Mark 15:29-32 meaning

The parallel gospel accounts of Mark 15:29-32 are found in Matthew 27:39-44 and Luke 23:35-43.

In Mark 15:29-32, three groups of people mock Jesus as He hangs on the cross and challenge Him to prove that He is the Messiah by saving Himself. The passersby ridicule Jesus for His statement about destroying and rebuilding the temple, while the chief priests and scribes mock His claim to be the Christ and King of Israel. Even the criminals crucified beside Jesus initially insult Him, although Luke records that one of them later repents of his mockery and believes in Jesus.

After describing how Jesus was crucified between two robbers and how this fulfilled the Scripture that said the Messiah would be numbered with transgressors (Mark 15:27-28), Mark describes the mockery Jesus endured as He hung on the cross.

Mark 15:29-32 concludes Mark's account of the first three hours that Jesus was on the cross which runs from Mark 15:22-32. The first three hours Jesus was on the cross is sometimes referred to as "The Wrath of Man" because it is during this time that Jesus is mocked by different groups of people. The second and final three hours Jesus was on the cross is recorded in Mark 15:33-37. These hours are sometimes referred to as "The Wrath of God" because it is during this time that the sky goes dark and Jesus cries out: "My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:34).

Previously, Mark 15:24 described how the Roman soldiers insulted Jesus by dividing up His garments. Luke 23:36 also mentions that the soldiers mocked Jesus.

In this passage, Mark describes three groups of people who mocked and insulted Jesus:

1. Those passing by
   (Mark 15:29-30)
   
   
2. The chief priests and scribes
   (Mark 15:31-32a)
   
   
3. Those who were crucified with Him
   (Mark 15:32b)

All three groups ridiculed Jesus while He was experiencing the excruciating agony of crucifixion.

Their insults centered around a common theme. Each group mocked Jesus for His apparent powerlessness and inability to save Himself. The irony was that Jesus had the power to save Himself, but if He had done so, He would not have saved the world.

The first group Mark describes mocking Jesus were those passing by.

Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, "Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days" (v 29).

Throughout Mark 15:29-32, the pronouns--Him and He--refer to Jesus.

The place where Jesus was crucified was a hill named Golgotha (Mark 15:22). It was located outside the city walls and near a road leading into Jerusalem--"outside the gate" (Hebrews 13:12). John says the place where Jesus was crucified "was near the city" (John 19:20).

The Romans intentionally crucified criminals along public roads and other highly visible locations. Crucifixion was not only designed to torture and kill the condemned person. It was also designed to publicly humiliate him and warn everyone who saw him what happened to those who defied Roman authority.

Because Jesus was crucified during Passover, there would have been many people passing by as they entered and exited Jerusalem.

Mark says that these people were hurling abuse at Him (v 29).

The expression hurling abuse describes the insulting and blasphemous things those passing by were saying to Jesus. Instead of having compassion on a man who was suffering the terrible agony and humiliation of crucifixion, those passing by used Jesus’s apparent helplessness as an opportunity to ridicule Him.

Mark says that they were also wagging their heads at Him.

Wagging or shaking the head was a gesture of scorn and contempt. The behavior of those passing by was another fulfillment of Messianic prophecy. Psalm 22 describes the suffering Messiah:

"All who see me sneer at me;
They separate with the lip, they wag the head."
(Psalm 22:7)

The people who passed by Jesus's cross were literally wagging their heads and mocking Him, just as Psalm 22 had foretold.

The prophet Jeremiah similarly described the head-wagging of those who mocked fallen Jerusalem:

"All who pass along the way
Clap their hands in derision at you;
They hiss and shake their heads
At the daughter of Jerusalem."
(Lamentations 2:15a)

Mark does not stop to explicitly identify these prophetic connections. He simply reports the actions of the people who mocked Jesus. But his description of the passersby wagging their heads closely corresponds with the prophetic suffering of the Messiah described in Psalm 22.

The first insult Mark records from the passersby was: "Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days" (v 29).

Their expression--Ha!--was an exclamation of derision. It adds emphasis to their statement that mocked Jesus with a distorted version of something He had said early in His ministry.

John records Jesus's actual statement: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). John immediately explains: "But He was speaking of the temple of His body" (John 2:21).

Jesus did not say that He was going to destroy the physical temple in Jerusalem and then rebuild it in three days. Jesus said: "Destroy this temple" (John 2:19). He was prophetically referring to His enemies destroying His body by killing Him. And He promised that after they destroyed the temple of His body, He would raise it up again in three days.

During Jesus's nighttime religious trial before Caiaphas, false witnesses distorted Jesus's statement and accused Him of saying:

"I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands."
(Mark 14:58)

Mark previously explained that "not even in this respect was their testimony consistent" (Mark 14:59). Now, as Jesus hung on the cross, those passing by repeated a similar distortion of Jesus’s words. They mocked Him as You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days (v 29).

