New TestamentBeginner II · Story 11Mark 15:1-15

Before Pilate

The chief priests and the elders give Jesus to Pilate. Pilate asks him a question, and the chief priests accuse him of many things. At the feast Pilate lets one man go, and there is a man called Barabbas. The chief priests stir up the multitude, and Pilate lets Barabbas go and gives Jesus up to be crucified.

Start this storyStory + 4 lessons · ~40 min · free

In the morning, a man with his hands tied is brought before another man, and other men stand behind the first man

The words in this story

10 words you will really use: they appear in the story and in the exercises, and come back for review in the next stories.

elder
an older person who is a leader in a group of people
noun
feast
a special day of celebration, often with a big meal
noun
evil
what is very bad; the opposite of good
noun
chief
most important; the ‘chief priests’ are the most important priests
adjective
hold
to keep in the hands; ‘held a meeting’ means had a meeting
verb
bind
to tie a person or a thing with a rope or a cord
verb
carry
to take a person or a thing from one place to another
verb
always
every time; at all times
adverb
commit
to do something that is wrong or against the law
verb
crucify
to put a person to death on a cross
verb

What you'll discover

The moments of the story, in the order they happen.

The chief priests and the elders give Jesus to Pilate, and the chief priests accuse him of many things.
At the feast Pilate lets one man go. The multitude asks him to do it, and Barabbas is there.
Pilate asks the multitude about Jesus. The chief priests stir them up, and they cry out, “Crucify him!”
Pilate asks what evil Jesus has done. He lets Barabbas go, flogs Jesus and gives him up to be crucified.

Original verse

The verse that closes the story, in the World English Bible. After 4 lessons, this is how you read it: the real text, with nothing simplified.

Mark 15:2 · WEB

Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered, “So you say.”

Context

One detail about the scene, with the work it comes from.

Who

Who was Pilate? The Tyndale Open Study Notes on Mark 15:1 say that Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea.

Source: Tyndale Open Study Notes · CC BY-SA 4.0

What a story looks like

First the whole story, in simple English with audio for every sentence. Then 4 short lessons, each with a piece of the story, a tip and exercises. At the end, the Bible verse and a little celebration.

The story · 20 sentences, with the meaning of each word on tap, 3 quick questions about the story
4 lessons · a piece of the story, a tip and exercises in each one
The original verse · the Bible text, unadapted, then the next story

Questions about this story

Which Bible passage is this story from?

Mark 15:1 to 15, in the World English Bible: Jesus before Pilate.

Who gives Jesus to Pilate?

Mark 15:1 says that the chief priests, with the elders, scribes and the whole council, held a consultation, bound Jesus, carried him away and delivered him up to Pilate.

What does Jesus say to Pilate’s question?

Pilate asks him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” and Jesus answers, “So you say.” (Mark 15:2).

Who is Barabbas in this story?

Mark 15:7 says that there was one called Barabbas, bound with his fellow insurgents, men who in the insurrection had committed murder.

Who stirs up the multitude?

Mark 15:11 says that the chief priests stirred up the multitude, so that Pilate should release Barabbas to them instead.

What does Pilate do at the end?

Mark 15:15 says that Pilate, wishing to please the multitude, released Barabbas to them, and handed over Jesus, when he had flogged him, to be crucified.

Other questions:Do I need to know English?Does Biblup teach doctrine?