Church Fathers Commentary Mark 15:20-28

"And when they had mocked him, they took off from him the purple, and put on him his garments. And they lead him out to crucify him. And they compel one passing by, Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go [with them], that he might bear his cross. And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. And they crucify him, and part his garments among them, casting lots upon them, what each should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. And with him they crucify two robbers; one on his right hand, and one on his left. [And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was reckoned with transgressors.]" — Mark 15:20-28 (ASV)

Glossa Ordinaria: After Christ's condemnation and the insults heaped on Him, the Evangelist proceeds to relate His crucifixion, saying, "And led Him out to crucify Him."

Pseudo-Jerome: Here, Abel is brought out into the field by his brother to be killed by him. Here, Isaac comes out with the wood, and Abraham with the ram caught in the thicket. Here also is Joseph with the sheaf of which he dreamed and the long robe soaked in blood. Here is Moses with the rod, and the serpent hanging on the wood. Here is the cluster of grapes, carried on a staff. Here is Elisha with the piece of wood sent to look for the axe, which had sunk but then floated to the wood. This represents mankind, which fell into hell through the forbidden tree, but through the wood of Christ's cross and the water of baptism, swims to paradise. Here is Jonah, sent down from the wood of the ship into the sea and into the whale's belly for three daysⁱ.

There follows: "And they compel Simon, a Cyrenian, who was passing by, coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry His cross."

Theophylact of Ohrid: Now, John says that He Himself bore His cross, for both happened. He first bore the cross Himself, until someone passed by, whom they compelled, and who then carried it. But Mark mentioned the names of his sons to make the account more credible and the testimony stronger, for the man was still alive to tell everything that had happened concerning the cross.

Pseudo-Jerome: Now, since some men are known by the merits of their fathers and others by those of their sons, this Simon, who was compelled to carry the cross, is known by the merits of his sons, who were disciples. By this we are reminded that in this life, parents are assisted by the wisdom and merits of their children. Therefore, the Jewish people are always considered worthy of remembrance on account of the merits of the Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apostles. But this Simon who carries the cross, because he is compelled, represents the person who labors for human praise. For people compel him to work when the fear and love of God could not.

The Venerable Bede: Or, since this Simon is not called a man of Jerusalem but a Cyrenian (for Cyrene is a city in Libya), he is fittingly understood to represent the Gentile nations, which were once foreigners and strangers to the covenants but are now, by obedience, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. For this reason, Simon is fittingly interpreted as "obedient," and Cyrene as "an heir." But he is said to come from a country place, for a country place is called "pagos" in Greek, and for this reason, we call those who are aliens from the city of God "pagans." Simon, then, coming from the country, carries the cross after Jesus when the Gentile nations, leaving pagan rites, obediently embrace the path of our Lord's Passion.

There follows: "And they bring Him to the place Golgotha, which is interpreted as, the Place of a Skull."

There are places outside the city and the gate where the heads of condemned persons are cut off, and which are called Calvary, that is, "of the beheaded." But the Lord was crucified there so that where the field of the condemned once was, the standards of martyrdom might now be lifted up.

Pseudo-Jerome: But the Jews relate that on this spot of the mountain the ram was sacrificed for Isaac, and there Christ is made "bald"—that is, separated from His flesh, which represents the carnal Jews.

There follows: "And they gave Him wine mixed with myrrh to drink."

St. Augustine of Hippo: We must understand this to be what Matthew expresses as, "mixed with gall"; for he used "gall" to mean anything bitter, and wine mixed with myrrh is extremely bitter. However, there may have been both gall and myrrh, making the wine even more bitter.¹

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, they may have brought different things; some may have brought vinegar and gall, while others brought wine mixed with myrrh.

Pseudo-Jerome: Or else, the "wine mixed with myrrh" is vinegar, and by it, the juice of the deadly apple is wiped away.

The Venerable Bede: Bitter was the vine that bore the bitter wine, set before the Lord Jesus, so that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says, "They gave me gall to eat, and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink" (Psalm 69:21).

St. Augustine of Hippo: What follows, "But He received it not," must mean He did not receive it to drink, but only tasted it, as Matthew testifies. And what Matthew relates, "He would not drink," Mark expresses as, "He received it not," but was silent about His tasting it.

