Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 15:26
And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
26. And the superscription ] “and the title of his cause was written,” Wyclif. The cause of execution was generally, as we have seen, inscribed on a white tablet, titulus, smeared with gypsum. It had been borne before Him on His way to the Cross, or suspended round His neck. It was now nailed on the projecting top of the cross over His head.
The King of the Jews ] Pilate had caused it to be written in three languages, that all classes might be able to read it. The ordinary Hebrew or Aramaic of the people, the official Latin of the Romans, and the Greek of the foreign population (Joh 19:20). For the endeavour of the Jewish high-priest to get the title altered see St Joh 19:21-22.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The superscription – The writing over his head upon the cross.
The King of the Jews – See the notes at Mat 27:37.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Mar 15:26
The King of the Jews.
Jesus mocked and crucified
Jesus suffered and died under the forms of law. His execution was the result of a six-fold trial-three trials at the hands of the Jews, and three at the hands of the Romans. When Jesus was led to Golgotha bearing His cross, He had stood at the focal point of the worlds best light and been pronounced guilty of death. For what offence? Pilate, as the custom was, with his own hand wrote the charge. And the superscription of His accusation was written over, The King of the Jews.
I. The words of the superscription correctly express what Jesus claimed. He was condemned, not so much upon the testimony of the non-agreeing witnesses, as upon His own admission of this. He maintained it to the last. No terror from the sight of the cross could make Him withdraw the claim. He died resolutely claiming that He was King.
II. The words of the superscription indicate the claim Christ makes today. Eighteen centuries have not dimmed the title Pilate wrote. As decisively now as then He stands at every court, at every public and private tribunal, at the door of every mans heart, at every turn in our journey, before every thought of our mind, every choice of our will, every act of our life, and says, I am King. If He be indeed King, His offices and attributes are kingly and He has the right to demand that no one dim the lustre of His crown, or weaken the sway of His sceptre. It is sometimes said that it matters little what place we assign to Christ, or with what attributes we clothe Him, so that life is only upright, and our conduct such as He would not condemn. At His trial before the Jewish and Roman Courts it mattered much what place was allotted Him and what title He should be allowed to bear. He died rather than disown His royal title. Is He less mindful of it now in His exalted glory, and less regardful of those attributes which rightfully constitute His regal claim? If He be a King, His is the right to hold the name and place thereof. Who shall dare to put forth the hand and pluck one jewel from His diadem of omnipotence, or efface one ray from His halo of infinite wisdom?
III. The words of the superscription indicate why so many now reject Christ. Because He asserts kingly authority-the right to rule, and to control mens hearts and lives. Men exalt the compassion of Jesus; they praise His teachings; they laud the good deeds with which His life was full; they extol the lustre of His example; but when asked if they have placed within their heart a throne on which He may sit and reign, they falter. The title they apply to Him is burden bearer rather than lawmaker, benefactor rather than king, counsellor rather than judge, one to admire and extol rather than obey.
IV. The wonts of the superscription indicate in what way Christ is now to be received. As the worlds Redeemer Christ fulfils the threefold office of Prophet, Priest, and King. To accept Him as the first is to believe and adopt His teachings; as the second, to rely for pardon and approach to God upon His atonement and intercession; as the third, to add to the others a surrender of the will to Him in loyalty and love, to install Him as ruler of our hearts and lives. We thus receive Him as our Saviour and Lord; we at once believe in Him and submit to Him; we ask Him to both pardon us and control us; and while He justifies He takes us, with our cordial consent, into His own care for the direction and government of our life both here and hereafter. Henceforth the thought that Christ is King is welcome. A place is gladly made in the heart for His throne to stand immutably. He is supreme. His will is law. (P. B. Davis.)
Christ the King of kings
When Mr. Dawson was preaching in South Lambeth on the offices of Christ, he presented Him as Prophet and Priest, and then as the King of saints. He marshalled patriarchs, kings, prophets and apostles, martyrs and confessors of every age and clime, to place the insignia of royalty upon the head of the King of kings. The audience was wrought up to the highest pitch of excitement, and, as if waiting to hear the anthem peal out the coronation hymn, the preacher commenced singing All hail the power of Jesus Name. The audience, rising as one man, sang the hymn as perhaps it was never sung before. (Fosters Cyclopaedia.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
And the superscription of his accusation,…. Or “the cause of his death”, as the Syriac and Persic versions read; the crime for which he suffered:
was written; over his head, upon the cross, to which it was fastened; the sum of which was,
the king of the Jews; [See comments on Mt 27:37].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The superscription ( ). The writing upon the top of the cross (our word epigraph). Lu 23:38 has this same word, but Mt 27:37 has “accusation” (). See Matthew for discussion. Joh 19:19 has “title” ().
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
The superscription of his accusation. Matthew, simply accusation; Luke, superscription; John, title. See on Mt 27:37.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And the superscription,” (kai he epigraphe) “And the writing,” superscription, or written sign, the title as it was described by Joh 19:19; Luk 23:38; It was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, Joh 19:20.
2) “Of His accusation was written over,” (tis haitias autou epigegrammene) “Of the accusation which had been written and was placed over Him,” over His head, and written in three languages, Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, as He hung on the cross, announcing the crime for which He was being put to death.
