Women Watched Jesus' Crucifixion

JESUS WAS FOLLOWEDBY MANY WOMEN
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
MARK 15:40-41 40 Some women were watching from
a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary
the mother of James the younger and of Joseph,[d]
and Salome. 41 In Galileethese women had followed
him and cared for his needs. Many other women who
had come up with him to Jerusalemwere also there.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Women Watching the Cross
A.F. Muir
Mark 15:40, 41
There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary
Magdalene, andMary the mother of James the less and of Joses…
The prominence of women in the Gospelnarrative suggeststhe fact that
Christianity has done more to awakenthe spiritual nature of women, and to
furnish them with a sphere for the exercise oftheir specialgifts and graces,
than any other religion. For the first time the gospelgave to woman dignity

and recognizedposition in spiritual things. In the gospel, the feminine as well
as the masculine aspects and phases of morality are represented. Why were
they at the cross?
I. A PROOF OF THEIR ATTACHMENT TO CHRIST.
1. They had alreadyshown this. They were, some of them, of goodsocial
standing, and had command of considerable means. This advantage they had
employed in the interests of Christ and his work" they ministered unto him"
when he was in Galilee. And the service they rendered involved a certain
inconvenience and trouble, for they had to follow him almostas much as his
apostles.
2. Now they gave even more signalevidence. Modestlyretiring to the outskirts
of the rabble, they persistently watchedhim. They might have been excused
by ordinary scruples from witnessing the horrible scene, but they could not
allow themselves to go away. He still representedtheir highestspiritual
interest, and they were willing to brave anything for his sake.
II. A TRIAL OF THEIR LOVE. It rose into heroic resolutionand sacrifice.
1. How typical their experience was of that which their sisters have had to go
through in all ages!They stoodby helpless, unable to render any further
service. It was not for them to attempt a rescue whenbrave men had forsaken
him and fled. But they could show the virtue of passive endurance. They could
prove to the Sufferer that their love was unabated, their faith forlorn, but not
dead. So many a noble wife, sister, or mother has had to stand by when loved
ones have been done to death, or ruined by greatconcerns in which they
might not interfere. They have been able only to trust and wait and pray, to

comfort when they could not deliver. One consolationremainedto them - they
had done what they could.
2. To so try it was the grandest recognitionof its genuineness. Theywere
accountedworthy to suffer with Christ. Their affectionwas to pass through
the fires seven times refined. Petermight be faithless, and the rest of the
disciples sadly fail, but they could watch with the Savior as his spirit sank
beneath its accumulated woe. - M.
COMMENTARIES ON VERSE 40
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(40) Among whom was Mary Magdalene.—The listis the same as that in
Matthew 27:56, with the exceptions (1) of the epithet “less,” orbetter, little, as
applied to James, and (2) the name of Salome instead of “the mother of
Zebedee’s children.”
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
15:33-41 There was a thick darkness over the land, from noon until three in
the afternoon. The Jews were doing their utmost to extinguish the Sun of
Righteousness. The darkness signifiedthe cloud which the human soul of
Christ was under, when he was making it an offering for sin. He did not
complain that his disciples forsook him, but that his Father forsook him. In
this especiallyhe was made sin for us. When Paul was to be offered as a
sacrifice for the service saints, he could joy and rejoice, Php 2:17; but it is
another thing to be offeredas a sacrifice forthe sin of sinners. At the same
instant that Jesus died, the veil of the temple was rent from the top to the
bottom. This spake terror to the unbelieving Jews, andwas a sign of the
destruction of their church and nation. It speaks comfortto all believing

Christians, for it signified the laying open a new and living way into the holiest
by the blood of Jesus. The confidence with which Christ had openly addressed
God as his Father, and committed his soul into his hands, seems greatlyto
have affectedthe centurion. Right views of Christ crucified will reconcile the
believer to the thought of death; he longs to behold, love, and praise, as he
ought, that Saviour who was wounded and piercedto save him from the wrath
to come.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
And the scripture was fulfilled ... - This passageofScripture is found in Isaiah
53:12. This does not mean that he "was" a transgressor, but simply that in
dying he "had a place" with transgressors. Nordoes it mean that God
regardedhim as a sinner; but that at his death, in popular estimation. or by
the sentence ofthe judge, he was "regardedas" a transgressor, andwas
treated in the same manner as the others who were put to death for their
transgressions. Jesus died, the "just" for the "unjust," and in his death, as
well as in his life, he was "holy, harmless, undefiled."
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
Mr 15:38-47. Signs andCircumstances Following the Death of the Lord
Jesus.—He Is TakenDownfrom the Cross and Buried—The Sepulchre Is
Guarded. ( = Mt 27:51-66;Lu 23:45, 47-56;Joh 19:31-42).
See on [1520]Mt27:51-56;and [1521]Joh19:31-42.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Mark 15:38"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
There were also women looking on afar off,.... At some distance from the
cross, observing whatwas said and done;

among whom was Mary Magdalene;who had receivedgreatfavours from
Christ:
and Mary the mother of James the less;or "little", so called to distinguish him
from James the son of Zebedee, and because he might be little of stature: nor
was it unusual with the Jews to distinguish persons afterthis manner: so we
read (z) of R. Jesa, "the little", and of Samuel, "the little" (a), which some
have thought to be the Apostle Paul, so calledfrom the littleness of his stature:
and of Joses;or "Joseph", as the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions read;
and Salome;the mother of Zebedee's children, James and John; See Gill on
Matthew 27:56. This was a common name among the Jews;Herod had a sister
and a daughter of this name; and the daughter of Herodias, who demanded
the head of John, the Baptist, was of this name; and it is the same with
Shalom: we read(b) of one Imme Shalom, or mother Shalom, wife of R.
Eliezer, and sisterto Rabban Gamaliel. Salome, with the Ethiopians (c), is
said to be Mary's midwife, and to accompanyChrist, with Mary, and Joseph,
when they fled into Egypt.
(z) Zohar in Exod. fol. 63. 2. & passim. (a) T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 28. 2. & 29.
1.((b) T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 116. 1.((c)Ludolph. Lex. Ethiop. p. 525, & Castell.
Lex. Polyglot, col. 3767.
Geneva Study Bible
{8} There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary
Magdalene, andMary the mother of James the less and of Joses, andSalome;

(8) Christ, to the great shame of the men who forsook the Lord, chose women
for his witnesses,who beheld this entire event.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek Testament
Mark 15:40. On the faithful women who lookedon from afar, vide on Mt. Mk.
singles out for specialmention the same three as Mt.: Mary of Magdala, Mary
the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children. Mk.
distinguishes James, the brother of Joses,as τοῦ μικροῦ = either the little in
stature (Meyerand Weiss), or the less in age, the younger (Schanz). Mk. refers
to the mother of Zebedee’s children by her own name, Salome. Neither
evangelistmentions Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
40. There were also women] forerunners of the noble army of Holy Women,
who were, in the ages to come, throughout the length and breadth of
Christendom, to minister at many a death-bed out of love for Him Who died
“the Death.”
Mary Magdalene]Mary of Magdala, outof whom had gone forth seven
demons (Luke 8:2). This is the first time she is mentioned by St Mark.
Mary the mother of James the less]The “Mary of Clopas” (John 19:25)who
stoodby the cross, and “Maryof James the Less” (comp. Matthew 27:56), are
the same person; she was the sister of the BlessedVirgin, and had married
Clopas or Alphæus.

