Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 15:29
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,
29. railed on him ] The instincts of ordinary pity were quenched in the fierceness of malignant hatred and religious bigotry.
Ah ] “Fyz,” Wyclif. It is an exclamation of exultant derision = the Latin Vah.
that destroyest the temple ] This saying of our Lord at His first cleansing of the Temple was never forgotten. Perhaps some of the false witnesses of the previous night were now present.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And they that passed by,…. In the road, and went by the cross. The Arabic version adds, “before him”, Christ, as he hung on the cross:
railed on him, wagging their heads; gave him opprobrious language, and used indecent gestures;
and saying, ah! thou that destroyest the temple; the Vulgate Latin version adds, “of God”:
and buildest it in three days; thou poor vain miserable creature, that boasted of thy power, where art thou now? and what dost thou think of thyself?
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Ah! [] . The Latin vah!
Destroyest. The same word as at Mr 13:2.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And they that passed by railed on Him,” (kai hoi paraporeumenoi) “And those who pass by blasphemed Him,” spoke to Him in a derogatory, condemnatory, mean and demeaning manner, fulfilling prophecies of Psa 22:6-7; Psa 109:25.
2) “Wagging their heads and saying,” (kinountes tas kephalas auton ksi legontes) ”Wagging their heads and repeatedly saying, in taunts of derision,” Mat 27:39; Psa 22:7-13.
3) “Ah, thou that destroyest the temple,” (oua ho kataluon ton naon) “Ah, you who Would overthrow the temple shrine,” which He never desired to do or claimed that He would do, Mat 27:40; but they persisted in perverting what He did say, Joh 2:19.
4) “And buildest it in three days.” (kai oikodomon [on] trisin hemerais) “And build (or rebuild) it in three days,” a false, lying claim in perverting His words, as He hung there on the cross, Joh 2:19-21.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(29) Ah.The interjection, which in its Greek form expresses a kind of inarticulate scorn, is peculiar to St. Mark, and may be noted as another instance of his habit of reproducing the very sounds that had been uttered.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And those who passed by railed on him, wagging their heads and saying, “Ha, you who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself and come down from the cross.” ’
The crosses would be in a public place by the roadside so that passers by would see them clearly and take warning. Derision of such men was not unusual and many would be the insults thrown.
The railing and the wagging of the head have in mind Lam 2:15. There it was by-passers at Jerusalem as they saw its humiliation. They did it because Jerusalem, then destroyed, had been called ‘the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth’. Now Jerusalem was doing the same to its king. He too, Mark insinuates, is the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth, and is equally unrecognised.
Mark especially draws attention to those who made the same accusations as those presented at His trial. He was very much aware of the hidden meaning of which they were unaware, that the temple which would be ‘rebuilt’ by resurrection was the temple they were mocking, the temple of His body (Joh 2:21). They thought that He could not do what they said, but Mark and his readers knew that He had. There is an indication here that the rumour that He would destroy the Temple had bitten deep. And now for all His boasts He was on the cross and unable to do anything about it.
‘Save yourself and come down from the cross.’ This is reminiscent of Psa 22:7-8 where those who derided and shook their heads also challenged the possibility of deliverance for the one of whom the Psalmist spoke. There is irony here in that as Jesus had Himself declared, the Temple would be destroyed, and the new Temple of His body would be raised within three days.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mar 15:29-41 . See on Mat 27:39-56 . Comp. Luk 23:35-49 .
] the Latin vah! an exclamation of (here ironical) amazement . Dio Cass. lxiii. 20; Arrian, Epict. iii. 23. 24; Wetstein in loc.
. . .] gives us a glimpse of the original affirmation of the witnesses, as it is preserved in Mat 26:61 (not in Mar 14:58 ).
Mar 15:31 . ., inter se invicem , belongs to .
Mar 15:32 . Let the Messiah the King of Israel come down now, etc., a bitter mockery! The applies to the confession before the supreme council, Mar 14:61 f., and . . . to that before Pilate, Mar 15:2 . Moreover, we may attach either the two forms of address (Lachmann, Tischendorf), or the first of them (Ewald), to what precedes. But the customary mode of apprehending it as a double address at the head of what follows is more in keeping with the malicious triumph.
