Mark 15:25Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

I thrive with its blossoms, fully relish its fruits, and freely partake of the blessings reserved for me since the dawn of time. It satisfies my hunger, quenches my thirst, and cloaks my vulnerability; here too, the leaves embody the spirit of life, in contrast to the leaves of the fig tree. Revering God serves as my shield in times of uncertainty, a source of support amid trials, a reward upon triumph, a symbol of victory; it provides a straight path, a narrow way; it resembles Jacob’s ladder, where angels ascend and descend, with the Lord positioned at its summit. This tree rises high, spanning from the earth to the heavens, an eternal grove planted firmly between the two realms, upholding and affirming all things, sustaining the entire universe. It binds the world together, encapsulating the essence of varied and human existence, interconnected by unseen spiritual bonds, ensuring that once united with the Divine, it cannot be severed. It reaches the heavens with its uppermost branches while resting on the earth with its roots, enveloping all who dwell in between with its boundless limbs. In every respect, He was omnipresent, pervading all, and willingly He stood vulnerable against the forces of the air.

Those who were incited and cried out bear greater guilt than those who merely performed their official duties.

He who might have avoided death if He had chosen to, willingly embraced it, providing an example to rulers and authorities and triumphantly prevailing over them in His own being. Through His Death, He offered the ultimate sacrifice for us, through which every sin that bound us under the powers was cleansed, annihilated, and extinguished. Through His resurrection, He beckoned us to new life, justified those who responded to the call, and glorified those who were justified (cf. Eph. 6:11-12).