James the less]James the Little, so calledto distinguish him from the Apostle
St James, the son of Zebedee. Some think he was so called (a) because he was
younger than the other James;or (b) on accountof his low stature; or (c)
because, whenelevatedto the bishopric of Jerusalem(Galatians 2:12), he took
the name in humility, to distinguish him from his namesake, now famous in
consequence ofhis martyrdom (Acts 12:2).
Joses]Seenote above, Mark 3:31.
Salome]See note above, Mark 10:35.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 40. - And there were also women holding from afar (ἀπὸ μακρόθεν
θεωροῦσαι). St. Matthew (Matthew 27:55)says that there were many.
Amongst them were Mary Magdalene, andMary the wife of Clopas, or
Alphaeus, and mother of James the less and of Joses, calledbrethren of our
Lord, and the mother of Zebedee's children, that is, Salerno. The mother of
our Lord had been there until the time when, having with St. John crept as
near the cross ofJesus as she might venture, she was consignedby our Lord to
St. John's care, and takenawayby him. St. Mark mentions this to show the
faith and love of these holy women, because in the very presence ofthe
enemies of Christ they dared to stand by his cross, and shrank not from
testifying their piety and devotion. St. John says that they stoodnear. He must
have known; for at one time at leasthe was standing near. St. Matthew and
St. Mark speak of them as at a distance. They were at a distance, no doubt, for
the most part, as compared with the soldiers, whose duty it was to be in close
attendance and to keepthe people off. But these devoted women came as near
as they could, so as to see and hear their Lord. Perhaps they were sometimes
further off and sometimes nearer, as they saw opportunity, or as the humor of
the officials sufferedthem. Mark 15:40

COMMENTARIES ON VERSE 41
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
15:33-41 There was a thick darkness over the land, from noon until three in
the afternoon. The Jews were doing their utmost to extinguish the Sun of
Righteousness. The darkness signifiedthe cloud which the human soul of
Christ was under, when he was making it an offering for sin. He did not
complain that his disciples forsook him, but that his Father forsook him. In
this especiallyhe was made sin for us. When Paul was to be offered as a
sacrifice for the service saints, he could joy and rejoice, Php 2:17; but it is
another thing to be offeredas a sacrifice forthe sin of sinners. At the same
instant that Jesus died, the veil of the temple was rent from the top to the
bottom. This spake terror to the unbelieving Jews, andwas a sign of the
destruction of their church and nation. It speaks comfortto all believing
Christians, for it signified the laying open a new and living way into the holiest
by the blood of Jesus. The confidence with which Christ had openly addressed
God as his Father, and committed his soul into his hands, seems greatlyto
have affectedthe centurion. Right views of Christ crucified will reconcile the
believer to the thought of death; he longs to behold, love, and praise, as he
ought, that Saviour who was wounded and piercedto save him from the wrath
to come.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
And the scripture was fulfilled ... - This passageofScripture is found in Isaiah
53:12. This does not mean that he "was" a transgressor, but simply that in
dying he "had a place" with transgressors. Nordoes it mean that God
regardedhim as a sinner; but that at his death, in popular estimation. or by
the sentence ofthe judge, he was "regardedas" a transgressor, andwas
treated in the same manner as the others who were put to death for their

transgressions. Jesus died, the "just" for the "unjust," and in his death, as
well as in his life, he was "holy, harmless, undefiled."
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
Mr 15:38-47. Signs andCircumstances Following the Death of the Lord
Jesus.—He Is TakenDownfrom the Cross and Buried—The Sepulchre Is
Guarded. ( = Mt 27:51-66;Lu 23:45, 47-56;Joh 19:31-42).
See on [1520]Mt27:51-56;and [1521]Joh19:31-42.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Mark 15:38"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Who also, when he was in Galilee, followedhim,.... Whereverhe went in
Galilee, and from thence to Jerusalem:
and ministered unto him; of their worldly substance, Luke 8:3,
and many other women which came up with him into Jerusalem;from the
same parts; see Matthew 27:55.
Geneva Study Bible
(Who also, when he was in Galilee, followedhim, and ministered unto him;)
and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Mark 15:41. This interesting reference to service rendered to Jesus in Galilee,
given here by Mk. only, applies to the three named, hence the honourable
mention of them. Mt. substitutes service on the wayfrom Galilee to Jerusalem
rendered by all—evidently a secondaryaccount.—ἄλλαι πολλαὶ, others,
many; also worthy of honour, but of an inferior order compared with the
three. They made the journey from Galilee to Jerusalemwith Jesus.
Bengel's Gnomen
Mark 15:41. Γαλιλαίᾳ, Galilee)Here it was that He had sojournedfor a great
part of His time: He had come to Jerusalem, especiallyatthe times of the
festivals.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 41. - From this verse we learn that these women followedhim, and
ministered unto him when he was in Galilee;and that many other women
came up with him unto Jerusalem. The sublime beauty of his character, and
the spiritual, influence which he wielded, attractedthem; and they were able
to minister to the various needs of his humanity. Mark 15:41
Vincent's Word Studies
Followed- ministered (ἠκολούθουν- διηκόνουν)
Both imperfects: were in the habit, accustomedto.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES

BRUCE HURT MD
Mark 15:40 There were also some womenlooking on from a distance, among
whom were Mary Magdalene, andMary the mother of James the Less and
Joses,and Salome.
women: Ps 38:11 Mt 27:55-56 Lu 23:49 Joh 19:25-27
Mary Magdalene:Mk 16:9 Mt 28:1 Lu 8:2,3 Joh 20:11-18
Mary the mother of James the Less : Mk 15:47 16:1 Mt 13:55 27:55,61 Joh
19:25 1Co 9:5 Ga 1:19 Jas 1:1
and Salome:Mk 16:1
James Stalker- The Groups Round the Cross
Mark 15 Resources -Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
RelatedPassages:
Matthew 27:55-56 Manywomen were there looking on from a distance, who
had followedJesus from Galilee while ministering to Him. 56 Among them
was Mary Magdalene, andMary the mother of James and Joseph, and the
mother of the sons of Zebedee. (James and John).
Luke 23:49 And all His acquaintances and the women who accompaniedHim
from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.
John 19:25 Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross
of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene.

There were also some women looking on from a distance - Note that John
19:25 says they were initially "standing by the cross of Jesus."Now they are
looking on from a distance. These womenare noted in all 4 Gospels -(Mt.
27:55–56;Mk 15:40–41;Lk 23:49; Jn 19:25–26)The only disciple of the
Twelve that was presentat the Crucifixion was John. And so after most of the
men who had been with Jesus were absentfrom the scene, these four women
remained (now from a distance), watching carefully to see what would happen
to Jesus'body. These women displayed rare courage to remain near Jesus
after all the men had fled.
Akin - Their presence establishes eyewitnessesto his death and burial (v. 47).
Further, they were “true disciples” who had “followedhim and ministered to
him” (v. 41). They, along with “many other women”, were faithful to Him to
the bitter end. They may have watchedthe brutal events of the cross “froma
distance”, but unlike His male disciples, their devotion was not marked by
absence. Theirlove and devotion to Jesus would not go unrewarded (16:4-8)!
Swete remarks:“There were others besides the centurion who viewed the
crucifixion seriously, and were present throughout. ‘There were also
women’—many women (Mt.)—‘looking on at a long distance,’where they
could be safe from the ribaldry of the crowd, and yet watch the Figure on the
Cross—notthe ‘daughters of Jerusalem’who had bewailedJesus on the way
to Golgotha, but followers from Galilee.” The
MacArthur - The obvious implication is that while ten of the elevendisciples
scatteredand hid, these women came boldly to display their courageous and
sympathetic loyalty to Christ.
Gilbrant - The main significance oftheir presence is that they were
eyewitnesses ofJesus'death(verses 40, 41)and His burial (verse 47). After His

resurrection, over 500 saw Him at one time. Of all His followers, however,
only these few womenstayed to observe throughout the process ofHis burial
which may have taken between2 and 3 hours.
These womenwere present at His burial (Lk 23:55;Mt 27:61;Mk 15:47) and
on Sunday morning would be the first to learn of His glorious resurrection(cf.
Mark 16:1–8;John 20:11–18;Matt. 28:8–10). were eyewitnesses to all the
crucial events of the Gospel(cf. 1 Co 15:3, 4).
Looking on (observing, watching)(2334)(theoreo fromtheaomai = to look at
closelyor attentively or contemplatively - even with a sense ofwonder; cp
theoros = a spectator))means to view attentively and with interest and for a
purpose, carefully observing details. The present tense indicates this was their
continual attitude. To behold intensely or attentively. Our English word
scrutinize conveys this sense, forit means to examine closelyand minutely. To
be a spectatorand thus to understand or perceive.
Among whom were Mary Magdalene - Jesus had castout 7 demons from her
Luke recording "Marywho was calledMagdalene, from whom seven demons
had gone out." (Luke 8:2+). "She was from the village of Magdala, near
Capernaum on the westernshore of the Sea of Galilee. The fact that Mary was
known by her place of origin, rather than by the name of her husband or
children, may indicate she was unmarried." (MacArthur)
And Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses (Josephin Mt 27:56) -
James the Less is one of the Twelve Disciples who was calledJames, the son of
Alphaeus (Mt. 10:3; Acts 1:13) MacArthur points out that "In John 19:25,
Mary is alternately identified as “Marythe wife of Clopas,” anapparent
variant of Alphaeus."