.] namely, that He is the Messiah, the King of Israel. .] agrees with Matthew, but not with Luke. See on Mat 27:44 . It is to be assumed that Mark had no knowledge of the narrative of Luk 23:39 ff., and that the scene related by Luke belongs to a later tradition, in which had been preserved more special traits of the great event of the crucifixion, but with which the historical character of the exceedingly characteristic scene is not lost. See on Luke, l.c.
Mar 15:34
Mar 15:36 . ,] a difference from Mat 27:49 , whose account is more original (in opposition to Holtzmann), because to remove the aspect of friendliness must appear more in keeping with the later development. In consequence of this difference, moreover, is to be understood quite otherwise than in Matthew, namely, allow it , what I am doing, let me have my way , which has reference to the scoffing conception, as though the proffered draught would preserve the life till Elias should come. The view that in Mar 15:35 f. friends of Jesus are meant who misunderstood His cry of , and one of whom had wished still to cheer Him as regards the possible coming of Elias (Ewald, Gesch. Chr. p. 490), is in itself improbable even on account of the well-known cry of the Psalm, as indeed the , . . ., comp. Mar 15:30 , sounds only like malicious mockery.
Mar 15:37 . ] He breathed out, i.e. He died . It is often used in this meaning absolutely in the Greek writers (Soph. Aj. 1025; Plut. Arist. 20).
Mar 15:39 . According to Mark, the centurion concluded from the fact of Jesus dying after having cried out in such a manner , i.e. with so loud a voice (Mar 15:37 ), that He was a hero. The extraordinary power ( , Theophylact, comp. Victor Antiochenus: ) which the Crucified One manifested in His very departing, made on the Gentile this impression in which his judgment was naturally guided by the circumstance that he had heard (Mat 27:40 ) of the charge brought against Jesus, that He claimed to be Son of God. According to others (as Michaelis, Kuinoel, de Wette), the unexpectedly speedy dying of Jesus, who had just before emitted a vigorous cry, made that impression, upon the Gentile, who saw in it a favour of the gods . But in order to express this, there would have been necessary under the circumstances before . an accompanying definition, such as or . Baur, Markusev. p. 108 f., illustrates the remark even from the crying out of the demons as they went forth (Mar 1:26 , Mar 5:7 , Mar 9:26 ); holding that Mark correspondingly conceived of the forcible separation of the higher spirit, through which Jesus had been the Son of God, therefore after a Gnostic manner. Comp. also Hilgenfeld and Kstlin. Wrongly; because opposed to the doctrine of the entire N. T. regarding Christ the born Son of God, as indeed the heathen centurion, according to the measure of his conception of sons of God, could not conceive of Him otherwise. We may add that the circumstantial and plain statement of motive, as given by Matthew and Luke for the centurion’s judgment, betrays the later manipulators (Zeller in Hilgenfeld’s Zeitschr. 1865, p. 385 ff., gives a contrary opinion), to whom Mark in this place seemed obscure or unsatisfactory.
] in His life.
Mar 15:40 . ] aderant ; comp. Mar 8:1 .
.] among others also Mary.
] cannot according to the meaning of the word be without arbitrariness explained as: the younger , although the James designated is the so-called Younger, but as: the little (of stature , comp. Luk 19:3 ). Hom. Il. v. 801: , Xen. Cyr. viii. 4. 20. An appeal is wrongly made to Jdg 6:15 , where in fact is not the youngest, but the least, that is, the weakest in warlike aptitude.
Mark does not name Salome , but he indicates her. According to Joh 19:25 , she was the sister of the mother of Jesus. Comp. also Ewald, Gesch. Chr. p. 171. Thus there are three women here recorded by Mark. So also Mat 27:56 . To distinguish the Mary of James from the mother of Joses, so that four should be adduced (Ewald, l.c. p. 324), there appears to be no sufficient ground (comp. the Remark after Mar 15:47 ); on the contrary, Mark and Matthew would have here expressed themselves in a way very liable to be misunderstood; comp. on Matthew.
Mar 15:41 . . . .] as they were now in the company around Jesus, so also they were, while He was in Galilee, in His train, applies, we may add, to the three who were named . Beside these there were among the women present yet many others , who had gone up with Him to Jerusalem.