Pseudo-Jerome: He also refused to take on the sin for which He suffered, which is why it is said of Him, "I then paid the things that I never took" (Psalm 69:4).

There follows: "And when they had crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take."

Here, salvation is symbolized by the wood. The first wood was that of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; the second wood, which is the wood of life, is one of pure good for us. The first hand stretched out to the wood took hold of death; the second found again the life that had been lost. By this wood, we are carried through a stormy sea to the land of the living. For by His cross, Christ has taken away our torment, and by His death, He has killed our death.

With the form of a serpentⁱ, He kills the serpent, just as the serpent made from the rod swallowed the other serpents. But what does the shape of the cross itself mean, if not the four corners of the world? The East shines from the top, the North is on the right, the South is on the left, and the West is firmly fixed under the feet.

Therefore, the Apostle says: "That we may know what is the height, and breadth, and length, and depth" (Ephesians 3:18).

Birds, when they fly in the air, take the shape of a cross. A man swimming in the water is supported by the form of a cross. A ship is blown along by its yards, which are in the shape of a cross. The letter Tau is written as the sign of salvation and of the cross.

The Venerable Bede: Or else, the transverse beam of the cross, where the hands are fixed, represents the joy of hope. For by the hands, we understand good works, and by the beam's expansion, the joy of the one who does them, because sadness constricts us. By the height, to which the head is joined, we understand the expectation of reward from the lofty righteousness of God. By the length, over which the whole body is stretched, we understand patience, which is why patient people are called "long-suffering." By the depth, which is fixed in the ground, we understand the hidden Sacrament itself. Therefore, as long as our bodies work here to destroy the body of sin, it is the time of the cross for us.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But their casting lots for His garments was also meant as an insult, as if they were dividing the clothes of a king, for the garments were coarse and of little value. John's Gospel shows this more clearly, for the soldiers, though they divided everything else into four parts according to their number, cast lots for the coat, which "was without seam, woven from the top throughout" (John 19:23).

Pseudo-Jerome: Now the Lord's garments are His commandments, by which His body—that is, the Church—is covered. The Gentile soldiers divide these among themselves, so that there may be four classes with one faith: the married, the widowed, those who rule, and those who are consecrated.ⁱ They cast lots for the undivided garment, which represents peace and unity.

It goes on: "And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him."

Mark has introduced this truly and correctly, for at the sixth hour, darkness covered the earth, so that no one could move their head.

St. Augustine of Hippo: John relates that Jesus was handed over to the Jews to be crucified when Pilate sat on his tribunal at about the sixth hour. If this is so, how could He have been crucified at the third hour, as many people have thought from misunderstanding Mark's words? First, let us see at what hour He might have been crucified. Then we will see why Mark said that He was crucified at the third hour. As has been said, it was about the sixth hour when He was handed over by Pilate, who was sitting on his judgment seat, to be crucified. It was not yet fully the sixth hour, but "about" the sixth. This means the fifth hour was over and the sixth had just begun. Therefore, the events related to our Lord's crucifixion took place after the end of the fifth hour and at the beginning of the sixth, continuing until the sixth hour was complete. It was then, while He was hanging on the cross, that the darkness occurred.²

Let us now consider why Mark said, "It was the third hour." He had already stated, "And when they had crucified Him, they parted His garments," just as the other evangelists also declare that His garments were divided when He was crucified. Now, if Mark had merely wished to state the time of the event, it would have been enough to say, "And it was the third hour." Why did he add, "and they crucified Him," unless he wished to point to something that had happened earlier? This earlier event, if investigated, would explain the matter. For this Scripture was to be read at a time when the whole Church knew at what hour our Lord was crucified, which would serve to correct any error and refute any falsehood.

But because he knew that the Lord was nailed to the cross not by the Jews but by the soldiers (as John shows very plainly), he wished to imply that the Jews had crucified Him, since it was they who cried out, "Crucify Him," rather than those who were merely carrying out their commander's orders as their duty. It is therefore implied that the "crucifixion" by the Jews took place at the third hour when they cried out, "Crucify Him." It is most truly shown that they crucified Him when they cried out in this way.

In Pilate's attempt to save the Lord and the tumultuous opposition of the Jews, we understand that a period of two hours passed. The sixth hour had begun, and before it ended, the events related—from the time Pilate handed over the Lord until the darkness covered the earth—took place. Now, anyone who considers these things without an impious and hard heart will see that Mark has fittingly placed the third-hour reference right where he relates the deed of the soldiers who carried it out.