And Salome - If we compare Mt 27:56 it seems clearthat Salome was the wife
of Zebedee and the mother of the sons of Zebedee (Mk 10:35 = James and
John.) According to John 19:25 (= "mother's sister"), Salome was the sisterof
Jesus’mother, Mary.
WOMEN WHO OBSERVED THE CRUCIFIXION
Matthew 27:56 Mark 15:40John 19:25
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary mother of Jesus
Mary mother of
James & Joseph=
Mary mother of
James the less &

Joses =
Mary the
wife of Clopas
Mother of Zebedee's
sons =
Salome =
Sisterof Jesus'
mother
RelatedResources:
Who was Mary Magdalene?
How many Marys are in the Bible?
Who was Salome in the Bible?
Mark 15:41 When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to
Him; and there were many other womenwho came up with Him to
Jerusalem.
and minister to Him: Mt 27:56 Lu 8:2,3

Mark 15 Resources -Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
When He was in Galilee They used to follow Him and minister to Him -
Follow and minister are both in the imperfect tense indicating they did both of
these activities over and over. These women"had followedJesus whenHe was
in Galilee, throughout the secondyear of His public ministry of preaching and
miracles. From that time on, they used to follow Him and minister to Him."
(MacArthur)
A T Robertsonon follow and minister - Two imperfects describing the long
Galileanministry of these three womenand many other womenin Galilee
(Luke 8:1–3) who came up with him (ai sunanabāsaiautōi) to Jerusalem.
THOUGHT - The verb follow is akoloutheo which means to walk the same
road (Ponder that simple definition dear believer - Am I willing to walk the
same road as Jesus?)Literally it meant to follow (like the crowds followed
Jesus)but more importantly in a figurative sense it meant to follow Jesus as a
disciple. Yes there were 11 faithful followers ofJesus for 3 years, but Mark
points out that there were faithful female followers or disciples. As we will see
in Luke 24 female disciples played a pivotal role regarding Jesus'
resurrection.
Follow (190)(akoloutheofrom a = expressesunion with, likeness + keleuthos =
a road, way) means to walk the same road (Ponder that simple definition dear
believer - Am I willing to walk the same road as Jesus?)Literally to follow
(like the crowds followedJesus)and in a figurative sense to follow Jesus as a
disciple. To follow (closely)and was used of soldiers, servants and pupils. Uses
in Mark - Mk. 1:18; Mk. 2:14; Mk. 2:15; Mk. 3:7; Mk. 5:24; Mk. 6:1; Mk.
8:34; Mk. 9:38; Mk. 10:21;Mk. 10:28;Mk. 10:32;Mk. 10:52; Mk. 11:9; Mk.
14:13;Mk. 14:54;Mk. 15:41;

Minister (serve , wait on) (1247)(diakoneo)means to minister by way of
rendering service in any form or to take care of by rendering humble service.
And there were many other womenwho came up with Him to Jerusalem -
These are not named here but are known in Heaven. "This summary
description in Mark is paralleledin Matt. 27:55f. and Luke 23:49. These
faithful women were lastat the Cross as they stoodafar and saw the dreadful
end to all their hopes." (Robertson)
DANIEL AKIN
) The greatKing died with women looking on in love. 15:40-41
While no men are mentioned by Mark as being anywhere in the vicinity
(John 19:26-27 does indicate John was there), he does note 3 women who
were there: Mary of Magdala that Jesus had delivered from demonic
16
possession(Luke 8:2), a secondMarywho had 2 sons named James and
Joses,and Salome who is only mentioned by name in Mark (15:40: 16:1).
She was the mother of the disciples James and John, and probably the
sisterof Jesus mother (Matt 27:56).
Their presence establishes eyewitnessesto his death and burial (v. 47).
Further, they were “true disciples” who had “followedhim and
ministered to him” (v. 41). They, along with “many other women”, were

faithful to Him to the bitter end. They may have watched the brutal
events of the cross “from a distance”, but unlike His male disciples, their
devotion was not markedby absence. Theirlove and devotion to Jesus
would not go unrewarded (16:4-8)!
CHRIS BENFIELD
The Attendance at His Death(40-41)– There were also women looking on
afar off: among whom
was Mary Magdalene, andMary the mother of James the less and of Joses,
and Salome;[41]
(Who also,
when he was in Galilee, followedhim, and ministered unto him;) and many
other women which came up
with him unto Jerusalem. Mark revealedthere were womenwatching these
events on Calvary. We
know that Mary, Jesus’mother was there, along with John. Jesus spoke
directly to them from the
cross. Also, we find that Mary Magdalene was there, viewing from a distance.
With her was Mary
the mother of James the less and Joses,believedto be the wife of Cleophas.
Salome was the
wife of Zebedee, and the mother of James and John, Jesus’disciples. We also
discoverthat many

other women were there, who had come to Jerusalemwith Jesus.
▪ Apart from John, we have no recordof any men who followedJesus, being
near Calvary
during the crucifixion. These womenwere committed to the Lord and
determined to show their
support, while seeing whatwould happen to Jesus as He was crucified. We
need the committed
devotion of these women in our Christian lives. They serve as an example for
all who read these
words!
JIM BOMKAMP
VS 15:40-41 -“40 There were also some women looking on from a distance,
among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less
and Joses, andSalome. 41 When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him
and minister to Him; and there were many other womenwho came up with
Him to Jerusalem.” – There were women looking upon Jesus ata distance,
Mary Magdalene, Marythe mother of James the Less and Joses, andSalome
17.1. In addition to the disciples that followedJesus, there was also a group
of women who had long been following Him and ministering to His physical
needs.

17.2. We don’t talk about these women much, howeverthey appear to be
even more devoted to Jesus than the twelve were. Only the apostle John(of
the twelve)was present at the cross and one of the gospelwriters tells us that
Jesus directedJohn to take care of His mother. But, these women followed
Him to the cross and soughtto somehow find more opportunity to minister to
His needs.
17.3. It is interesting because these womenhad their hopes in Jesus as the
Messiahdashed, just as the apostles had, yet their love for Jesus was as strong
as ever. I think this is because ofthe fact that women have such strong
mothering type of instincts.
17.4. The Bible Knowledge Commentary says the following about these
women who followedJesus to the cross:
“Mary Magdalene’ssurname indicates she was from Magdala, a village on the
Sea of Galilee’s westernshore. Jesushad releasedher from demon possession
(Luke 8:2; she is not the sinful woman of Luke 7:36-50). The secondMary (the