[176] Mark has only this one of the sayings of Jesus on the cross, and Schenkel regards only this one as absolutely undoubted, in which opinion he does great injustice specially to John. Schleiermacher, L. J. p. 451, takes offence at this very saying, and only finds it conceivable as a reference to the whole twenty-second Psalm .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
29 32. ] HE IS MOCKED ON THE CROSS. Mat 27:39-44 .Luk 23:35-37Luk 23:35-37 ; Luk 23:39-43 . (Joh 19:25-27 .) Our narrative, derived from a common source with that of Matt., omits the scriptural allusion, ‘He trusted in God,’ &c. Mat 27:43 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
29. ] , an expression of reproach: sometimes one of admiration and respect, as in Dio Cassius, lxiii. 20, where the Romans shout after Nero, on his triumphal entry after his victories in the Grecian games, , , , , .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mar 15:29-32 . Taunts of spectators (Mat 27:39-44 , Luk 23:35 ; Luk 23:37 ; Luk 23:39 ).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Mar 15:29 . = Latin, vah , expressing here ironical admiration: “admirandi vim cum ironia habet,” Bengel. Raphel remarks that this word was not given in the Greek Lexicons, but that it is not therefore to be regarded as a Latinism peculiar to Mk., but rather as a word which had been adopted and used by the later Greeks, e.g. , Arrian. Here only in N. T.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Ah, or Aha.
destroyest. As in Mar 13:2.
Temple = Naos. See notes on Mat 4:5; Mat 23:16.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
29-32.] HE IS MOCKED ON THE CROSS. Mat 27:39-44. Luk 23:35-37; Luk 23:39-43. (Joh 19:25-27.) Our narrative, derived from a common source with that of Matt., omits the scriptural allusion, He trusted in God, &c. Mat 27:43.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mar 15:29. , Ah!) An interjection and exclamation, having the force of expressing astonishment, as Franc. Bernardinus Ferrarius, L. 3. de Acclam. Vet. c. 15, shows at large. In this passage, it has the force of expressing wonder along with irony.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Mar 15:29-32
16. REVILINGS BY THE PEOPLE
Mar 15:29-32
(Mat 27:39-44; Luk 23:35-37)
29 And they that passed by–This indicates that the place of crucifixion adjoined some public thoroughfare.
railed on him, wagging their heads,–Called to him in a loud, jeering voice. Indicating by the motion of the head, according to Psa 22:7-8, a malicious jeering at the helplessness of one who had made such lofty pretensions.
and saying, Ha! thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,–The charge made against him before the Sanhedrin at their first meeting in the night. [They ridiculed him, hooted at him. They fulfilled the prophecy in Psa 22:7-8 : “All they that see me laugh me to scorn; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, Commit thyself unto Jehovah; let him deliver him:let him rescue him, seeing he delighteth in him.” God so overruled the wickedness of both the Jews and Gentiles as to fulfill all the prophecies and prophetic types concerning Jesus that had gone forth in the Old Testament. The very things they did to degrade him, and show he was not divine, proved he was a child of prophecy, the Son of God. He had early in his ministry–referring to his body, and foretelling his resurrection from the dead–said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (Joh 2:19.) They had this one of the chief charges to prove his blasphemy before the Sanhedrin, and now, as he is nailed to the cross, suffering its excruciating torments, they taunt him with the claim. They think his helpless and suffering condition an expressive comment upon the pretentious claim. Yet God is preparing through this course for the wonderful explanation and fulfillment of the prophecy by his resurrection from the dead. His own disciples did not understand it when spoken. “When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he spake this; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.” (Joh 2:22.) They then understood what he meant, and saw its wonderful fulfillment in his resurrection from the dead.]
30 save thyself, and come down from the cross.–Matthew adds, “If thou art the Son of God.” It was a challenge which, though it came from malignant hearts, Jesus must meet. It was absolutely necessary to the authenticity of his claims that he should show his power to come down from the cross, but he chose his own time to do it. Little did they know that Jesus was in the act of providing their own salvation. He did, however, more than come down from the cross–he came up again from the dead. [This reasoning was, if he could rebuild the temple in three days, he could save himself from the cross. They looked at the outward appearance, and thought his suffering and helpless condition a sad commentary upon his claims to be able to save the world, so they ridiculed him as a Savior. If he could not save himself, how could he save others? Their heartless cruelty was shown in the manner in which they could rejoice and make merry over his sufferings.]