However, once His body was suspended upon the tree (of the Cross)—a tree harboring the treasures of life for the Gentiles—the Lord gazed upon the land of the Gentiles that had received these treasures. Joseph had said, “Take my bones from here” (Gen. 50:25) because as long as that sacred treasure lingered in such a defiled land, the Lord granted it mercy. Similarly, the Israelites were returned from Babylon. If this was true for the saints, how much more for their Lord! The hands that were nailed had freed us from the shackles of death. The hands that shattered our bonds also bound those who had ensnared us. No one has exalted himself quite like man has, and no one has humbled Himself as God has. Man, who stretched out his hand to the tree intending to make himself akin to his Creator, has lifted himself up; God, who extended His hands upon that tree and absolved the transgressions that arose from the first act of disobedience, has truly lowered Himself. The Lord extended His hands on the cross to extinguish the death that resulted from the tree. Accordingly, it was proper for our flesh to experience healing in the same manner that it was wounded, and it was fitting that he who sought elevation should himself be brought low, revealing the power that transforms all. The arrow that inflicted our wounds has become for us a remedy for life. The instrument through which our enemy was vanquished has turned into a source of dread and trembling for him, so that by the same cure that led to our death, death itself, our slayer, may also perish. The life of Adam, which was lost due to the tree, was taken up by the Lord and raised to the tree, allowing Adam to be exalted upon it and to be prepared a lasting dwelling beneath the branches of the tree of life. On that day when Christ was wounded, Adam’s wound was closed and secured. On the sixth day, Friday, prior to the Sabbath, the seventh day of the Hebrew week, He who pierced Christ with nails simultaneously removed the nails in the underworld. While His side was opened among the living, it remained sealed in the realm of the dead. How could the wound that was closed open again after ten days for Thomas the Apostle's fingers to enter? The Lord sustained Moses' arms uplifted until his foes were defeated (Ex. 17:11). Likewise, the Jews spread out the Son of God’s hands on the cross, and in doing the contrary of what He had done for them, they received the opposite outcome from His outstretched hands, for they fell and ceased from rebellion. In the same manner, the Gentiles, who placed their faith in His outstretched hands, fulfilled the command imparted by Moses, performing the opposite of what those earlier Gentiles had done, hence the opposite occurred for them. Christ was crucified to fulfill the prophecy, “As a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer” (cf. Is. 53:7; Acts 8:32). While it may seem counterintuitive to die first and then be sheared, this signifies that Christ was initially condemned by the judgment of man and afterward lifted on the Cross, standing above the earth as a lamb before the shearers. Thus, He who was nailed to the Cross died, which mystically represented the resurrection of all the dead through His death, for He Himself, while on the Cross, resembled a precious jewel adorning the breastplate of the high priest. Jerusalem is noted as being in the center of the earth for the sake of the righteous God, for there He proclaimed the law, whose rays have illuminated the farthest corners of the earth. Where His righteousness resides, He raised the mercy of His Cross, extending His hands to embrace all the souls and spirits of the universe. Jesus died for the world, so that no one would live solely for it, embodied on the Cross, ensuring that no one would be ensnared by the excesses of the body. He died in His body for our world, so that through that body, we may be revived for His kingdom. He offered up the life of the flesh so that we should not be governed by fleshly desires. He became a teacher, intimately acquainted with suffering, imparting lessons through His own trials; for He first endured hardship to show us that a disciple does not become one in name only, but through perseverance. He is spacious enough to hold the very fullness of the Godhead in bodily form (Col. 2:9), yet He made Himself narrow to deter those pretending to be His disciples from truly following Him. In exhibiting His wisdom in all matters, He has also bestowed it upon us. It is one thing to inquire about Him who appeared in the world, and another to contemplate Him who resided within the one who appeared. He who is above all was in the world. The Word of truth entered the world, and by His truth, He instructed us to walk in His ways. “The gate,” He states, “is narrow” (Matt. 7:14). By assuming human nature, the Lord transformed Himself so we would not turn away from Him, entering the world as its conqueror. Conversely, He rejected the ways of worldly life to prevent it from ensnaring Him. “And in Me,” He says, “he shall find nothing of his own” (cf. John 14:30). Indeed, the world could not hold Him even for the briefest moment, as its desires had aged and begun to crumble amidst their decrepitude, along with the one who ruled over them and sought to bind all beings to them. The Lord adorned Himself with a body, granting immortality to those bodies burdened with death. The exposure of His body upon the Cross signifies our death, while His burial represents the captivity of worldly life. We have been neither weakened by the allure of this world nor blinded by its dazzling displays. Neither the sweetness of its gifts has enchanted us, nor the allure of its delights led us astray. The trap of its deceit has not ensnared us, nor have we fallen victim to its deadly spears wielded against us by the one we recognized as our adversary and destroyer. The Lord presented two baptisms; one of water, and another of the Cross, teaching us through the suffering baptism what we might learn from the baptism of water. The repentance of sinners manifests as crucifixion, which inwardly pierces them and restrains their actions according to their passions, and this was proclaimed beforehand by John. Therefore, two baptisms are essential for both the righteous and the sinner: the baptism of blood and the baptism of water; yet the baptism of blood encompasses not only martyrdom but also steadfastly confessing Christ and living in accordance with Him; one cannot exist without the other for salvation. If someone claims that no visible persecutions exist today, I would respond that covert persecutions abound. Behold, the heresy of those who test all things attacks your faith; therefore, make your confession of the Lord without hesitation. The adversities faced from rulers are not severer than those from testers, nor are the torments of pain more agonizing than heresies, with doubts and grievances weighing heavily upon one's soul. If animosity persecutes you, profess love; if envy encroaches, advocate for unity; if desire leads you to temptation, pursue temperance. Thus, if unrighteousness afflicts you, declare the truth; if the thirst for power oppresses you, confess the Lord, the Lord of all. All these intimations of persecution besiege the martyrs within the world itself. Since the martyrs have triumphed over hidden adversities, they are visibly crowned. Strengthen yourself in what remains unseen so that you may have the power to endure the manifest trials. For if you are defeated in the challenges that arise within you, how can you expect to remain undefeated in the external battles?

Justin remarks, “The words, ‘My hands and my posture are splintered,’ (Psalm 21:17) refer to the nails that were driven into His hands and feet while He hung on the cross.” Another ancient teacher notes, “Place a man with outstretched arms and you will have the image of the cross.” St. Irenaeus states, “The cross has five extremities: two in length, two in width, and one in the center, upon which the person to be crucified rests.” What did this form of execution represent—crucifixion? Only the brutality of pagan customs could conceive such an inhumane punishment. One pagan remarked it was the most cruel and horrific punishment, so vile that it should not even be contemplated by man. Crucifixion is the most excruciating and disgraceful method of execution, and it was carried out upon Christ Jesus! The severity of the crucifixion's torment is substantiated by medical examinations.

