Mark 15:1 Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate.

Early in the morning after Peter’s third denial and the second cockcrow during the Sanhedrin proceedings, who immediately holds a consultation to formally charge Jesus?

“the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council” (Mark 15:1).

• οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς (hoi archiereis) (“the chief priests”)

“a priest of high rank, chief priests. In Israel’s cultic life. The plural is used in the New Testament and Josephus…to denote members of the Sanhedrin who belonged to highpriestly families: ruling high priests, those who had been deposed, and adult male members of the most prominent priestly families” (BDAG, 139).

• τῶν πρεσβυτέρων (tōn presbyterōn) (“the elders”)

“an official (cp. Lat. Senator), elder, presbyter … for members of a group in the Sanhedrin” (BDAG, 862).

• γραμματέων (grammateōn)(“scribes”)

“an expert in the law of Moses; experts in the law, scholars versed in the law, scribes; mentioned together with high priests (see ἀρχιερεῖς), with whom the elders (often referred to in the same context) their representatives formed the Sanhedrin” (BDAG, 206).

• τὸ συνέδριον (to synedrion) (“Council”)                                           “the high council in Jerusalem, Sanhedrin, the dominant meaning in our literature…in Roman times this was the highest indigenous governing body in Judaea, composed of high priests (ἀρχιερεύς 1ba), elders, and scholars (scribes), and meeting under the presidency of the ruling high priest. This body was the ultimate authority not only in religious matters, but in legal and governmental affairs as well, in so far as it did not encroach on the authority of the Roman procurator. The latter, e.g., had to confirm any death sentences passed by the council” (BDAG, 967).

When is the consultation held?

“Early in the morning” (Mark 15:1).

• πρωί (prōi) “in the early part of the daylight period, early, early in the morning” (BDAG, 892).

• “The second cockcrow has brought us close to dawn (see on 14:29-31), and πρωί picks up from that point. The move to the praetorium, the trial, mockery, and journey to Golgotha must all be fitted in before the third hour (9 a.m.), 15:25, so πρωί here must mean at or even before daybreak” (R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark: a Commentary on the Greek Text, NIGTC, p. 626).

What is done to Jesus after the consultation?

“binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate” (Mark 15:1).

•  δήσαντες (dēsantes) (“binding”) Masculine Nominative Plural Aorist Active Participle of δέω, “to confine a person or thing by various kinds of restraints, bind, tie…of binding and imprisoning persons” (BDAG, 221).

•  ἀπήνεγκαν (apēnegkan) (“led away”) 3P Aorist Active Indicative of ἀποφέρω, “to conduct with constraint away from a point, lead off, lead away…of a prisoner) (BDAG, 124).

•  παρέδωκαν (paredōkan) (“delivered”) 3P Aorist Active Indicative of παραδίδωμι, “hand over, turn over, give up a person ([Lat. trado] as a technical term of police and courts ‘hand over into [the] custody [of]’” (BDAG, 72).

To whom is Jesus delivered?

Pilate (Mark 15:1).

• “Appointed by Tiberius as the fifth prefect of Judea, and who served in that capacity from A.D. 26-36. He appears prominently in the trial narratives of the Gospels as the Roman governor who authorized Jesus’ crucifixion. In addition he appears in a variety of extrabiblical sources as a dispassionate administrator who relentlessly pursued Roman authority in Judea” (Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, V 2, p. 1694).

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Yahweh God Almighty,

Though the nations roar and the rulers take counsel together against You and Your Anointed, You reign sovereign and supreme from on high where You dwell in majesty and glory. Your purposes cannot be thwarted. All that You plan, You do. You are the Potter and we are the clay, the work of Your hands. We are not Your equal, nor may we sway You with a bribe. You are the righteous Judge and Your judgments are true. We are utterly dependent upon Your grace freely given through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Son of Man, Savior of the world and Lord over all, in Whom is the forgiveness of sins and for Whom all was created, that He may have preeminence over all. Glory to You through Jesus, the Beloved, to Whom You have entrusted the execution of Your judgment and Who will vindicate Your Holy Name. Jesus has been given authority over all. May Christ's ambassadors be filled and fully yield to the Holy Spirit, led according to Your will. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.