31 In like manner also the chief priests mocking him among themselves with the scribes–With the same indications of malicious and derisive joy. It is easy to imagine the scene. These haughty priests and teachers would not mingle with the common people. They had gotten off in a. group by themselves, to rejoice over the result of their night and day’s work. They would now retain, they thought, their lease of power over the people.
said, He saved others;–The rescuing of Lazarus from death had caused them to mature and hasten their plans for his destruction. They may have heard, also, of Jairus’ daughter and the son of a widow of Nain, since Jerusalem was full of Galileans.
himself he cannot save.–Or, as in the margin, “Can he not save himself?” A just question from wicked hearts. But nothing would have angered them more than its affirmative answer. [From the chief priests and scribes–the religious teachers–a high show of the feelings of humanity ought to have been expected. They were teachers of the scriptures. Solomon (Pro 24:17-18) said: “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he is overthrown: lest Jehovah see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.” But they joined in the taunts cast upon Jesus, and said, “He saved others”–referring doubtless to his healing their infirmities and sicknesses, and raising them from the dead–“let him save himself.” They cannot understand but that his first and supreme desire was to be saved from the suffering he was undergoing. While the flesh drew back from the torture, his soul sincerely desired to do his Father’s will, and to suffer that men might be saved. So Jesus could call twelve legions of angels to his deliverance, but chose to suffer to redeem men. To do his Father’s will was the leading desire of his soul. He did not act as men would act under similar circumstances.]
32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel,–Savage and exultant irony, but, if the resurrection be not a fact, most thoroughly deserved. But, thank God, the resurrection is a fact.
now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe.–Luke uses the general term “the rulers” at this point, which would include the elders, so we have all his enemies joining in the chorus of derision. It needs not to say that the last words were ironical, that they had no thought of accepting him, if they had “seen” what they asked.
And they that were crucified with him reproached him.–“The robbers also that were crucified with him cast upon him the same reproach.” (Mat 27:44.) They reviled him. Luke tells us what they said: “And one of the malefactors that were hanged railed on him, saying, Art not thou the Christ? save thyself and us. But the other answered, and rebuking him said, Dost thou not even fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man bath done nothing amiss. And he said, Jesus, remember me when thou comest in thy kingdom. And he said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” (Luk 23:39-43.)
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
they: Psa 22:7, Psa 22:8, Psa 22:12-14, Psa 35:15-21, Psa 69:7, Psa 69:19, Psa 69:20, Psa 69:26, Psa 109:25, Lam 1:12, Lam 2:15, Mat 27:39, Mat 27:40
Ah: Mar 14:58, Gen 37:19, Gen 37:20, Mat 26:61, Joh 2:18-22
Reciprocal: 1Sa 25:14 – railed on them 2Ki 1:9 – Thou man Psa 22:17 – look Jer 18:16 – shall be Zec 6:12 – he shall build Mat 20:19 – to mock Mar 10:34 – mock Mar 14:57 – and bare Mar 15:18 – Hail Luk 23:35 – the people Joh 2:19 – Destroy Joh 16:20 – but the Heb 6:6 – an open 1Pe 2:23 – when he was
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
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Again the mob misquoted Jesus, for he never said he would destroy the temple. What he did say is recorded in Joh 2:19.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mar 15:29. Ah. The Greek word is the one used in the ancient games, as a shout of applause; here it seems to be applied ironically to our Lord. But it might have been an expression of reproach.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
THEY REVILE HIM ON THE CROSS
Mar 15:29-32; Luk 23:35-43; Mat 27:39-44. And passing by, they continued to blaspheme Him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save Thyself. If Thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise the high priests mocking Him, with the scribes and elders, continued to say, He saved others; Himself He is not able to save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe on Him. He trusted in God; let Him now deliver Him, if He wishes Him: for He said, I am the Son of God. This scene, led off by the high priests, elders, and scribes, whose honorable example, of course, many thoughtless people followed, both citizens and soldiers, was not only barbaric in the extreme and infinitely worse than brutal, but diabolical in the superlative degree. And yet it was perpetrated by the ministers and elders standing at the head of the Church, illustrating the significant fact that collegiate education, religious professions, official dignity, and clerical sanctity are no guarantee against the vilest and most demoniacal persecutions when the devil is in them. Shall we not all learn a profitable lesson by this scene, and that is, to have no faith in man, but all in God?