First, the palms of the hands and feet contain numerous nerves and small veins; even a minor injury to a single nerve can lead to unbearable pain. When so many nerves and veins were pierced, torn, or crushed by nails in the pure hands and feet of our Savior, what excruciating agony must He have endured! Second, the unnatural and violent position of the crucified body itself is incredibly taxing—the body's weight rests on the nailed hands, and the nailed feet offer no relief, with the pain preventing any slight movement to ease this agonizing position. As time passes, the unbearable nature of this posture intensifies, with the weight of the body gradually inflicting more torment. Third, the wounds from the nails, when exposed to the open air, become increasingly inflamed and painful. Finally, due to the unnatural position of the crucified body and the extensive damage to so many nerves and veins, blood cannot circulate properly; it pools in the head, unable to flow freely from the heart and lungs, resulting in agonizing pressure in the chest and a spinning sensation in the head. The shame associated with crucifixion was even greater than its pain in relation to our Savior.

In the eyes of the Gentiles, what was the significance of this execution? The Romans reserved crucifixion for the most despised criminals—murderers and rebels—and only for slaves. Thus, in the perspective of the gentile world, Jesus Christ was reckoned among such people! Consequently, the Apostle states, “the preaching of the cross is madness for the Greeks, extreme foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1:23). The Gentiles mocked the Christians for honoring not just any man but one condemned by crucifixion, a fate deemed dishonorable even among the lowliest. Celsus expressed, “Their Master was executed upon the cross,” believing he had conveyed the worst possible disparagement of Christ Jesus. How did the Hebrews regard this form of execution? For the Jews, hanging on a tree symbolized a curse, marking the individual as excluded from civil and religious society (Deuteronomy 21:23). This sentiment extended even to those who were stoned and subsequently hung upon a tree. What was their opinion of Him who hung upon the cross alive at the hands of unclean gentiles? To a Jew, this marked Him as the accursed of the accursed. Thus the Apostle states that the announcement of the cross is a stumbling block to the Jews (1 Corinthians 1:23). Remember, the crucified Jesus is the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8), the image of God the Father and the true Son of God (Philippians 2:8), the Lord of heaven and earth (John 1:1-4). Attempt to measure, if you can, the depth of His humility, as He lowered Himself to the cross.

