Mark 15:32 kjv
Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
Mark 15:32 nkjv
Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.
Mark 15:32 niv
Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
Mark 15:32 esv
Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
Mark 15:32 nlt
Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!" Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.
Mark 15 32 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 22:6-8 | But I am a worm and no man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me... | Prophecy of the Messiah being deeply scorned and mocked by onlookers. |
| Isa 53:3 | He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces... | Foreshadowing of the Messiah's profound rejection and suffering. |
| Zech 12:10 | They will look on Him whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him... | Prophetic gaze upon the pierced one, referencing the crucifixion. |
| Mt 27:42 | “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.” | Matthew's nearly identical parallel emphasizing the specific taunt. |
| Lk 23:36-37 | The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up and offering Him sour wine and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” | Parallel accounts of soldiers' mocking challenges to Jesus' kingship. |
| Mk 8:31 | And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected... and be killed, and after three days rise again. | Jesus' own prior prophecy of His suffering, contradicting their expectations. |
| Lk 9:22 | The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed... | Emphasizing the necessary suffering and rejection from religious authorities. |
| Phil 2:8 | And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. | Highlights Christ's ultimate obedience and humiliation through crucifixion. |
| Heb 12:2 | ...who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame... | Jesus' endurance of the shame of the cross for a greater, divine purpose. |
| Ps 2:6 | “As for Me, I have set My King on Zion, My holy hill.” | Divine declaration of the King's true authority, despite human rejection. |
| Zech 9:9 | Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!... behold, your King is coming to you; righteous and having salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey... | Prophecy of Messiah's humble kingship, not of military might. |
| Jn 1:49 | Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” | Prior acknowledgement of Jesus' kingship from His early disciples. |
| Mt 12:38-39 | Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from You.” But He answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign... | Consistent demand for a miraculous sign to believe during Jesus' ministry. |
| Jn 2:18 | So the Jews said to Him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” | Early demands for signs by the Jewish leaders regarding Jesus' authority. |
| Jn 6:30 | So they said to Him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe? What work do you perform?” | Repeated calls for a tangible sign for belief, even after miracles. |
| Jn 20:29 | Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” | Jesus' blessing on faith not contingent on physical sight or proof. |
| Lk 23:39-43 | One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Him... But the other rebuked him... “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” | Contrasting reactions of the crucified criminals, one turning in faith. |
| 1 Cor 1:23-24 | but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called... Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. | The cross as a paradoxical symbol of divine power and wisdom, rejected by human logic. |
| Deut 21:23 | for a hanged man is cursed by God. | The cultural and theological understanding of death on a tree as cursed. |
| Ps 22:16-18 | For dogs encompass Me; a company of evildoers encircles Me; they have pierced My hands and My feet—they divide My garments among them... | Specific details of suffering and abuse fulfilled at the cross. |
| Lk 23:49 | And all His acquaintances and the women who had followed Him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. | Emphasizing His isolation, with supporters standing afar due to the scene. |
| Isa 50:6 | I gave My back to those who strike, and My cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not My face from disgrace and spitting. | Prophecy of the Messiah's endurance of physical abuse and shame. |
| Mk 10:45 | For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. | Jesus' mission was defined by sacrificial service, not self-preservation. |
Mark 15 verses
Mark 15 32 Meaning
Mark 15:32 vividly portrays the bitter mockery Jesus endured while crucified. The chief priests and scribes, echoing the passersby, challenged Jesus to prove His messianic claims—"the Christ, the King of Israel"—by descending from the cross. Their demand, "that we may see and believe," signifies a contingent faith based solely on a miraculous, self-saving act, fundamentally misunderstanding the nature of His kingdom and redemptive purpose. The verse tragically compounds His suffering by revealing that even the criminals crucified alongside Him joined in the reviling, highlighting the depth of His isolation and rejection.
Mark 15 32 Context
Mark 15:32 occurs at the height of Jesus' Passion narrative, specifically during His crucifixion on Golgotha. The preceding verses (Mk 15:20-31) detail the procession to Golgotha, His nailing to the cross between two criminals, and the initial wave of ridicule from passersby and chief priests alike, mockingly using His true titles. This verse encapsulates the escalating intensity and direct challenge to His messianic identity from the very religious leaders. The broader historical context includes the Roman occupation of Judea and the deep-seated Jewish expectation of a political Messiah who would liberate them from foreign rule through power and might. Jesus' death on a cross—a Roman instrument of ultimate shame, defeat, and perceived divine curse—completely subverted these expectations. Therefore, the demand for Him to descend served as a challenge to His legitimacy as the Christ and King, reflecting a profound inability to comprehend God's redemptive plan through sacrificial suffering rather than military triumph or miraculous escape.
