The Women (and Man) At The Cross

This is Part 5 of an 8-Part Series on Women (and Men) in the Bible

Up until fairly recently, the only women that I can ever recall being mentioned at the cross were Mary (Jesus' mother) and Mary Magdalene (or "Mary of Magdala"), and it was always in terms of their overwhelming grief. Recently, I have started hearing about the "many women" at the cross.

On the way to Golgotha (where Jesus would be crucified), Luke records the following:

"A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women." - Luke 23:27-30

Once Jesus is hanging from the cross, Luke records: "But Jesus' friends, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching." - Luke 23:49

And Mark and Matthew record:

"Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph), and Salome. They had been followers of Jesus and had cared for Him while He was in Galilee. Many other women who had come with Him to Jerusalem were also there." - Mark 15:40-41

"And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for Him were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee." - Matthew 27:55-56

More recently, when it has been mentioned that there were women at the cross, the implication seems to be that the women were the "brave ones", while the male disciples (other than John) were all hiding in fear for their lives. While I would love to believe that the women involved were especially heroic, I, personally, don't believe that was the case. In fairness to the men, in my opinion, this is another situation where the cultural norms regarding gender roles came into play. I can't recall hearing of any of the female disciples being martyred for their faith. On the contrary, all but one of the male disciples (John) were eventually martyred for being a follower of Jesus, and typically endured a very gruesome death. The women are described as having watched what was going on from a distance; apparently, the only ones brave enough for a front row seat were John, and Jesus' mother, Mary! It's possible the other women were watching from a distance because, like the men, they were also afraid for themselves, or it's possible they couldn't bear to watch Jesus' crucifixion, suffering, and death in such graphic detail, but either way, my guess is that they weren't hiding in fear as the men were because, unlike the men involved, they weren't faced with such an obvious and grave danger.

I have also heard only of the women's grief, but Mark records that once Jesus had died, Joseph of Arimathea got permission to remove the body from the cross and he laid it in a tomb.

"Then he [Joseph of Arimathea] rolled a stone in front of the entrance [to the tomb]. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus' body was laid." - Mark 15:46-47

"Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching." - Matthew 27:61

"As His body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where His body was placed. Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint His body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law." - Luke 23:55-56

"Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus' body." - Mark 16:1

Were there women there? Yes! Many! Were the women grieving? Yes! Certainly! ... But they were also busy watching, noting details, planning, and preparing ... because God had plans and purposes for them, and they were about to play a very critical role in this unfolding story.

© I Lift My Voice, 2022.

Click Here to Read Part 6 in this 8-Part Series on Women (and Men) in the Bible