The divine nature did not endure the agony of crucifixion; yet in the personal union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ, His divine essence bore the humiliation of the cross. The Apostle instructs us: He who is in the image of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God... but humbled Himself, being obedient even unto death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8). The magnitude of this humility can only be understood through the vastness of the love and power of the Son of God. What is the significance of all this? Spiritual Babylon continues to mirror You, most beloved Jesus (Revelation 11:8)! It brazenly derides Your crucifixion, alongside the Sanhedrin, seeing nothing extraordinary in the demise of innocence upon Your cross (1 Corinthians 1:23). But it is not in vain that the great Apostle wished to know nothing among them except Jesus and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). What does the revelation of God reveal to us in Jesus upon the cross? It teaches, “But God hath supplicated Him for purification through faith in His blood, in the manifestation of His righteousness” (Romans 3:26). Behold, Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for humanity. How so? Is it through His teaching or through our obedience to it? No, but through His blood. Let it be noted again, this significance of the blood of Christ is not an arbitrary concept; God Himself decreed it to be so. Indeed, God has ordained it. Christ died for all so that those who live might not live for themselves, but for Him who died for them, as St. Paul states in one of his letters (2 Corinthians 5:15). In another epistle, he writes, “You were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20). See, if Christ's death were nothing but a portrayal of innocent suffering, it remains unclear why we would solely live for Jesus when many others have also innocently suffered. Conversely, the Apostle does not assert that we receive forgiveness for sins due to our righteous living; rather, through the fact that Christ died for us and that we were redeemed at a great cost, he encourages us to lead holy lives. The Apostle articulates the great price paid for us, and simultaneously reveals in Jesus Christ the One who died for all, illuminating one term through another. The phrase, “Christ died for all,” also implies that Christ died as an atoning sacrifice for humanity. His death, therefore, is not merely a guide to accept the adversities of the innocent; it is, in fact, the death deserved by sinful mankind, which Jesus endured on behalf of all. What was the primary message of the Apostles’ proclamation to the world? The core of their message was that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3). What does our distressed soul require if not primarily the Redeemer of the world? Let us inspect this closely. From youth to the grave, we are all sinners, all culpable before God. What can we do to achieve justification before Him? We must sincerely repent of our sins; however, no act of repentance can transform the guilty into the innocent; it only acknowledges guilt. No amount of repentance can erase the repercussions of sin; they lie beyond our control. We cannot reconcile God with ourselves through improved living; by cultivating a better life, we merely fulfill our obligations, leaving our previous debts intact. Meanwhile, living a better life does not guarantee the absence of sins that might incur new guilt before God. People have historically offered purification and reconciliation sacrifices. These offerings express humanity's yearning for a Reconciler. They declare that no matter the depths to which humanity has descended, it is aware of its need for cleansing and a Purifier, for reconciliation and a Reconciler. Otherwise, can animal blood cleanse a guilty conscience from sin? Does man possess the authority to claim what is not his own for personal gain? How can humanity—how can our tormented souls—reject Him who alone can reconcile the Truth of God with sinful humanity? The sufferings of the cross would hold little significance before the infinite Truth of God if they were borne solely by a righteous man. However, the humility of the Son of God on the cross serves as a fitting atonement for the infinite Truth. Christ Jesus presented Himself to God with an eternal spirit, as articulated by the Apostle (Hebrews 9:14), or as He Himself declared in His sacrificial act, aligning with His divine, independent, and righteous will (John 10:12). He bore the embarrassment of the cross out of obedience to the Father’s will in the image of God (Philippians 2:8). Is it consistent with the Righteousness of God to condemn and punish the innocent for the guilty? It would be, if the Righteous Jesus unwittingly bore our suffering. However, we have witnessed how the Lord Jesus had countless opportunities to evade undue suffering yet chose not to; with complete volition, He surrendered Himself to His enemies and willingly accepted the agony of the cross, refusing any sedative. By His own volition, He took upon Himself the guilt of humanity and resolved to endure its punishment. Consequently, God’s Truth did not condemn the Righteous One, but rather addressed the guilt manifested in humanity through Him. What a marvelous revelation of divine glory unfolded at Calvary! If humanity fails to recognize it, we ought to pity those who do not perceive it clearly. The Son of God, taking on the appearance of a sinner, suffered for sinners. Is there any love higher than this? If the creation of humanity reflects God's love: then the salvation of the world through the self-giving of the Son of God stands as a testament to God's boundless love; could a sinner expect that divine affection would extend to him as seen on the cross? The Heavenly Father lovingly embraced the sacrificial act of the Son’s infinite love. The Son’s unbounded affection willingly offers Himself upon the altar of the cross to declare to heaven and earth the unchanging rights of Eternal Truth. “For this cause the Father loves Me, that I lay down My life, that I may receive it again” (John 10:17), thus testified the Son of God. O crucified Jesus, Son of God, who lowered Yourself to the cross, we reverently worship You, our Savior, with sincere hearts and faithful souls. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, and glory. You have redeemed us by Your blood from every nation and people. To Him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessings, honor, glory, and dominion, for ever and ever (Revelation 5:9, 12, 13). Amen.

If we permit our faith in the Evangelists to waver for the sake of church music, then, as stated by the Apostle Paul, our faith would indeed be rendered meaningless (1 Corinthians 15:14).

Currently, it is widely accepted that Jesus was crucified before noon, specifically at the twelfth hour of the day, as echoed in the aforementioned hymn. Some have begun to cite this hymn as evidence that Christ was crucified at the sixth hour in the Jewish reckoning, or the twelfth hour as we understand it. Nevertheless, I assert that the authority of the Evangelists far surpasses that of the hymn's author. One may dismiss the truth of a hymn using the texts of the Gospel, but the reverse is not feasible. None of us have witnessed Christ or heard His teachings, yet we place our faith in Him as the God-Man because we trust in the authenticity and reliability of the Gospels that recount His life and messages. If our belief in the Gospels falters—even slightly—then our trust in Jesus Himself will inevitably be compromised, as the Apostle Paul has warned: our faith would be in vain.