Mark 15 32 Word analysis
- Let the Christ, (Greek: Ὁ Χριστός, Ho Christos): "Christ" is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew "Messiah" (Mashiach), meaning "Anointed One." This title signifies the promised Deliverer of Israel, a figure imbued with divine authority and destiny. The taunters use this title ironically and dismissively, daring Him to validate His claim with a demonstration of worldly power that contradicts the very nature of His saving work.
- the King of Israel, (Greek: ὁ Βασιλεὺς Ἰσραήλ, ho Basileus Israēl): This is a regal, messianic title associated with political and nationalistic hopes for restoration. The chief priests, who held Jesus in contempt, deploy this title in derision, emphasizing the apparent failure of His kingship given His humiliated state on the cross. It represents the profound chasm between their worldly conception of a king and God's spiritual kingdom.
- descend now from the cross, (Greek: κατάβηθι νῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ, katabēthi nyn apo tou staurou): "Descend" is an imperative verb, a direct challenge and a demand for a sensational sign. "Now" stresses the immediacy and the tangible proof they seek. To descend would have been a spectacular act of self-preservation, which, though an immense display of power, would have utterly nullified the divine plan for atonement through His sacrificial death.
- that we may see and believe. (Greek: ἵνα ἴδωμεν καὶ πιστεύσωμεν, hina idōmen kai pisteusōmen): This phrase articulates their condition for faith: it must be based on a visible, undeniable spectacle. This attitude is contrary to the true nature of faith, which trusts beyond mere physical evidence (Jn 20:29). Their demand reveals spiritual blindness, requiring a sign that confirms their preconceived notions of power rather than submitting to God's revelation.
- Also those who were crucified with Him reviled Him. (Greek: καὶ οἱ συνεσταυρωμένοι σὺν αὐτῷ ὠνείδιζον αὐτόν, kai hoi synestaurōmenoi syn autō ōneidizon auton): "Reviled" (ōneidizon) means to insult, taunt, or heap abuse. This detail highlights Jesus' absolute isolation. Even criminals, sharing the agony of crucifixion, joined in the widespread scorn. This fulfills prophecy concerning the utter desolation and rejection of the Suffering Servant, yet it also sets the stage for the dramatic repentance of one of the thieves recorded in Luke's Gospel.
Mark 15 32 Bonus section
The taunt for Jesus to descend from the cross strikingly echoes one of Satan's temptations in the wilderness, where Jesus was challenged to demonstrate His Sonship by throwing Himself from the Temple's pinnacle for divine rescue (Mt 4:5-7, Lk 4:9-11). Both scenarios involve a demand for a spectacular, self-serving display of power as proof. By remaining on the cross, Jesus demonstrates consistent obedience to the Father's will and perfect reliance on the divine plan, prioritizing redemptive suffering over self-preservation. This moment further highlights the prophetic nature of Jesus' identity, as His suffering, mockery, and ultimate victory through sacrifice were foretold in the Old Testament, particularly in the Suffering Servant songs of Isaiah and the psalms of lament. The titles "Christ" and "King of Israel," though spoken in derision by His enemies, ironically affirmed who Jesus truly was in the eyes of God, underscoring the divine irony where truth is declared even through unbelieving lips.
Mark 15 32 Commentary
Mark 15:32 serves as a poignant theological statement on the clashing perspectives of human expectation versus divine purpose. The leaders' taunt for Jesus to descend from the cross encapsulates their inability to reconcile the concept of a suffering Messiah with their earthly, triumphalist messianic hopes. They sought a deliverer from Rome, not a redeemer from sin. Their demand, "that we may see and believe," reveals a profound spiritual limitation—a conditional faith based on a sensational public miracle rather than an open heart receptive to God's spiritual truth manifested in Jesus' life and suffering. The irony is tragic: their request, if granted, would have negated the very act that secured humanity's salvation. Jesus' remaining on the cross, enduring shame and pain, was the supreme act of divine love and obedience, accomplishing reconciliation not by force or escape, but by ultimate sacrifice. This scene starkly illustrates the world's misunderstanding of the cross as foolishness, contrasting with its truth as the power and wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:23-25). Even the shared reviling by those suffering alongside Him underscores the comprehensive rejection of the Lord in His hour of deepest need.