“other Mary”;Matt. 27:61) is distinguished from the others by the names of
her sons James the younger (lit., “the small one,” in stature and/or age)and
Joses,who apparently were wellknown in the early church. Salome, whose
name appears only in Mark (Mark 15:40; 16:1), was the mother of Zebedee’s
sons, the disciples James and John (Matt. 20:20;27:56). She was probably the
sisterof Jesus’mother whom Mark did not mention (John 19:25).
When Jesus was in Galilee these three womenused to follow (imperf. tense)
Him from place to place and used to care for (“serve,” imperf.) His material
needs (cf. Luke 8:1-3). Many other women who did not accompanyHim
regularly were also there. They had come . . . to Jerusalemfor the Passover
festival with Jesus, perhaps hoping He would establishHis messianic kingdom
(cf. Mark 10:35-40;15:43).
Mark mentioned the womenas eyewitnessesofthe Crucifixion in anticipation
of their eyewitness role at Jesus’burial (15:47) and His resurrection(16:1-8).
Their devotion surpassedthat of the 11 disciples who had desertedHim
(14:50). Mark may have intended these words as an encouragementto faithful
discipleship among womenin the church at Rome.”
A. B. BRUCE
Verse 40
Mark 15:40. On the faithful women who lookedon from afar, vide on Mt. Mk.
singles out for specialmention the same three as Mt.: Mary of Magdala, Mary
the mother of James and Joses, andthe mother of Zebedee’s children. Mk.
distinguishes James, the brother of Joses,as τοῦ μικροῦ = either the little in
stature (Meyerand Weiss), or the less in age, the younger (Schanz). Mk. refers

to the mother of Zebedee’s children by her own name, Salome. Neither
evangelistmentions Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Verse 41
Mark 15:41. This interesting reference to service rendered to Jesus in Galilee,
given here by Mk. only, applies to the three named, hence the honourable
mention of them. Mt. substitutes service on the wayfrom Galilee to Jerusalem
rendered by all—evidently a secondaryaccount.— ἄλλαι πολλαὶ, others,
many; also worthy of honour, but of an inferior order compared with the
three. They made the journey from Galilee to Jerusalemwith Jesus.
Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools andColleges
Verse 40
40. ἦσαν δὲ καὶ γυναῖκες. The centurion was not the only person who
regardedthe death of Christ with reverence and awe. There were also women
beholding from afar(R.V.). Cf. Mark 5:6, Mark 8:3, Mark 11:13, Mark 14:54.
They had no mind to see more of the horrible details of the crucifixions, still
less to hear the derisive language of Christ’s triumphant enemies. His Mother
and her sister, Mary of Clopas, with Mary Magdalen, had been near the Cross
for a time, but they had come away, and the beloved disciple had taken the
first to his ownhome; but the two others with Salome had joined a group at a
distance and still remained. Lk. gives no names, but says that “all His
acquaintance” were there also. Are the disciples included in οἱ γνωστοὶ αὐτῷ?
John had probably returned to the cross;but where were the Ten?
[3544]ἡ ΄αγδαληνή. Mary of Magdala. Mk has not mentioned her before, but
assumes that she is knownto his readers. Gratitude for her greatdeliverance
(Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2) had made her a devoted follower. The common

identification of her with the “sinner” of Luke 7:37 is a monstrous error,
which ought never to be repeated.
[3545]. ἡ Ἰακώβου τ. μικροῦ κ. Ἰωσῆτος μήτηρ. Syr-Sin. has “Marythe
daughter of James the less, the mother of Joseph”;but Mary the mother of
James the less (little) and of Joses (A.V., R.V.) is right. She was the wife of
Clopas (John 19:25), who is certainly not the same as Cleopas (Luke 24:18)
and cannotwith any certainty be identified with Alphaeus. See on Mark 3:18.
James and Joses are mentioned, not as being famous, but in order to
distinguish their mother from other Marys. They are not the James and Joses
of Mark 6:3. James was calledὁ μικρός probably because ofhis stature, but
Deissmann(Bib. St. p. 144)suggestsage. “The younger” wouldprobably have
been ὁ μικρότερος (Genesis42:32), orὁ νεώτερος (Genesis 42:34;Luke 15:12),
or ὁ ἐλάσσων (Genesis 25:23).
Σαλώμη. Mk treats her also as knownto his readers. Mt. gives no name but
substitutes “the mother of the sons of Zebedee,” who has been previously
mentioned by him (Matthew 20:20). She was probably the sisterof Christ’s
Mother. See on John 19:25.
Verse 41
41. ἐν τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ. This limitation is in all three. These numerous women
were pilgrims who had come from Galilee for the Passover;they were not
“daughters of Jerusalem.”
MISSIONS AND LOTTIE MOON

Dr. W. A. Criswell
Mark 15:41
11-30-86 10:50 a.m.
Welcome to the First Baptist Church in Dallas, those of you who are seated
before a television setor listening to a radio. This is the pastor of the church
bringing the messageentitled Missions and Lottie Moon. As a background
text, in the fifteenth chapter of the Book ofMark, verses 40 and 41, Mark
15:40-41:"There were also women, among whom was Mary Magdalene, and
Mary the mother of James the Less, and of Joses, andSalome, who followed
Him, and ministered unto Him." And of those women, in modern times one is
Lottie Moon.
Years ago, sharing in an extensive three month evangelistic missionin Japan,
I came from the evangelistic service conductedin Tokyo, then to Yokohama,
then to Osaka, andfinally to Kobe. I said in Kobe to our missionarycouple
there, ReverendRobert Shearerand his wife, "If you don’t mind, just let me
be quiet for a while on the porch of your missionary home that overlooks
Kobe Bay."
The greatmountain at Kobe comes down to the water, and about halfway up
that mountain was their home. And I satthere on the porch and reviewed in
memory the life of Lottie Moon. It was in that bay, it was in that harbor, that

she died in 1912. At a later time, I askedto be takento the burial ground, the
cemetery, in Crewe, Virginia, and stoodthere where she is buried, and then
satin the Baptist church in Crewe before a very large stained-glass window
dedicatedto her.
Lottie Moon was born in 1840 in Albemarle County in the heart of Virginia,
close to Jefferson’s home at Monticello. She was born into a well to do
aristocratic, oldSouthern family. When she was nineteen years of age, in
1859, she was in attendance at the Albemarle Female Institute, locatedin
Charlottesville, the county seatof Albemarle County and the home of the
University of Virginia. As a student there in that school, she was wonto the
Lord by John A. Broadus, who taught in the schooland who was pastorof the
First Baptist Church in Charlottesville. And she was baptized upon that
commitment of her life to Christ into the fellowshipof the church in
Charlottesville, Virginia.
In 1873, she and a Miss Safford were teaching in a girls’ schoolin
Cartersville, Georgia. InFebruary of that year of 1873, Dr. Hayden, who
must have been from what I can read a most gifted and eloquent pastor,
preacheda sermon at the associationalmeeting of churches meeting in
Cartersville. In that messagehe pressedan invitation for volunteers to go to
the foreignfield, and those two teachers, Miss MoonandMiss Safford,
responded. They came forward and dedicated their lives to the foreign
mission enterprise. And that Christmas of 1873 found Miss Lottie Moon in
Ting Chao in Shan Tong province of northern China. And for forty years she
remained there in the little house of the crossroads,as they calledher home,
and in Ping Tu, one hundred and fifteen miles westand interior in northern
China.
In 1887, Miss Lottie Moon wrote an article for the ForeignMissionJournal.
And in that article she made an appealfor two things. One:for the

organizationof a woman’s missionary union in our Southern Baptist
communion to support the mission enterprise. And the secondappealwas
that the week before Christmas they’d have an offering for the support of
these foreign missionaries. She must have been a very gifted writer. I read
first the appeal she made for the organizationof the WMU. She wrote:
I am convincedthat one of the chief reasons our Southern Baptist women do
so little is the lack of organization. The world is the field and women’s work
for Christ is whereverthere is a home to be reformed, or a soul to be
redeemed.
Until the womenof our Southern Baptistchurches are thoroughly aroused, we
shall continue to go on in our present hand-to-mouth system. We shall
continue to see mission stations so poorly manned that missionaries break
down from overwork, loneliness, andisolation. We shall continue to see
promising fields unentered and old stations languishing.
She continued,
I wonder how many of us really believe that "it is more blessedto give than to
receive." A womanwho accepts that statementof the Lord Jesus Christ as a

fact and not as impractical idealism will make giving a principle in her life.
She will lay aside sacredlynot less than one-tenth of her income as the Lord’s
money which she would no more dare touch for personal use than she would
steal.
How many are there among our women – alas, alas! – who imagine that
because Jesuspaid it all they need pay nothing, forgetting that the prime
objectof their salvationwas that they should follow in the footsteps of Jesus
Christ in bringing back a lost world to God, and so aid in bringing the answer
to the petition our Lord taught His disciples, "Thy kingdom come."
This was her appeal for the organizationof the Women’s MissionaryUnion.
Now, in that same article she made a secondappeal. She suggestedthat
Southern Baptist women institute a week of prayer and offering, and that this
be the week before Christmas. These are her exactwords:
Needit be saidwhy the week before Christmas is chosen? Is not the festive
season, whenfamilies and friends exchange gifts and memory of the gift laid
on the altar of the world for the redemption of the human race, the most
appropriate time to consecratea portion from both abounding riches and
scantpoverty to send forth the goodtidings of greatjoy into all the world?

