Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 15:2

"And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering saith unto him, Thou sayest." — Mark 15:2 (ASV)

Pilate’s first question to Jesus—“Are you the king of the Jews?”—shows that the charges against Jesus had already been made known to him. According to Luke, the Sanhedrin brought before Pilate three charges against Jesus: (1) he is “subverting our nation”; (2) he “opposes payment of taxes to Caesar”; and (3) he “claims to be Christ, a king” . Pilate was primarily interested in the third accusation. Jesus’ answer to Pilate’s question in effect said, “Yes, I am the king of the Jews; but your concept of what that means and mine are poles apart.”