The Bible Says
Mark 15:22-26 Meaning

As the Roman soldiers continued to lead Jesus to the site of His crucifixion, the gospel recounts, Then they *brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. (v. 22). This location, known as Golgotha, lay outside Jerusalem’s city walls, in the region of Judea. The place was ominously called “the Place of a Skull,” possibly due to a skull-like rock formation but more likely due to the place being the site of mass crucifixions, and it underscores the sober reality of what was about to take place. Jesus, who had ministered throughout Galilee and Judea from around AD 27-30, now reached the culmination of His earthly ministry with His arrival at Golgotha.

The intentional move from the center of Jerusalem to this specific hill reveals both a fulfillment of prophecies about the Messiah’s sufferings (see our commentary on Psalm 22) and the harsh reality of Rome’s execution practices. Jesus was brought there in a weakened and tormented state, having already endured beatings and scorn by those who rejected His claim to be the Christ. The mention of Golgotha here connects His suffering to a real geographical spot-just outside Jerusalem, the city considered sacred by the Jewish people and the setting of much of His public teaching.

The setting calls attention to the resolve of Jesus to lay down His life. Even while physically depleted, He marched toward the place of death though fully aware of the redemptive significance of His sacrifice. In Luke’s gospel, there is a parallel account that shares how women mourned along the way (Luke 23:27), further showing the sorrow and weight of the journey to Golgotha. Nevertheless, Jesus proceeded, displaying the humility and submission to the divine plan that His followers would remember for centuries to come.

Arriving at Golgotha, the narrative continues, They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. (v. 23). Wine mixed with myrrh was traditionally offered as a mild analgesic to dull the pain of crucifixion. In this moment, Jesus refused it, often understood as His commitment to face the fullness of suffering without any mental or physical numbing agent. This reveals the depth of His willingness to experience every dimension of the agony on humanity’s behalf.

The mention of myrrh here also echoes the frankincense and myrrh gifts brought to Jesus at His birth (Matthew 2:11). That earlier gift symbolized both reverence and a foreshadowing of suffering, indicating that from birth to death, Jesus would be acquainted with pain and sacrifice. His refusal underscores His conscious choice to endure the cross fully awake to the cost, emphasizing the gravity and intentionality of His sacrifice.

Such choices resonate with the heart of Biblical teaching regarding Jesus as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), who willingly took on the sins of the world. By refusing anything that would dull His pain, He willingly bore the curse of sin, accentuating that His atoning work was neither accidental nor halfhearted. He would stand in humanity’s place completely, drinking the cup of suffering to its bitter end.

Next, we read, And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. (v. 24). The act of crucifixion was a brutal Roman method of execution, reserved for criminals and political threats. By nailing Jesus to the cross, the soldiers carried out a sentence they believed was justified, not comprehending the spiritual significance of the event. Historically, crucifixion involved prolonged agony and public humiliation, meant as a deterrent to anyone challenging Roman authority.

Meanwhile, the soldiers divided up Jesus’s garments, a customary practice after nailing the victim to the cross. The casting of lots for His clothing fulfills Old Testament insight (Psalm 22:18), reminding readers that the Messiah’s suffering was scripted long beforehand in Scripture. It also reflects the everyday callousness of soldiers simply following procedure, indifferent to the innocent blood being shed.

In the bigger Biblical narrative, Jesus being stripped of valuables and placed on public display highlights His complete identification with the lowliest of humanity. He had no earthly possession left, giving Himself fully and offering redemption to a world far more concerned with temporal assets than eternal truths. Though mocked, He was fulfilling the very plan of God, demonstrating how divine power emerges from what appears, to human eyes, as weakness.

The text reveals the moment’s timing with It was the third hour when they crucified Him. (v. 25). According to the customary Jewish method of reckoning time, the third hour corresponds roughly to mid-morning, about 9 a.m. This detail not only anchors the event in historical time but also shows how meticulously the gospel writers recorded the progression of Jesus’s final hours.

Noting the time acknowledges that Jesus hung on the cross for multiple hours, underscoring the physical and spiritual torment He endured. During these hours, bystanders would have come and gone, some mourning Him, others hurling insults. The midday darkness that eventually fell (Mark 15:33) added to the sober recognition that cosmic forces were at work.

For early believers, the specific hour of crucifixion testified that Jesus’s death was no myth but a tangible, historical occurrence. His willingness to submit to death at a particular time and place on a Roman cross is central to the Christian faith, signifying that salvation does not perch in the abstract but was delivered through a very real, flesh-and-blood sacrifice.

Finally, the narrative notes, The inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” (v. 26). This sign, placed atop the cross, was Pilate’s formal indictment of Jesus. Though intended as a public condemnation, calling Him “King of the Jews” ironically pointed to His true identity, though many refused to accept it. Historically, around AD 30-33, Jesus was indeed recognized as Messiah by His followers, but considered a threat by Roman authorities and some Jewish leaders.

This title echoes the earlier acclamations in Jesus’s ministry, where crowds hailed Him as the anointed Son of David (Mark 11:10). Even though Pilate posted these words as a warning against those who would challenge Roman rule, believers throughout the centuries have seen it as a literal proclamation of Jesus’s divine kingship. Though mocked by some onlookers that day, He truly was and is the King for anyone who receives Him.

In the overarching story, the charge that was meant to ridicule instead declares a profound truth that resonates through the ages: the crucified one is the promised King and Redeemer. For those who read these words today, it stands as a constant reminder that salvation came at a high cost: the life of the King Himself, who gave His all out of love.