Mark 15:16-23

¹⁶ Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison.

¹⁷ And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head,

¹⁸ and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

¹⁹ Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him.

²⁰ And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.

²¹ Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.

²² And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.

²³ Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.

Also found in Matthew 27:27-34 and Luke 23:26.

Praetorium (v.16) — hall of judgment, probably part of the residence of the procurator, maybe in Herod’s palace in Jerusalem

whole garrison (v.16) — lit. “cohort,” which refers to the tenth part of a legion or about 600 men, although sometimes the word is used for a smaller group of soldiers.

crown (v.17) =victor’s wreath, presented to royal persons as a tribute to military success, like a laurel wreath.

struck (v.19) = kept on striking

spat (v.19) = kept on spitting

At the outset of the journey to Golgotha, Jesus appears to have carried the cross (or the transverse beam of the cross) Himself, in accordance with John’s description (John 19:17). Being so weakened from lack of sleep and the cruel scourging, however, He was unable to complete the journey. The soldiers therefore forced Simon of Cyrene to carry it for Him. It is possible that Simon’s son Rufus, who appears to have been known to Mark’s readers (v.21) is the person whom Paul greets in Romans 16:13. — Thomas, page 240.

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compelled (v.21) — The word “compelled” is aggareuo, a word of Persian origin. The aggaroi were public couriers, stationed by appointment of the king of Persia at fixed localities, with horses ready for use, in order to transmit royal messages from one to another, and to convey them the more speedily to their destination. These couriers had authority to press into service, in case of need, horses, vessels, even men they met. The verb therefore means “to impress into service.” Simon was a native of Cyrene, a city of Libya, that latter, a country on the northern shore of Africa just opposite the Grecian peninsula. The city had received a Jewish settlement in the time of Ptolemy I, and the Jews formed an influential section of the inhabitants. … Whether this Simon had become a resident of Jerusalem, or was a visitor at the Passover, it is impossible to decide. — Wuest, page 281.

Place of a Skull (v.22) — probably named for the shape of the land

brought (v.22) = carried a burden, moved by bearing, led, conducted. It’s possible that Jesus was so weak that He may have been unable to walk or, more certainly, to carry His cross. But the word can also just mean led, as a prisoner would be led to punishment.

they gave Him (v.23) = lit. “they tried to give,” “they offered.”

wine mingled with myrrh (v.23) — an opiate or anesthetic, a stupefying drug given to relieve pain.

Jesus refused the wine/myrrh mixture, probably because He did not want His senses dulled as He faced His sacrifice.