There is considerable irony in their insult. At the very moment they mocked Jesus for this prophecy, His enemies were in the process of fulfilling it.

The temple of Jesus's body was being destroyed through crucifixion. And in three days, He would rise from the dead. Those passing by believed that the cross proved Jesus's words were ridiculous. In reality, the cross was the first part of their fulfillment.

The first part of the insult of those passing by mocked Jesus for His prophecy concerning the temple. The second part of the insult of those passing by mocked Jesus for His claim to be the Messiah.

The mockers then challenged Jesus:

save Yourself, and come down from the cross! (v 30).

Those passing by challenged Jesus to save Himself by using His power to come down from the cross (v 30).

This challenge was similar to Satan's temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. Satan repeatedly tempted Jesus to prove His identity as the Son of God by using His divine power for Himself:

"If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."
(Matthew 4:3)

"If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down."
(Matthew 4:6)

Now Jesus was again being tempted to prove His identity by using His power to save Himself:

save Yourself, and come down from the cross! (v 30)

Jesus could have come down from the cross (v 30). He had previously told His disciples that He could appeal to His Father and receive "more than twelve legions of angels" (Matthew 26:53).

Jesus did not remain on the cross because He lacked the power to escape. He remained because He had come to fulfill His Father's will. Jesus had prayed in Gethsemane:

"Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will."
(Mark 14:36)

Jesus was now drinking the cup He had accepted. For Him to come down from the cross (v 30) would have meant abandoning His Father's will and failing His mission.

Mark had previously recorded Jesus explaining this mission:

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
(Mark 10:45)

Jesus did not save Himself precisely because God sent Him to save others.

Jesus's dedication and obedience embody the Roman values of duty and service (pietas); values that would have been meaningful to Mark's Roman audience. Jesus remained faithful to His duty to His Father and His mission of service to the world even when that obedience required Him to suffer and die.

The next group Mark records insulting Jesus was the religious leaders, who had illegally conspired to slander and kill Him.

In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself" (v 31).

Mark writes: In the same way to indicate that the chief priests' and scribes' mocking of Jesus was similar to the abuse those passing by were hurling at Him (v 30).

The chief priests were the leading members of the Sadducees and controlled the temple system. The scribes were religious lawyers and experts in the Jewish law. These were among the religious authorities who conspired against Jesus, condemned Him during His religious trial, and manipulated Pilate and the crowd to have Him crucified.

They had achieved their goal. Jesus was dying. But even this was not enough for them. They spitefully went to the place of His crucifixion and continued mocking Him among themselves (v 31). It is possible that these priests and scribes were sent by Caiaphas or other senior ranking leaders of the Sanhedrin to be a personal witness and report back to the Council what took place at the cross.

Mark’s expression among themselves may indicate that the chief priests and scribes were making sarcastic comments about Jesus to one another as they watched Him suffer.

Their first mockery was: He saved others; He cannot save Himself (v 31).

Their insult said something that was true and something that was false.

It was true that Jesus saved others. Throughout Mark's Gospel, Jesus demonstrated His power by healing the sick, casting out demons, cleansing lepers, restoring sight to the blind, enabling the lame to walk, calming storms, feeding multitudes, and even raising the dead.

The religious leaders did not deny Jesus's works when they mocked Him. Their insult--He saved others--ironically acknowledged His power. But they interpreted Jesus's refusal to save Himself as proof that He was unable to do so: He cannot save Himself. This was false. Jesus could save Himself. He chose not to save Himself and to obey His Father.

Another irony of their mockery is that Jesus could not both save Himself from the cross and save others from sin through His death. If Jesus had accepted their challenge and saved Himself by coming down from the cross, He would not have fulfilled His mission to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

The religious leaders intended He saved others; He cannot save Himself (v 31) as an insult. But their mockery unintentionally expressed one of the central truths of the Gospel. Jesus did not save Himself because He was saving others.

The chief priests and scribes continued:

Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe! (v 32a).

The religious leaders mockingly called Jesus this Christ, the King of Israel (v 32).

The Greek word translated Christ is "Christos" (G5547). It means "Anointed One" and is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew term "Messiah." The expression King of Israel was also a Messianic title.

The chief priests and scribes were mocking Jesus's claim to be the Messiah and Israel's rightful King.

Their words—the King of Israel —echoes the charge which Pilate had placed above Jesus: "THE KING OF THE JEWS" (Mark 15:26). Pilate's Roman inscription identified Jesus politically as THE KING OF THE JEWS. The expressions King of Israel and "King of the Jews" have a similar meaning.

The chief priests and scribes challenged Jesus: now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe! (v 32).