That article was published in Decemberof 1887. The following year, in 1888,
the Southern Baptist Convention met in Richmond, Virginia. And at that
convention, upon the suggestionI’ve just read to you from Lottie Moonin
Ting Chow, China, there was organized the Women’s MissionaryUnion. The
first executive leader was named Annie Armstrong from Baltimore,
Maryland. There is a little personal touch in memory of that convention from
our own dear church here in Dallas. Minnie SlaughterVeal, for whom that
building yonder is named – Minnie Slaughter Veal was a messengerand
attendant to that conventionin Richmond when WMU was organized.
Upon its organizationin May of 1888, Annie Armstrong askedDr. Tupper,
the executive leaderof our ForeignMissionBoard, she askedhim about the
secondsuggestionof Lottie Moonthat the week before Christmas there be
made an appealto the churches, a Christmas offering for the support of the
foreign missionary. And Dr. Tupper replied, "Try it. Try it."
So, the Christmas week of 1888 was the first Christmas offering, later named
for Lottie Moon. They had a goal, a South-wide goal, of $2,000. Theyraised,
in their South-wide offering $3,300,and they sentout three new missionaries.
The salaryof the missionary was $1,000a year. When I think of the
missionaries’salary, I think of a whole lot of attendant remembrances. When
I pastoredmy first church they said to me, "If you will work hard, we will try
to pay you $20 a month." I workedhard, and they tried to pay me $20 a
month. And I lived on $20 a month.
Somebody said to me last Sunday, when I preacheda Thanksgiving sermonon
the blessings ofGod, and spoke of my being rearedpoor, they said, "Maybe
you were not so poor." And I replied, "Did you ever try to live on $20 a
month? You will just see how poor some of us have been." That was the first
Christmas offering, at the suggestionofLottie Moon.

Now, may I add a word of one of the reasons I admire that woman beyond any
way I could describe in syllable or in sentence? In that Albemarle Female
Institute there was also a young professorby the name of Crawford H. Toy.
He must have been one of the most brilliant theologians and biblical scholars
of all time. In my library, I have severalcopies ofthe International Critical
Commentary, the most scholarlypublication on the Word of Godthat has
ever been placedin print. And a big volume in that International
Commentary is written by CrawfordH. Toy. As you look through that
volume, you can hardly realize the vasterudition of that learned professor.
While he was teaching in that Albemarle Female Institute, and while this
young woman, Lottie Moon, was in attendance, he fell in love with the young
girl. As the years passed, she went to Ting Chow in Shan Tong, northern
China, to be a missionary. And the brilliant young man, Dr. CrawfordH.
Toy, went to be a professor, the first one chosenbeyond the four founding
fathers of our Southern Baptist TheologicalSeminaryin Louisville, Kentucky,
my alma mater. I attended that seminary six years.
While Dr. Toy, this brilliant professorofHebrew, was teaching in the
seminary, he went to Germany for graduate studies and there was introduced
to German higher criticism, an approachto the Bible that is humanistic. It
treats the Word of God as any other human writing – not inerrant, not
infallible, just a work of men such as Milton, or Shakespeare, orHomer, or
Dante. He became a disciple of Wellhausen, and Bauer, and Kuenen, and the
TÃ¼bingen school, and came back to the seminary and beganto speak of
some of those higher critical persuasions to which he had given his mind and
heart.
The seminary says today that he would be acceptedin that. That’s what the
Southern Seminary has written in their latest theologicaljournal, but not
then. Dr. James Petigru Boyce, the president of the seminary, and Dr. John

A. Broadus, the professorof Greek and later president of the seminary, took
Dr. Crawford H. Toy to the railway station on Broadwayin Louisville and
placed him on the train and sent him away. Dr. James Petigru Boyce put his
left arm around Dr. Crawford, the young man, and raisedhis right hand to
heaven and said, "Dr. Crawford, I would gladly give my right arm if you were
back as you were when you first came to the seminary." Dr. Crawfordwent
to Harvard University to be professorofHebrew there, went into the
Unitarian church, and finally never went to church at all.
In Ting Chow, China, where the correspondence betweenthe two had
continued through the years, Lottie Moon decided that she would be the wife
of Dr. Toy. And he said, "I will go with you to be a missionary in China."
And sweetLottie Mooncame to America to marry Dr. Crawford H. Toy.
When she came to America and talked to him about the Word of God and
learned his views of Holy Scripture, she broke off the engagementand
brokenheartedlyreturned to her missionstation in China, and said in a letter,
"I cannot give up my Bible." She remained single the restof her life. He
remained single the rest of his life.
How many young womenwould do that today? How many are thus
committed to the infallible Word of God? I repeat: I cannotbut find in my
heart an admiration for that missionary beyond any expressionI can
verbalize. Howeverthis ultimate turn may be among our people, I am forever
and forever on that side of the inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of God.
In the passing of the years, coming now to 1911, and Lottie Moonhas been a
missionary in northern China for thirty-nine years. In those sad and tragic
days there came a greatfamine in Ping Tue, and her Christians were starving
to death. In those difficult days the ForeignMissionBoardincreasinglywent
in debt to support our foreign mission enterprise. Our people did not give

enough money to support the missionaries, so the money was borrowed from
the banks in Richmond to pay the salary of the missionary.
Over there in Ting Chow and in Ping Tue, Lottie Moontook all of her savings
out of the bank in Shanghaito help the starving Christians in Ping Tue. She
devoted her entire salaryto those famishing people, and she refused to live on
borrowedmoney. I cannot find the truth in this; some of the missionaries who
were with Lottie Moon said that she broke in her mind. What she said was, "I
will not eat. I will not eat while my starving Christians are dying in Ping
Tue." She said a secondthing. "I will not live on borrowedmoney."
The doctorwas calledand immediately, just looking at her, he pronounced
the physicians verdict: "She is starving to death." They placedher upon a
Pacific steamercalledthe Manchuria in the port at Shanghai to send her back
to America. There was a missionary nurse named Cynthia Miller whose
furlough was due, and they placed the sickenedand dying Lottie Moonunder
her care. The ship stoppedon the way back to America in Kobe, Japan. And
while the ship was at anchorin the bay at Kobe, Japan, Cynthia Miller, the
nurse, saw Miss Lottie Moonin Chinese greetings. And she loweredher head
to hear what the missionary was saying. And what Miss Lottie Moonwas
doing was clasping and unclasping her hands in Chinese greetings and calling
the names of Chinese Christians who had been dead years and years ago.
What do you think of that? Do you think that these who die, God saints, in
the closing moments of their lives they greetthese who have precededthem? I
stumble into it often in my pastoralministry. Mother, father, a son, a
daughter, a beloved friend or husband, before the releasein death comes to
them, they see heavenopen, and they greetthese they have known and loved
in the years gone by. What do you think of that? That’s the wayLottie Moon
died, greeting old Chinese friends she had known in the years and the years
gone by.