Let us examine what the Evangelists convey. Only Mark elaborates on the timing of Christ's crucifixion, recounting Peter's words: "It was the third hour, and they crucified Him" (Mark 15:25). The third hour, based on Jewish time, translates to our ninth hour, thus affirming that Christ was crucified at this time rather than around noon. Mark's Gospel is essentially a written rendition of Peter’s oral preaching, a fact supported by St. Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria, who indicate that Peter gave his approval to Mark's account. We have no reason to doubt Peter’s testimony. Despite his previous denials, he must have been present among the crowd during the crucifixion, and certainly, after repenting, he would have made his way to witness the events, albeit from a distance. Thus, we should trust this credible eyewitness who claimed it was the third hour at the moment of Christ's crucifixion. This account aligns with the testimonies of the other Evangelists concerning the occurrences of that day.

Matthew and Luke, while not specifying the precise moment of the crucifixion, describe a darkness that enveloped the land for three hours, from the sixth hour of the day until the ninth hour. Matthew narrates: "But from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour; and about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice... and gave up the spirit" (Matthew 27:45-46, 50). Luke mentions: "And it was about the sixth hour of the day, and there was darkness over all the earth until the hour of the ninth hour" (Luke 23:44). Mark corroborates this, detailing how darkness fell at the sixth hour and persisted until the ninth hour, during which Jesus cried out and surrendered His spirit.

Therefore, one can deduce that if darkness prevailed at the sixth hour (which would be noon in our reckoning), then the crucifixion must have occurred much earlier. The Gospels indicate that before the darkness set in, numerous significant events transpired: the derision from the Sanhedrin, various onlookers, soldiers, and even one of the crucified thieves, followed by the repentance of another thief and the request by the chief priests to alter the inscription over Christ’s cross. Each of these events required time and likely filled the duration leading up to noon.

Should we entertain the notion that Christ was crucified at the twelfth hour, we must consider when all these previous occurrences fit into that timeline. It is improbable that the mockery and subsequent events could all transpire within that final hour. Upon the onset of darkness, a sense of despair would have fallen upon Golgotha, replacing the earlier jeers with silence, interrupted only by the cries of the suffering. The atmosphere would have shifted considerably, making mockery unfeasible.

Matthew and Luke’s accounts actually reinforce Mark’s narrative, rather than contradict it. Turning to the Gospel of John, the fourth Evangelist, we find he does not comment on the time of the crucifixion, the onset of darkness, or the hour of Jesus’ death, as those details were extensively covered by the three prior Evangelists. His silence serves as validation of their accounts, suggesting he regarded them as trustworthy. Given that John had the other gospels before him when writing his own, any inaccuracies would have likely prompted him to correct them. Furthermore, John, who bravely stood at Christ's cross, bore firsthand witness to the events transpiring there.

John does provide a time reference for Pilate’s trial, noting it occurred at "the sixth hour," which has been interpreted as six o’clock in the morning (John 19:14). Supporters of the belief that Jesus was crucified at the twelfth hour argue that if Pilate concluded his trial at six (which they interpret as noon), then it conflicts with the timing suggested by Mark. However, I contend that John supports Mark's account instead. As John wrote later in life and in a context that was not specifically Jewish, he employed Roman timekeeping, which begins at midnight.

Thus, when John mentions the sixth hour in relation to Pilate’s trial, it should be understood as early morning. The consistency across the Gospel accounts—including portrayals of events starting at dawn—reinforces that Pilate began his trial in the morning rather than at noon. The second trial before the Sanhedrin, which occurred directly after this, was of short duration and likely filled within the timeframe immediately after daybreak.

The process of condemning Christ involved several trials and interactions with both the Sanhedrin and Pilate, each stage taking time but plausibly fitting within the early hours up to six o'clock in the morning. With all this context, we must conclude that the events leading up to and including Christ’s crucifixion occurred well before noon, thus upholding the Gospel declarations regarding the timing of these sacred events. Ultimately, dismissing the credibility of the Evangelists in favor of church traditions would indeed render one’s faith in Christ hollow.