Mark 15:44-45

Mark 15:44-45

[44] And  Pilate  marvelled  if  already  dead:  and  calling  unto him the centurion,  he asked  him  whether  any while  dead.  [45] And  when he knew  it of  the centurion,  he gave  to Joseph. 

What does Mark 15:44-45 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

It was unusual that a crucified person died so quickly. So Pilate verified Jesus" death. Mark noted that a Roman centurion confirmed Jesus" death to prove to his Roman readers that Jesus really had died. Perhaps some Romans who had observed crucifixions would have had trouble believing that Jesus was dead since they knew of crucified criminals who had lingered for days.
It was also unusual to give the corpse of a person condemned for treason to anyone but a near relative. [1] Consequently Pilate"s willingness to give Jesus" body to Joseph shows that he really did not believe that Jesus was guilty of treason (cf. Mark 15:14-15). This is the only place in the New Testament where someone referred to Jesus" dead body as a corpse (Gr. ptoma). Mark"s use of the word further stressed the reality of Jesus" death. [2]