By the law of Japanher body was cremated, and Cynthia Miller brought the
ashes back to America, and they are buried there in the cemeteryin Crewe,
Virginia, by the side of her brother. On the marble tombstone are simply
written these words: her name, Lottie Moon, the years of her life, 1840-1912,
then the sentence:"Fortyyears a Southern Baptist missionary to China."
And a concluding word: "Faithful unto death."
Inside the church is a large stained-glass window, and on it is pictured a
woman with flowing garments walking in a field of ripened green.
Underneath, the Great Commission:"Go into all the world" [Matthew 28:19-
20]. And then the final sentence:"Lottie Moon, our missionary"; a
tremendously impressive ministry before the Lord! It is remarkable to me
how God has blessedthe devoted sacrifice ofthat single missionary.
In these years gone by, I was in a preaching mission in Brazil, and holding a
meeting in Recife, the capitalof Pernambuco. The hub of South America
toward Africa is that state of Pernambuco. And Recife is a greatmodern and
thriving city. We have an extensive Baptist work in Recife. And in that work
is a large schoolattended by hundreds and hundreds of young people. In all
of my missionary travels – and for overthirty-five years, I went all over this
earth preaching the gospel – in all of this world, I have never seena man on a
mission field that impressedme more than Alfredo Menasis in Recife, who
headed that greatschool – an elegant-looking man, and an eloquent man.
I asked, "Where did he come from?"
And they replied, "He was one of the most brilliant lawyers in Brazil. And in
our mission compound there was a missionary who wrote a biography of
Lottie Moon, wrote it in Portuguese forthe Brazilian people. And he took

that biography of Lottie Moonand placed it in the hands of an eloquent and
brilliant lawyer who was an infidel. He was a paganunbeliever by the name
of Alfredo Menasis. But because ofthe linguistic genius of the man, the
missionary placedthe biography of Lottie Moon in his hands to correctit, to
put it in beautiful Portuguese language. In reading that biography, that
brilliant infidel lawyerwas saved. He became a Christian. He gave his life to
Christ. He went to the Baptist church in Recife to confess thatfaith, that
newfound faith."
As so many churches do, and now increasinglyamong even our Baptist
churches, the preacher gave no invitation. He just closedthe service and
when this brilliant lawyer saw that the pastorwas closing the service without
an invitation, he stoodup. And he said, "But my brother, I have found the
Lord. I have become a Christian. And in keeping with the Word of God, I
want to confess openly and publicly my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ";
Alfredo Menasis.
When I came back to this church, I made a resolve in my heart. We’ll never
have a service here but that we shall give an invitation. We shall open the
door into the kingdom, into the fellowship, and into the communion of God’s
people. Maybe nobody responds. That’s up to God. We don’t convert. We
don’t convict. We don’t save. Goddoes that. But our assignmentis to point
the way, lift up the Lord, make an appeal in His name. And we do that at
every hour, every service, every convocationofour people.
And it is thus a holy and heavenly privilege to do it again. To give your heart
to the Lord; to come into the fellowshipof this precious congregation;to
follow close our Master who gave Himself for us [1 Corinthians 15:3;
Galatians 2:20]; or to answerthe callof the Holy Spirit in your heart; in a
moment when we stand to sing our appeal, on that first stanza, come. May
God bless and angels attend as you answerwith your life. Now may we pray?

Our Lord, in the beautiful example of this godly woman, God’s missionary,
may there be brought into our hearts and into our homes and into our lives
and into our church a reneweddevotion and consecrationand commitment to
Thee. Lord, help us to do more for Thee, more and more for Thee, and may
God take our consecratedservice and use it here and beyond the seas to bring
others to the saving knowledge ofChrist. Oh, what a difference Jesus can
make in the human heart and the human life! And our Lord, bless this appeal
this morning. Give us in Thy goodnessand grace a gracious response;souls,
some confessing Thee as Savior, some coming into the fellowshipof our
wonderful church, some answering God’s call for service. And thank Thee,
Lord, for eachone, in Thy precious and saving and keeping name, amen.
Now brother Denny, let’s sing us a song, and while we sing it, in the balcony
round, down one of these stairways;in the press of people on this lowerfloor,
down one of these aisles, "This is God’s day for me, pastor, and here I stand."
Welcome, come, while we sing our hymn of appeal.
DR. THOMAS CONSTABLE
Verse 40-41
Matthew referred to the same three women, and Luke mentioned them
generally. Salome was the mother of Zebedee"s sons, Jamesand John , Jesus"
cousins. These women, like the soldiers, also witnessedJesus"death. Their
loving example contrasts with the enemies of Jesus who ridiculed Him.
HoweverMark 15:41 is unique to Mark. It should be a specialencouragement
to all female disciples. Many women followedJesus and served Him
throughout His ministry. John mentioned that he was present at the
crucifixion ( John 19:26-27), but none of the other male disciples appearto
have been there. Women canserve Jesus as disciples as wellas men. Their

roles may be somewhatdifferent from their male counterparts" now as they
were then, but their ministry is just as important. Mark"s introduction of
these three women prepares for their roles as eyewitnesses ofJesus"burial (
Mark 15:47) and resurrection( Mark 16:1-8).
Some Women Who Observed the Crucifixion
Matthew 27:56
Mark 15:40
John 19:25
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Jesus" mother(Mary)
Mary the mother of James and Joseph=
Mary the mother of James the less and Joses =

Mary the wife of Clopas
Mother of Zebedee"s sons =
Salome =
Jesus" mother"s sister
RON DANIEL
15:40-41 Looking FromA Distance
How many times we've heard that the disciples had forsakenJesus and were
nowhere to be found. Surely, they had run away the night before at the
Garden of Gethsemane. But now, at the cross, we know that John was there
with Jesus'mother Mary. But we find that the other disciples as well were
there...
Luke 23:49 And all His acquaintances and the womenwho accompaniedHim
from Galilee, were standing at a distance, seeing these things.
The disciples were there, but again, at a distance. Theymay have been afraid
to be seen- fearing for their lives. Or they may have been embarrassedthat

the man they consideredtheir Lord and Messiahwas now just another
criminal being put to death.
But the reasonMark only mentions the women here is that they are about to
be an integral part of the next few scenes.Theyare at the crucifixion, and will
go to anoint Jesus'body with spices and perfume while the disciples are holed
up in a house, afraid.
MATTHEW HENRY
There were some of his friends, the goodwomen especially, that attended him
(Mark 15:40,41)There were womenlooking on afar off: the men durst not be
seenat all, the mob was so very outrageous Currenti cede furori--Give way to
the raging torrent, they thought, was goodcounselnow. The women durst not
come near, but stood at a distance, overwhelmedwith grief. Some of these
women are here named. Mary Magdalene was one she had been his patient,
and owedall her comfort to his powerand goodness, whichrescuedher out of
the possessionofseven devils, in gratitude for which she thought she could
never do enoughfor him. Mary also was there, the mother of James the little,
Jacobus parvus, so the word is probably, he was so calledbecause he was, like
Zaccheus, little of stature. This Mary was the wife of Cleophas or Alpheus,
sisterto the virgin Mary. These womenhad followedChrist from Galilee,
though they were not required to attend the feast, as the males were but it is
probably that they came, in expectationthat his temporal kingdom would now
shortly be setup, and big with hopes of preferment for themselves, and their
relations under him. It is plain that the mother of Zebedee's children was so
(Matthew 20:21) and now to see him upon a cross, whom they thought to have
seenupon a throne, could not but be a greatdisappointment to them. Note,
Those that follow Christ, in expectationof greatthings in this world by him,

and by the professionof his religion, may probably live to see themselves sadly
disappointed.
IRONSIDE
There is something tenderly pathetic about the little company of faithful
women to whom the Lord Jesus Christ was precious. Bewilderedand
perplexed as they must have been, they stood at some distance, beholding the
One whom they had believed to be the MessiahofIsrael, God’s anointed King,
dying on a cross ofshame.
Mark mentioned two womenby the name of Mary: Mary Magdalene,and
Mary the mother of James and of Joses-thatis, of James and Jude, two of the
apostles. He did not mention Mary the mother of our Lord. We know,
however, from John’s accountthat she stoodby the cross until her dying Son
commended her to the care of the beloved apostle John.
Salome and some others had come from Galilee to be near Him and hear His
gracious messages.Whatmust have been the thoughts of their hearts when
they beheld Him apparently powerless in the hand of His enemies!Did they
remember what His apostles had forgotten: that He had promised He would