Their statement was dishonest. Jesus had already performed countless signs and miracles before them. They had seen Him heal a man with a withered hand (Mark 3:1-6). They knew He cast out demons, but they attributed His power to Satan (Mark 3:22). They witnessed or heard about His miracles throughout Galilee and Judea. Most recently, Jesus had publicly raised Lazarus from the dead near Jerusalem (John 11:38-44). Their response to Lazarus's resurrection was not faith but a plot to murder Jesus (John 11:47-53). (They later plotted to kill Lazarus also, because many people were believing in Jesus because of him--John 12:10-11).

Therefore, their claim--so that we may see and believe (v 32)--was insincere.

The chief priests' and scribes' problem was not a lack of evidence. Their problem was that they had already hardened their hearts against Jesus. Faith that demands that God submit to our terms is not faith. The chief priests and scribes demanded that Jesus prove Himself by obeying them and coming down from the cross. But Jesus remained on the cross because He was obeying His Father.

And once again, if Jesus had come down from the cross as they demanded, He would have failed His mission and disproved, rather than proved, that He was the Messiah. The Scriptures foretold that the Messiah would suffer and die,

• Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be "pierced through for our transgressions" and "crushed for our iniquities" (Isaiah 53:5).

• Psalm 22 prophetically described the Messiah being mocked, His hands and feet pierced, and His garments divided by lot (Psalm 22:7-8, 16, 18).

• Daniel prophesied that the Messiah would "be cut off" (Daniel 9:26).

And Jesus Himself had repeatedly predicted that He would be rejected, killed, and rise again (Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:33-34).

Coming down from the cross would not have demonstrated that Jesus was the Christ. Remaining on the cross and faithfully completing His mission demonstrated that He was.

There is also a striking contrast between the title King of Israel and what kings ordinarily do. 

Earthly kings use their power to preserve themselves. Jesus used His power to serve others. 

Earthly kings send others to die for their kingdoms. Jesus, the true King, died for His people.

Mark presents Jesus as the powerful Servant who fulfilled His mission through obedience. His power was not demonstrated by escaping suffering, but by faithfully enduring it for the sake of others. 

Mark then describes the third group who insulted Jesus:

Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him (v 32b).

The phrase, those who were crucified with Him (v 32), refers to "the two robbers" whom Mark first described in verse 27.

Mark says that they were also insulting Him.

Matthew likewise says:

"The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words."
(Matthew 27:44)

Luke, however, describes one of the robbers defending Jesus and believing in Him (Luke 23:39-43).

These gospel accounts can be harmonized.

Matthew and Mark describe the robbers' initial behavior toward Jesus. Both criminals originally joined the crowd and religious leaders in mocking Jesus. Luke describes what happened later.

As time passed, one of the criminals apparently changed his mind.

Perhaps he was moved by Jesus's refusal to retaliate against His mockers. Perhaps he heard Jesus pray: "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34).

Perhaps he observed the inscription identifying Jesus as the King of the Jews (Luke 23:38).

Whatever combination of things God used to change his heart, the robber who had initially mocked Jesus came to believe that the crucified Man beside him really was a King.

Luke records that one criminal continued mocking Jesus: "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" (Luke 23:39). But the other criminal rebuked him:

"Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong."
(Luke 23:40-41)

Then he turned to Jesus and said: "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" (Luke 23:42).

This was a remarkable expression of faith. Everything visible suggested that Jesus's claims had failed. Jesus was naked, bloodied, mocked, and dying on a Roman cross. But the robber believed that Jesus was a King with a coming kingdom.

Jesus answered him: "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43).

To learn more about what Jesus meant by this statement, see The Bible Says article: "What did Jesus Mean by 'Today You Will Be with Me in Paradise?'"

The three groups who mocked Jesus challenged Him to demonstrate His identity by escaping the cross.

1. The passersby said: save Yourself, and come down from the cross! (v 30).
   
   
2. The chief priests and scribes said: Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe! (v 32).
   
   
3. And one of the criminals said: "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" (Luke 23:39).

Jesus refused every challenge. He did not come down from the cross. He did not save Himself.

Instead, Jesus faithfully remained and completed the mission to save the world that His Father sent Him to accomplish.

The mockers believed that remaining on the cross demonstrated Jesus's weakness. Mark's Gospel reveals the opposite. Jesus remained on the cross because He was the powerful and obedient Servant of God who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

The mockery of Jesus continued until darkness fell over the land at the sixth hour (Mark 15:33).

Mark 15:29-32 concludes Mark's account of the first three hours Jesus hung on the cross (Mark 15:22-32) where Jesus endured many insults from the Roman soldiers, those passing by, the religious leaders and the two men being crucified on either side of Him. Mark 15:22-32 describes "the Wrath of Man" that Jesus suffered on the cross.

The next section, Mark 15:33, begins Mark's account of "the Wrath of God" that Jesus endured on the cross.