Mark 15:25

And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. For the exposition, see the notes at John 19:17....

Mark 15:25_And it was the third hour. _This appears not to agree well with the testimony of the Evangelist John; for he relates that Christ was condemned _about the sixth hour, _(Mark 14:14.) But if we consider—what is evident from other passages—that the day was divided into four parts, and that each of the parts took its name from the first hour of its commencement, the solution will not be difficult. The whole time, from sunrise to the second part of the day, they called _the first _hour. The second part, which lasted till noon, was called by them the _third _hour. The _sixth _hour commenced at noon, and lasted till three or four o’clock in the afternoon. Thus, when the Jews saw that Pilate was wearing out the time, and that the hour of noon was approaching, John _says _that _they cried out _the more vehemently, that the whol

22-32 The place where our Lord Jesus was crucified, was called the place of a scull; it was the common place of execution; for he was in all respects numbered with the transgressors. Whenever we look unto Christ crucified, we must remember what was written over his head; he is a King, and we must give up ourselves to be his subjects, as Israelites indeed. They crucified two thieves with him, and him in the midst; they thereby intended him great dishonour. But it was foretold that he should be numbered with the transgressors, because he was made sin for us. Even those who passed by railed at him. They told him to come down from the cross, and they would believe; but they did not believe, though he gave them a more convincing sign when he came up from the grave. With what earnestness will the man who firmly believes the truth, as made known by the sufferings of Christ, seek for salvation!...

Verse 25. _THE THIRD HOUR_] It has been before observed, that the Jews divided their night into _four watches_, of _three hours_ each. They also divided the _day_ into four general parts. The first began at sunrise. The second three hours after. The third at mid-day. The fourth three hours after, and continued till sunset. Christ having been nailed to the cross a little after _mid-day_, John 19:14; John 19:17, and having expired about _three o'clock_, Mark 15:33, the whole business of the crucifixion was finished within the space of this _third division_ of the day, which Mark calls here the _third hour_. Commentators and critics have found it very difficult to reconcile this thir...

AND IT WAS THE THIRD HOUR ... - In John 19:14 it is said, “And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour, etc. Much difficulty has been felt in reconciling these passages, and infidels have usually adduced them to prove that the evangelists have contradicted themselves. In reconciling them the following remarks may perhaps make the matter clear: (1) The Jews divided both the night and the day into four equal parts of three hours each. See the notes at Matthew 14:25. The first division of the day commenced at six o’clock in the morning, and ended at nine; the second commenced at nine and ended at twelve, etc. “The third” hour mentioned by Mark would therefore correspond with our nine o’clock; the “sixth” hour mentioned by

EXPOSITION MARK 15:1 AND STRAIGHTWAY IN THE MORNING THE CHIEF PRIESTS WITH THE ELDERS AND SCRIBES, AND THE WHOLE COUNCIL, HELD A CONSULTATION, AND BOUND JESUS, AND CARRIED HIM AWAY, AND DELIVERED HIM UP TO PILATE. _Straightway in the morning _(εὐθέως πρωΐ́)_. _The proceedings recorded in the last chapter terminated probably between five and six; the cock-crowing helps to fix the time. Now came the more formal trial. The whole Sanhedrim united in consultation. All the proceedings hitherto had been irregular and illegal. Now, for form's sake, they tried him afresh. But there was another law which was also violated. It was now Friday. In capital cases, sentence of condemnation might not legally be pronounced on the day of the trial. Yet our Lord was tried, condemned, and crucified on the same day. They "hound him," that he mi

AND IT WAS THE THIRD HOUR, AND THEY CRUCIFIED HIM. The time of the daily sacrifice of the morning, at which the priests ought to have been; and the time when the sanhedrim usually began to sit x; for "the grand sanhedrim sat from the daily sacrifice of the morning, to the daily sacrifice of the evening:'' but this being an extraordinary case, and they in a hurry to put Jesus to death, had been sitting up all night; and early in the morning had procured the sentence of death on him, which they were going to execute by the time they used to sit: this was about nine o'clock in the morning, and takes in the time between that and twelve at noon. The Ethiopic version reads, "and it was the sixth hour", to make it agree with John 19:14; and for the reconciling of these two places, John 19:14....

Let us read again what we have often read before, that saddest of all stories which, nevertheless, is the fountain of the highest gladness,-the story of our Saviour's death, as recorded by Mark. Mark 15:1. _And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate._ «The whole council» could be there, so early in the morning, for such an evil purpose. Wicked men are very diligent in carrying out their sinful schemes; so, when Christ was to be murdered, his enemies were there, as Luke tells us, «as soon as it was day.» How much more diligent ought the followers of Christ to be to give him their devoted service! It is a good thing to begin the day with united prayer and holy converse with his people. Let these wicked men, who were so early in the mor

THIRD HOUR Compare (John 19:14). John used the Roman, Mark the Hebrew, computation of time....

MARK 15:25 tri,th In the interest of harmonization with John 19:14, instead of tri,th a few witnesses read e[kth (Q 478** syrhmg eth). According to the suggestion of several patristic writers, tri,th has arisen out of a confusion between *V (= 6) and *G (= 3). (See also the comment on Jn 19.14.)...