3) “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” (Ho basileue ton loudaion) “The King of the Jews,” What a crime! and yet, that is, who He was, a Savior and a King, rejected, Mat 27:37; Luk 23:33; Joh 19:19-20. The entire accusation based on the four Gospels reads “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews.”
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(26) The King of the Jews.St. Mark gives the shortest form of the inscription.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.’
This superscription, written in black letters on a board smeared with white gypsum, named the criminal and what he was accused of, and would have been carried in front of Him on the way to the cross, and in accordance with Roman custom was now displayed for all to see. It said that here was the Jew’s King Messiah and that He was now suffering for it.
But Mark intends the statement to stand in all its glory. As Pilate had unconsciously prophetically declared, this was the Messiah, the Deliverer, Who would deliver in a way that no one had expected, through suffering. It was because of this that He was condemned by man and died.
Pilate probably intended his bald statement as revenge against those who had forced his hand, and when requested refused to change it (Joh 19:21-22). He had known that they would not like it. But after all this is what they had said about Him, so let it stand. The fact that the superscription was placed above Him suggests that the cross was as traditionally understood rather than a T.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The sufferings of the cross:
v. 26. And the superscription of His accusation was written over, The King of the Jews.
v. 27. And with Him they crucify two thieves, the one on His right hand and the other on His left.
v. 28. And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And He was numbered with the transgressors.
v. 29. And they that passed by railed on Him, wagging their heads and saying, Ah, Thou that destroyest the Temple, and buildest it in three days,
v. 30. save Thyself, and come down from the cross!
v. 31. Likewise also the chief priests, mocking, said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; Himself He cannot save.
v. 32. Let Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with Him Revelation led Him. In a spirit which savored of vengeful spite, Pilate had prepared a superscription for the cross of Jesus, stating the cause of His punishment, in much the same form as it had been given to Him by the Jewish authorities: The King of the Jews. Neither he nor the Jews themselves knew how true the words were, that this man was indeed, as the Redeemer of the world, the King of all mankind. But they had rejected Him and His message and thereby willfully excluded themselves from the blessings of the Kingdom. The evangelist notes the exactness with which the Old Testament prophecies were being fulfilled in all the incidents of the Passion, even in those of a secondary nature, by remarking that two robbers, common criminals, were crucified at the same time, one on either side of Jesus, placing Him on an absolute level with the scum of the earth, Isa 53:12. And now came the procession from Jerusalem, unconsciously, but none the less surely, to fulfill another prophecy which was spoken concerning the suffering of the Savior, Psa 22:7-17. First came the common people, with whom the bloodthirstiness had now abated, leaving in its stead the satisfaction of having gained their object and having forced the procurator to do their bidding. They moved their heads from one side to the other, as though questioning the sanity of the Lord in making such statements as they quoted, of His being able to destroy the Temple and to erect it again in three days. Jeeringly they challenge Him to save Himself by stepping down from the cross. Then came the high priests, not minding, for once, the contamination which might result to them from mingling with the common people. They called out to each other and to some of the scribes that also came to enjoy the spectacle in gleeful mockery. They now felt free to admit what they formerly would have denied with the greatest vehemence, the fact that Christ had actually helped others. They are merely surprised and act astonished over the fact that He cannot help Himself. They want a proof of His Messiahship. If He should come down from the cross in plain sight before them, then they would be willing to believe Him. All this was hypocritical mockery. They had rejected Him as the Messiah of Israel, they had hardened their hearts against His message of salvation, they had refused to believe and to draw the correct conclusions in the case of far greater miracles; and they would not have believed Him now. And finally, the robbers that were hanging on either side of the Lord, impelled, perhaps, by the excruciating agony of the crucifixion, began to vituperate Him, to heap blasphemous epithets upon Him. It was a veritable orgy of blasphemy of every kind that was held there under the cross. And all the time the Lord was hanging there, meekly, patiently suffering and dying for them, for the very men that were casting the most insulting epithets into His face. That is one of the most inexplicable marvels of history.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
26 And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Ver. 26. See Trapp on “ Mat 27:37 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mar 15:26 . : awkwardly expressed; Mt. and Lk. have phrases which look like corrections of style. . .: the simplest form of the inscription.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
superscription, &c. = inscription of His indictment. Not the writing put “over His head “(Mat 27:37). See App-163.
written over = written down (or inscribed, as in Act 17:23. Heb 8:10; Heb 8:10, Heb 8:16). Greek epigrapho. Occ, else-where only in Rev 21:12. See App-163.
THE KING, &c. See App-163for the “inscriptions on the cross”, and App-48for the difference of types.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
superscription
See note, (See Scofield “Mat 27:37”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
the superscription: Deu 23:5, Psa 76:10, Pro 21:1, Isa 10:7, Isa 46:10
The King of the Jews: Psa 2:6, Zec 9:9, Mat 2:2, Mat 27:37, Luk 23:37, Luk 23:38, Joh 19:18-22
Reciprocal: Joh 19:19 – wrote
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6
Accusation is defined, “The crime of which one is accused.” Hence those who passed by would see that
Christ was crucified for being The King of the Jews!
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mar 15:26. The king of the Jews. These words are common to all four accounts. Matthew and Mark make prominent the fact that this was the one charge against our Lord.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Typically Mark recorded only the essence of the charge that Pilate wrote and had displayed over Jesus’ head on the cross. It was probably written in red or black letters on a whitened background. [Note: Lane, p. 568.]