The Silent Wood: Trial, Cross, and the Darkness That Covered All in Mark 15

There is a kind of silence in a woodworking shop that I do not like. Not the comfortable silence of working alone. The silence that comes when a cut goes wrong and everything stops. You stand there looking at what you have done and there are no words.

Mark 15 is full of that kind of silence. Jesus stands before Pilate and says almost nothing. The crowd shouts for Barabbas. The cross goes up and the darkness comes down.

Jesus Before Pilate

Pilate asks Jesus if he is the king of the Jews. Jesus says you say it. The chief priests accuse him of many things but Jesus answers nothing. Pilate marvels at his silence.

I think about the silence. Jesus could have defended himself. He could have called down legions of angels. He could have explained the plan to Pilate and made everyone understand. He said nothing.

The silence is not weakness. It is the refusal to participate in a process that cannot produce justice. The trial was already decided. Jesus did not argue with a rigged game.

Pilate knew the chief priests had delivered Jesus out of envy. He tried to release him by offering Barabbas instead. The crowd chose the murderer. Pilate asked what evil Jesus had done and the crowd cried out the louder to crucify him.

Pilate gave in. He released Barabbas and delivered Jesus to be crucified.

And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him.

Mark 15:12-13

The Crucifixion

The soldiers lead Jesus away and clothe him in purple and put a crown of thorns on his head. They mock him as the king of the Jews. The irony is that they are telling the truth without knowing it.

Simon of Cyrene is compelled to carry the cross. Jesus was too weak to carry it himself. The beatings had taken everything from him.

They bring him to Golgotha and offer him wine mingled with myrrh to dull the pain. He refuses. He will face it fully.

They crucify him and divide his garments and sit down to watch. The inscription above him says the King of the Jews. Two thieves are crucified with him on his right and left.

The people passing by wag their heads and mock him. The chief priests and scribes mock him too.

At the sixth hour darkness covers the whole land until the ninth hour. Jesus cries out Eloi Eloi lama sabachthani. My God my God why have you forsaken me.

Someone offers him vinegar on a sponge. He cries out with a loud voice and gives up the ghost.

The veil of the temple is rent in two from top to bottom. The centurion standing by says truly this man was the Son of God.

I think about the darkness that covered the land. The sun refused to shine. The earth had no light because the light of the world was being extinguished.

The Burial

Joseph of Arimathaea was a respected member of the council who also waited for the kingdom of God. He went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate confirmed that Jesus was dead and gave the body to Joseph.

Joseph bought fine linen and took Jesus down and wrapped him in the linen and laid him in a tomb hewn out of rock. He rolled a stone against the door.

Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

The chapter ends with the stone in place. The body in the tomb. The women watching from a distance.

This connects to an earlier reflection about the broken box and the broken heart in Mark 14. That chapter broke the alabaster box. This chapter breaks everything else.

How to Face Injustice Without Retaliation

Jesus faced the greatest injustice in history without retaliation or even defense. He did not argue with Pilate or curse the soldiers or call down angels. He trusted the Father with the outcome.

I am not that strong but the example is there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Jesus remain silent before Pilate?

His silence was not weakness but refusal to engage in a fraudulent process. He was fulfilling a cosmic purpose rather than fighting a legal battle.

Why did the crowd choose Barabbas over Jesus?

The release of a murderer over the Prince of Peace shows the fallen state of humanity. The world often rejects truth in favor of violence.

What did the darkness covering the land mean?

The darkness was a sign that creation itself mourned the death of its creator. The sun refused to shine because the light of the world was being put out.

Why did Jesus cry out about being forsaken?

This was the moment of deepest separation when Jesus bore the sins of the world alone. His cry quotes Psalm 22 showing that scripture was still being fulfilled.

Closing

The silence of Jesus before Pilate is the same silence I need to learn. Not the silence of defeat but the silence of trust. He did not defend himself because he knew the Father was still in control.

The darkness covered the land and the stone sealed the tomb and everything looked finished. But the silence was not the end. The silence was waiting.

— D.