The thieves also, being crucified along with Him, continued to cast this same reproach on Him. Luk 22:39-43 : But one of the malefactors, having been hanged up, continued to blaspheme Him, If Thou art the Christ, save Thyself and us. There is no contradiction of the preceding with the following. Simply recognize the fact that both of the robbers at first joined with the high priest and the rabble in reproaching Him. But after so long a time, something in the look or the manner of Jesus sent conviction deep into the heart of one of the malefactors, superinducing a tremendous reaction, such as to evoke from the repentant thief the following: And the other one, responding, continued to rebuke him, saying, Dost thou not fear God, because thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the punishment worthy of the crimes which we have committed; but this One has done nothing wrong. He said to Jesus, Lord, when Thou mayest come in Thy kingdom, remember me. And Jesus said to him, Truly I say unto thee, This day thou shalt be with Me in paradise. On the resurrection morn, three days subsequently, Jesus said to Mary, I have not yet ascended unto My Father, setting forth the indisputable fact that He had not met the thief in heaven. He was a Jew, and was saved under the Abrahamic covenant, which all concentrates in Christ. So he went to Abrahams bosom (Luke 16), whither Lazarus and all of the Old Testament saints had been gathering since the days of Abel. Jesus, expiring on the cross, His disembodied human soul (1Pe 3:19) went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison i. e. the inmates of hell the victory won on Calvary (Act 2:27-31); then, crossing the impassable chasm, entered the intermediate paradise i. e., Abrahams bosom and met the thief before the expiration of that day at midnight; spent a wonderful hallelujah Sabbath with the patriarchs and prophets and all of the Old Testament saints; early, the first day of the week, abolished the intermediate paradise, and led up all the inmates with Him (Eph 4:8-10), and, coming to the tomb, received His body, the mighty host of Old Testament saints being invisible, because not having their bodies accompanied Him the forty days, and finally ascended with Him up to heaven. The prophetic eye of David (Psalms 24) catching the vision of the triumphant host, hears the shout, Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and let the King of glory come in. Then the shout roars back from the celestial portals, Who is this King of glory? The answer is prompt, The Lord, mighty to save and strong to deliver; He is the King of glory. Now the gates swing high, and millions of glorified spirits shout Him welcome, with the triumphant host captured from the cruel clutches of Satan. The grandest ovation heaven has seen in all the ages now monopolizes the interest of the celestial universe, while the Conqueror of Mount Calvary leads His blood-washed pilgrims up into the august presence of the Almighty Father, presenting them before Him, Behold, I and the children whom Thou hast given unto Me. O what a thrilling testimony-meeting follows, Father Abraham, the patriarchs and prophets, all participating, to the most delectable edification of angels, archangels, cherubim, and seraphim! A false exegesis has been put on this passage, in order to sustain that miserable materialistic heresy which deprives man of his soul, ignoring the idea that the soul is ever separate from the body, as this false dogma does not concede that you have a soul. As this positive statement of Jesus to the thief, This day thou shalt be with Me in paradise, so clearly and unequivocally recognizes the soul of the thief as going out of the body hanging on the cross and entering paradise that very day, to their ineffaceable shame be it said, they have condescended to the diabolical audacity to change the punctuation of the very identical words which Jesus spoke, so moving the comma as to make it read, Truly I say unto thee this day, Thou shalt be with Me in paradise, making the adverb semeron, this day, qualify say unto thee, instead of thou shalt be with Me in paradise, thus making our Savior commit a solecism and talk nonsense. As this occult form of infidelity i. e., soul-sleeping materialism has been sown by Satan throughout this continent, we feel it our duty to expose it, as it is utterly destitute of truth. The salvation of the thief on the cross is infinitely consolatory to penitent sinners in the hour and article of death. However, it is awfully risky to make our Lords mercy in this notable instance an apology for continuing in sin. All should bear in mind the obvious fact that this poor thief had never seen Jesus before, nor hardened his heart by slighting opportunities.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
Evidently Jesus’ predictions about destroying and raising the temple were well known (cf. Mar 14:58-60). Unbelieving Jews seem to have focused on those statements as proof that Jesus could not be their Messiah. They viewed the temple with extreme veneration.
"The jest was the harder to endure since it appealed to a consciousness of power held back only by the self-restraint of a sacrificed will." [Note: Swete, p. 383.]
This public abuse heaped further suffering on the Suffering Servant. The Greek word Mark used to describe their abuse was eblasphemoun meaning "they were blaspheming." Earlier the high priest had charged Jesus with blasphemy of which He was innocent (Mar 14:64). Now the people did blaspheme God. Their comments fulfilled Psa 22:7 and Lam 2:15.