What does Mark 15:28 mean?

Mark 15:28 does not appear in the most reliable translations but it is in the King James Version. Scholars suggest this was added as a footnote—a helpful commentary by some later scribe—that accidentally came to be copied into later manuscripts. It reads, "And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'He was numbered with the transgressors.'" This is a reference to Isaiah 53:12, the last verse that talks about the Suffering Servant.

Jesus often calls Himself the "son of man." The phrase is taken from Daniel 7:13–14 which describes the Ancient of Days giving "one like a son of man" an everlasting dominion over all peoples and nations. The disciples eagerly accept Jesus' identity as the son of man as well as their places in His future kingdom (Matthew 19:28; Mark 10:35–45).

But Jesus also describes Himself in terms that reflect Isaiah's Suffering Servant. Mark 1:11 quotes from Isaiah 42:1. Mark 10:45 and 14:24 reflect Isaiah 52:11—53:12. Mark 9:12 refers to Isaiah 53:3. There are many other quotes and references from the Gospels and the letters in the New Testament.

The presence or absence of Mark 15:28 has no impact of whether the Bible is infallible. Only the original manuscripts of the Bible can be considered inspired. The copies that have come down to us over the last 2,000 years are extremely accurate, with only rare and documented inconsistencies, like this one. None of the inconsistencies have any bearing on theological truths. Mark 15:28 merely points out that this event is a fulfilment of an earlier prophecy. It doesn't teach anything contrary to other Scripture, nor does it add anything new. When the King James Version was first translated, it used texts available at that time. Since then, earlier biblical texts have been found that do not include certain passages, such as Matthew 18:11 or Mark 16:9–20.