etc.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(3) But he answered nothing.Many MSS. omit these words, but the fact is implied in Pilates question, and in Jesus yet answered nothing, in Mar. 15:5.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And the chief priests accused him of many things.’
The Chief Priests, after at first prevaricating, listed their charges. Luk 23:2 gives examples. ‘Perverting the nation’, ‘forbidding the giving of tribute to Caesar’, ‘calling Himself the Messiah, a king’. All this had nothing to do with the main charge that they had against Him, that of blasphemy, but they were aware that that would not have impressed Pilate. However, these charges did not impress Pilate either. What did impress him was the silence of the prisoner in the face of His accusers. It was clear that Jesus wanted nothing to do with them or their accusations, and simply saw Himself as unaffected by all that they said. Pilate was used to the defiance or pleading of defendants, but not to such dignified silence.
We should not that ‘many things’ indicates quite a period of time. The charges had to be put, dressed up in revolutionary terms, and evidence sought. And then Jesus had to be questioned about them. This latter, however, did not take much time as He did not deign to even respond to their obviously unreasonable charges.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mar 15:3 . : either an adverb = much, or the accusative after . As to the matter of these accusations vide on Mt. But to what end, when Jesus had confessed that He was King; giving Himself away, so to speak? The Sanhedrists must have seen from Pilate’s manner, a smile on his face perhaps, that he did not take the confession seriously. For the reason of this vide on Mt.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
accused = kept accusing.
of many things = urgently.
nothing = not (Greek. ou. App-105.) anything. All the texts omit this clause.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the chief: Mat 27:12, Luk 23:2-5, Joh 18:29-31, Joh 19:6, Joh 19:7, Joh 19:12
but: Mar 15:5, Mar 14:60, Mar 14:61, Isa 53:7
Reciprocal: Psa 38:14 – that heareth Joh 18:30 – If Joh 19:9 – But Act 25:7 – and laid
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
3
To the accusation of the chief priest Jesus made no reply, not even to the extent of denying them, although they pertained to his alleged conduct.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
The chief priests, speaking for the Sanhedrin, brought many other charges against Jesus, some of which Luke mentioned (cf. Luk 23:2). Jesus’ failure to defend Himself against so many accusations amazed Pilate (cf. Isa 53:7).
Ironically Pilate himself declared who Jesus was with his inscription over His cross: the king of the Jews (Mar 15:28). Jesus did not need to tell Pilate who he was. Pilate was going to give Him His proper title anyway. This is another indication of Jesus’ authority in the political realm. [Note: Edwards, p. 224.]
Mark used a double negative in the Greek text (ouketi ouden) to describe Jesus’ absolute silence. In English two negatives make a positive, but in Greek two negatives strengthen the force of the negative. Mark recorded Jesus replying only briefly to Caiaphas (Mar 14:62) and to Pilate. This is consistent with Mark’s emphasis on Jesus as the Servant of the Lord.
Only Luke recorded that Pilate now sent Jesus to Herod Antipas, who was also in Jerusalem for the feast, since Jesus was a Galilean and Herod ruled over Galilee (Luk 23:6-12). Herod then sent Jesus back to Pilate.