Mark 15:20 - When they had mocked him, they took the purple off him, and put his own garments on him. They led him out to crucify him.

Generated Verse: Mark 15:20

What does "Mark 15:20" mean?


This verse, Mark 15:20, describes the final preparations for Jesus' crucifixion after the Roman soldiers had finished mocking and humiliating him. Let's break it down:

"When they had mocked him...": This refers to the preceding verses (Mark 15:16-19) where the Roman soldiers, in a cruel parody of kingship, dressed Jesus in purple robes, placed a crown of thorns on his head, and beat and ridiculed him, mocking his claim to be the King of the Jews.

"...they took the purple off him...": The purple robe, a symbol of royalty, was removed. This signifies the end of their game and the return to the reality of Jesus' impending execution as a condemned criminal. The purple robe was likely a soldier's cloak dyed purple, not a garment of true royal quality.

"...and put his own garments on him...": Jesus' own clothes, presumably dirty and torn from the beatings, were put back on him. There could be several reasons for this:
Humiliation: To further degrade Jesus by stripping him of any semblance of dignity, forcing him to wear his own humble clothing to his death.
Legal Requirement: Roman law or custom may have required the condemned to be crucified in their own garments.
Practicality: The soldiers may have wanted to keep the purple robe for their own use or avoid damaging it further.

"They led him out to crucify him.": This is the culmination of the events. The procession to the site of execution, likely Golgotha (the Place of the Skull), began. Jesus was now being led to his death, carrying (or being dragged along by) the crossbeam he would be crucified on (although other gospels have him being assisted by Simon of Cyrene).

In summary, the verse highlights the brutality and humiliation Jesus endured before his crucifixion. It shows the soldiers stripping him of the false dignity they had bestowed upon him during their mockery, returning him to his own clothes, and then leading him to his death. It emphasizes the contrast between Jesus' actual identity and the treatment he received, and sets the stage for the crucifixion narrative that follows.

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