rise againthe third day? Apparently not, for we find afterwardthat His
resurrectionwas as greata wonder to these womenas it was to any of His
other friends.
ICC New TestamentCommentary
40. ἡ Μαγδαληνή—the Magdalene, the same as we say, the Nazarene. It
denotes an inhabitant of Magdala, a town on the W. shore of the Lake of
Galilee, three miles north of Tiberias. The only identification of her given in
the Gospels is in Luke 8:2, where she is said to be one out of whom Jesus had
castsevendevils. There is absolutelyno support for the tradition that she was
the sinful woman who anointed the feet of Jesus (Luke 7:36 sq.). Μαρία ἡ
Ἰακώβου τοῦ μικροῦ κ. Ἰωσῆτος—Mary, the mother of James the little, and
of Joses.In the list of the apostles, James is calledthe son of Alphæus, while in
J. 19:25, the name of one of the women standing by the cross is given as Mary,
the wife of Clopas. These coincidenceshave led to the conjecture that Alphæus
and Clopas are identical, both being Greek forms of the Aramaic ַ‫ל‬ְ‫פ‬ ַּ‫י‬ְִ, and
that, therefore, this Mary was the mother of the secondJames in the list of the
apostles. The further conjecture that she was the sisterof Mary, the mother of
Jesus, is basedon the unnecessarysupposition that Μαρία in J. 19:25, is in
apposition with ἡ ἀδελφὴ. It involves the further difficulty of two sisters ofthe
same name. It is connected, moreover, with the theory that the brothers of
Jesus were cousins, the sons of this Mary, and apostles. This theory has
againstit, the fact that it is in the interestof the dogma of the perpetual
virginity of Mary, the mother of Jesus. It also makes the brothers of Jesus
apostles, whichis clearly againstthe record.1 Σαλώμη—the mother of James
and John. This is not directly stated, but it is inferred from a comparisonof
Matthew 27:56 with this passage. A further comparisonwith J. 19:25 has led
to the conjecture that she is the sisterof the mother of Jesus mentionedthere.
This might accountfor Jesus’commending his mother to John, but it is
conjecture only, and will remain so. James is calledὁ μικρός, the little, to
distinguish him from the other “celebrities”ofthe name. But whether it

designates him as less in stature, or in age, orof less importance, there are no
data for determining.
Omit ἦν after ἐν αἶς, Tisch. (Treg.)WH. RV. ‫א‬ BL, mss. Vulg. Omit τοῦ
before Ἰακώβου, Tisch. Treg. WH. ‫א‬ BCKU ΔΠ* 1, 11. Ἰωσῆτος, insteadof
Ἰωσῆ, Tisch. Treg. WH. ‫א‬ BDgr. L Δ 13, 33, 69, 346, two mss. Lat. Vet.
Memph.
41. αἳ, ὅτε ἦν ἐν τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ, ἠκολούθουναὐτῷ—who,whenhe was in
Galilee, followedhim. These three had been associatedwith Jesus in his
Galileanministry, and the διηκόνουν, ministered, shows that they had been
the womenwho attended to his wants, the womenof the family-group
surrounding him. Besides these, there were others who had attached
themselves to him in the same way, when he came up to Jerusalem.
LOWELL JOHNSON
WHEN HE WAS ON THE CROSS, YOU WERE ON HIS MIND
Mark 15:15-41
Before reading the Scripture.
We are about to read about the cross experience ofthe Lord Jesus. Jesus has
been on trial before Pilate and he has heard the Jewishleaders cry out over
and over, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” But as Pilate has examined Him, he
said four times, “Why? I find no fault in Him! Nothing worthy of death!”

Listen as I read the Scripture:
There's a greatgospelsong recordedby the Gaither's, I've chosenas the title
of this message. RonaldMichaelPayne wrote the words which say:
“A look of love was on His face;
The thrones upon His head.
The blood was on that scarletrobe;
Stained it crimson red.
Through His eyes were on the crowdthat day,
He lookedaheadin time,
And when He was on the cross,
You (and I) were on His mind.”

As you study the cross experience ofthe Lord Jesus, youbecome aware that it
was all About Him and all Forus.
Listen as I read Psalm8:3-9.
Before Godcreatedthe heavens and the earth, there was nothing but eternity
past AND God. Then He began to create the heavens and the earth and time
beganfor man.
God createdthe land and the water, the sun and moon, the mountains and the
trees;glorious things, but not an over-abundance of fellowshipfor God. Then
He createdanimals, and that brought Him pleasure. Somewhere in all of this
God createdangels, but God wanted fellowship with someone and worship
from someone. And so, His crowning creationwas man.
God put man in a beautiful garden, gave him everything he could everdesire
– and man sinned. But God still loved man in spite of his sin and wanted to to
redeem him.
The price would be high! The Fatherwould have to allow His Son to become
man, go to the sinful earth, shed His blood on a cross and die so that man
would have the opportunity to be redeemedand God could have fellowship
with him.
Scripture says that just before Christ went to the cross, He went to the
Garden of Gethsemane and prayed and saw in the cup that He must drink,
what it would costHim to redeemman, and what He saw in that cup was so

horrible that He prayed, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me,
but not My will; Your will be done.”
What did He see in that cup? Have you ever wonderedwhat was going
through the mind of Christ as He was experiencing the cross? So many things
– but let me just mention three.
The Scriptures
No body knew the Scriptures like Jesus, andknowing the Scriptures, He knew
everything that was going to happen to Him before it happened. As it was
happening to Him, He must have thought, “Yes, just as the Scriptures said.”
Let me just pick one chapterin the Bible to show you what I mean.
Sevenhundred years before crucifixion was ever used as a form of capital
punishment, David wrote a Psalm about it. Mostlikely David had never seena
crucifixion, but he wrote some amazing details about crucifixion. God
inspired David to write some things that he knew was not about him, but were
about The Christ.
The Gospels recordthe FACTS about the crucifixion; this Psalm records the
FEELINGS ofthe crucified One. In the Gospels we getthe vantage point of
those who watchedfrom ground level as Jesus was being crucified; but in
Psalm22, we have the vantage point of Jesus from the cross.

John, the Beloveddisciple, and Mary, our Lord's mother were at the foot of
the cross whenthey crucified Jesus, but in His wisdom and love, Jesus sent
them away. Looking down from the cross, Jesussaw His mother, Mary, at the
foot of the cross, weeping and John standing with her. Jesus speaksearlyon
the cross, “Woman, beholdyour son (John will treat you as his own mother);
son, behold your mother (John, treat my mother as your mother).” And the
Scripture says that from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
Now it is only Jesus and His Fatherand in a little while His Father will be at a
distance.
Picture Him: hanging on a cross, naked, wounds in His hands and feet, every
bone out of joint, His whole body ablaze with pain – dying for me and you!
Up Calvary's mountain, one dreadful morn
WalkedChrist, my Savior, wearyand worn;
Facing for sinners death on the cross
That He might save them from endless loss.
Chorus:
BlessedRedeemer!Precious Redeemer,

Seems now I see Him on Calvary's tree;
Wounded and bleeding, for sinner pleading.
Blind and unheeding – dying for me!
Father, forgive them thus did He pray
Even while His life's blood flowed fast away;
Praying for sinners while in such woe –
No one but Jesus everloved so.
O how I love Him, Savior and Friend,
How can my praises ever find end?

Thru years unnumbered on heaven's shore,
My tongue shall praise Him forevermore. (Chorus)
So what did He feelon the cross? Whatdid He see?
He was scourgedwith a cat-of-nine tails, lacedwith pieces ofmetal, bone, or
glass that ripped His flesh, and chunks of flesh were ripped from His rib cage,
so much so that He could see His rib bones. Psalm 22:17.
Before they nailed Him to the cross, theydislocatedall His bones. Psalms
22:14.
They nailed His hands and feet. Psalm22:16
From the time He was made to carry His cross and while He was still on the
cross, the mob was like a pack of wild animals, mocking Him and taunting
Him.
Psalm22:12: Bulls of Bashanrefers to the mocking and taunting of the
Priests, elders, scribes, Pharisees, andrulers.
Psalm22:13: May refer to demons and demonic spirits that jeered and
taunted Him.

