John Gill Commentary Mark 15

And straightway in the morning
As soon as it was break of day, or daylight appeared:

the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and Scribes ;
who were the principal men in the sanhedrim:

and the whole council ;
which, on this extraordinary occasion, was convened; the result of which was, to bind Jesus, and deliver him up to the Roman governor, to be put to death by him, as a seditious person, and an enemy to Caesar, and accordingly they did so:

and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate .
The Syriac and Persic versions add, "the governor"; (See Gill on Matthew 27:1), (See Gill on Matthew 27:2).

And Pilate asked him, are you the king of the Jews ?
&c.] Which either he had heard before that it was said by him, and his followers; or was what the Jews now suggested to him as his crime, which they desired sentence of death might pass upon him:

and he answering, said to him, you say it ;
which is all one as if he had said, I am; (See Gill on Matthew 26:25); for so he was in a sense, in which he explained himself to Pilate's satisfaction, (John 18:36John 18:37) ; (See Gill on Matthew 27:11).

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 (Matthew 27:12) , (See Gill on Matthew 27:12).

And Pilate asked him again
In the presence of the chief priests, who laid so many things to his charge; for the former question was put, when Jesus and he were alone in the judgment hall, whither the Jews would not enter for fear of being defiled; see (John 18:28John 18:33) ;

saying, answerest thou nothing behold how many things they witness
against thee ?
The charges were many, and very heinous, and which Pilate thought called for self-defence; (See Gill on Matthew 27:13).

But Jesus yet answered nothing
He still continued silent, and made no defence for himself, which the governor was willing to give him an opportunity to make, and, as his friend, urged him to it:

so that Pilate marvelled ;
what should be the meaning of his silence, when he was so capable of defending himself, and was so innocent, as Pilate himself was ready to believe; and yet the things he was charged with were of, the highest nature, and by persons of the greatest figure in the nation; so that his silence exposed him to a great deal of danger, which Pilate thought might easily be avoided by answering for himself; (See Gill on Matthew 27:14).