Therefore, so that no one would mentally transfer so great a crime from the Jews to the soldiers, he says, "it was the third hour, and they crucified Him." This was so a careful inquirer would instead charge the fault to the Jews, who, he would find, had cried out for His crucifixion at the third hour. At the same time, it would be clear that what the soldiers did was done at the sixth hour.ⁱ

Pseudo-Augustine: Therefore, he wishes to imply that it was the Jews who passed sentence for Christ's crucifixion at the third hour. This is because every condemned person is considered dead from the moment the sentence is passed on him. Mark, therefore, showed that our Savior was not crucified by the judge's sentence, because it is difficult to prove the innocence of a person condemned in that way.³

St. Augustine of Hippo: Still, there are some who assert that the preparation mentioned by John, "Now it was the preparation about the sixth hour," was really the third hour of the day. They say that on that day before the Sabbath, there was a preparation for the Jewish Passover, because on that Sabbath, they began the Feast of Unleavened Bread. However, they argue that the true Passover—which is now celebrated on the day of our Lord's Passion, meaning the Christian, not the Jewish, Passover—began to be prepared (to have its "parasceue") from that sixth hour of the night, when His death began to be plotted by the Jews. For "parasceue" means "preparation." Between that hour of the night and His crucifixion, therefore, we have the "sixth hour" of preparation according to John, and the "third hour" of the day according to Mark.

What Christian would not accept this solution to the question, provided we could find some evidence from which to conclude that this preparation of our Passover—that is, of Christ's death—began at the ninth hour of the night? For if we say it began when our Lord was arrested by the Jews, it was still early in the night. If it began when our Lord was taken to the house of Caiaphas's father-in-law, where He was also questioned by the chief priests, the rooster had not yet crowed. And if it began when He was handed over to Pilate, it was clearly morning. It remains, therefore, that we must understand the preparation for our Lord's death to have begun when all the chief priests pronounced, "He is guilty of death." There is nothing absurd in supposing this was the ninth hour of the night, which would mean we should understand that Peter's denial is recorded out of its chronological order, after it had already happened.

It goes on: "And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

Theophylact of Ohrid: They wrote this inscription as the reason why He was crucified. They wished to rebuke His supposed vainglory in making Himself a king, so that passersby would not pity Him but would instead hate Him as a tyrant.

Pseudo-Jerome: He wrote it in three languages: in Hebrew, "Melech Jehudim"; in Greek, [ ]; and in Latin, "Rex confessorum" (King of the Confessors). These three languages were consecrated as the chief ones in the inscription on the cross, so that every tongue might record the treachery of the Jews.

The Venerable Bede: But this inscription on the cross shows that even in killing Him, they could not take away the kingdom from Him who was about to repay them according to their works.

There follows: "And with Him they crucify two thieves, one on His right hand and the other on His left."

Theophylact of Ohrid: They did this so that people might have a bad opinion of Him, as though He were also a robber and a criminal. But it was done by Providence to fulfill the Scriptures.

There follows: "And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, And he was numbered with the transgressors."

Pseudo-Jerome: Truth was numbered with the wicked. He left one on His left hand and takes the other on His right, just as He will do on the last day. Though they committed a similar crime, they are assigned different paths: one precedes Peter into Paradise, while the other precedes Judas into hell. A short confession won for him eternal life, and a blasphemy that soon ended is punished with endless pain.

The Venerable Bede: Mystically, however, the thieves crucified with Christ signify those who, through their faith and confession of Christ, undergo either the struggle of martyrdom or the rules of a stricter discipline. Those who do these things for the sake of endless glory are signified by the faith of the thief on the right. Those who do them for worldly praise imitate the mindset and actions of the thief on the left.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or else, the two robbers were meant to represent the two peoples, that is, the Jews and the Gentiles. For both were evil: the Gentile for transgressing the natural law, and the Jew for breaking the written law that the Lord had delivered to them. But the Gentile was penitent, while the Jew remained a blasphemer to the end. Our Lord is crucified between them, for He is the cornerstone that binds us together.

1. de. Con. Evan., iii, 11
2. de. Con. Evan., iii, 13
3. Quaest. Vet. et Nov. Test. 65