Psalm22:16: “Dogs.” The words “enclosedme” speaks ofhow they hunted
with wild
scavengerdogs.Menand dogs would encircle their prey, gradually narrowing
the circle with a ring of men and dogs, and then the men let the dogs loose to
attack and rip and tearthe flesh.
Psalm22:6-8: Jesus comparedHimself to a worm – a helpless, powerless,
down-trodden worm. Step on a grub worm and crush it and it doesn'tbother
you. Jesus was discredited, despisedby the people, sneeredat, laughed at,
insulted, treatedwith contempt.
Psalm22:18: The executioners divide up His garments.
Psalm22:15: He was dehydrated and his tongue was so swollenthat it cut off
His
air passage.
Psalm22:1: His Father forsook Him. (Verse 3 tell us why.)
The Sacrifice Isaiah53
Again this chapter is All about Him and All for us.

ReadIsaiah 53:3-11 – Emphasize “He” and “Him”, and “We”, “Our”, and
“Us.”
For sake oftime, let's just look at one verse: Verse 4.
“He has borne our griefs and carriedour sorrows.”He came into the world to
bear The Burden of our sin and The Blame of our sin. Jesus comes and
says,”Here,letMe carry that for you.”
Notice:He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrow. Where did He carry
them? To Calvary and from there, out into a land not inhabited where they
have been buried out of sight of both God and men.
And Jesus paid the price for our sins. Notice the words in Verse 4b:
“stricken,” and“afflicted.” It means “a stroke at God's ownhand.!”
As a result )Verse 5) He was “wounded” (pierced through), bruised (crushed),
chastisedwith stripes (blows that cut). Isaiah53:5.
The Satisfaction
When He said on the cross, “Itis finished!” He had paid the final, total price
for our sin!
Oh, how I love Him, How I adore Him.

My breath, my sunshine, My all in all.
The greatCreatorBecame my Savior
And all God's fullness Dwellethin Him.
Downfrom His Glory, Ever living story
My God, my Saviorcame, And Jesus was His name.
Born in a manger, To His own, a stranger,
A Man of sorrows, fears and agony.
Oh, how I love Him, How I adore Him,

The greatCreator, Became my Savior,
And all God's fullness Dwellethin Him.
Without reluctance, Fleshand blood His substance,
He took the form of man, Revealedthe hidden plan.
Oh, glorious mystery, Sacrifice ofCalvary
And now I know Thou wert the great“I Am.”
Oh, how I love Him, How I adore Him,
The greatCreator, Became my Savior,
And all God's fullness, Dwellethin Him.

J. D. JONES
Verse 40-41
Chapter22.
The Faithful Women
"There were also womenlooking on afaroff: among whom was Mary
Magdalene, andMary the mother of James the less and of Joses, andSalome;
(Who also, when He was in Galilee, followedHim, and ministered unto Him;)
and many other women which came up with Him unto Jerusalem."— Mark
15:40, Mark 15:41.
The Sorrow. StrickenGroup.
Hate and scornand furious and savage contemptsurged up to the very Cross
of Christ, but sympathy and love were not wholly lacking. "There were also
women beholding from afar." "There were also women." Your picture of the
people gatheredround the Cross is not complete unless you see this little
group of Borrowing women. They hung upon the outskirts of the crowd. They
dared not venture near. Perhaps it was that they did not care to venture into
the thick of that mocking, brutal crowd. Perhaps it was that they were afraid;
it was scarcelysafe foranyone to identify himself or herself with Christ that
day. But there they were beholding! And there was a tumult of sorrow in their
hearts. For like the rest of the Lord"s disciples these womenhad trusted that
it was He Who should redeem Israel. And here He was dying before their very
eyes in defeat and shame. They did not know what to think. Their hopes were

all in ruins about them. Their faith was broken and shattered. But, amid the
ruins of their faith, love still survived. ThoughHe was dying there, the
despisedand rejectedof men, their hearts still clung to Him, they still loved
Him, He was to them still the chiefestamong ten thousand and the altogether
lovely. It was that love of theirs that brought them to that dreadful place. It
was torture to them to gaze at Christ suffering, and to listen to the insults
heaped upon His sacredhead, but love kept them rooted to the spot. Love
gave them boldness. Love lent them courage. Theirperfectlove castout fear.
The Women.
The disciples all forsook Him and fled. Peter, Thomas, Philippians ,, Matthew
, they were nowhere to be seen. But there were certain women beholding from
afar. Prominent among them were the three whom Mark mentions by name.
First and foremost, Mary of Magdala, out of whom, the evangelisttells us,
Jesus had castsevendevils. It was a passionof adoring gratitude which
brought Mary there. She owedeverything worth having to the Lord. She had
been redeemedfrom the lowesthell by His power. The priests and scribes
might heap what insult and scornthey pleasedupon His head, but nothing
could dethrone Him from the supreme place in Mary"s affections, forall she
was and hoped to be she owedto Him Who hung and suffered there. And near
her was Mary, the mother of James the Less and Joses—James the Less being
the secondApostle of that name in the little circle of Twelve. And near her
againwas Salome, the mother of James and John. Two mothers of Apostles
and a woman who was herself an embodiment and illustration of Christ"s
saving power, these were the most prominent persons in the little group. This
was not the first time on which they showedtheir devotion to the Lord, for
they, says Mark , "when He was in Galilee followedHim and ministered unto
Him." Our English translation scarcelyreproduces the exactforce of the
Greek. The Twentieth Century Testamentis nearer the mark where it renders
the words, "allof whom used to accompanyJesus when He was in Galilee and
attend on Him."

Their Work.
What a vivid light this throws upon the conditions under which Christ
exercisedHis Galileanministry. It is not altogethereasyfor us to reconstruct
the historic conditions. Supposing that we had been privileged to watch Christ
in His journeying through Galilee—weshouldhave seenHim, as other Jewish
rabbis had been, accompaniedby a little group of chosendisciples. But the
twelve Apostles were not the only people in the entourage of Christ. There
were also some humble, devoted women in it too. And what was the special
function or office of these women? They "ministered unto Him." "There were
humbler points in His personality," says Dr Morison, "in which He touched
the conditions of ordinary mortals, numerous little wants to which they were
capable of ministering and by their attention to which they could leave Him
disembarrassedfor His higher engagements." Letme put that in slightly
simpler and plainer language. When Jesus took up the work of preaching, He
gave up His home and His livelihood. From the material point of view He was
worse off than the birds and the beasts, for, as He Himself put it, while foxes
had holes and the birds of the air had nests, the Son of Man had not where to
lay His head. During the whole period of His public ministry Jesus was
entirely dependent upon the kindness of His friends for sustenance and
support. And that that was the specialduty these faithful women took upon
themselves. They "ministered" to Him. They took care of His physical
comfort. They prepared a home for Him. They lookedafterHis rest and
refreshment. Jesus was so absorbedin His work that He was neglectfulof
Himself. He had no leisure so much as to eat. I picture to myself these devoted
women with gentle firmness pressing food upon Him, taking care of Him as a
mother would take care of her son.
The Ministry of Women.

And all this suggestscertainthoughts about the services womenhave
rendered to Christ and His cause all down the centuries. This is the first little
group of ministering women, but they have never lackedtheir successors.
Women have always been prominent amongstthose who follow Christ and
minister to Him. I wonder sometimes whatthe Church would have been like,
what indeed the Church of Christ would have done, but for its saintly,
devoted, godly women. In every age they have been the Church"s strength;
they are the Church"s strength at this very hour. In a way, I am not at all
surprised to find that women are foremostin the service ofChrist, for they
owe Him a vast and incalculable debt. From one point of view, it is almost true
to say that Christ has done for the whole of womankind what He did for Mary
of Magdala in particular. He found womankind in the horrible pit and the
miry clay, in a state of degradationand dishonour, treated as mere chattels or
things. From that pit of dishonour and shame it was Christ"s hand that lifted
woman up and sether on that pinnacle of respectand dignity on which she
stands today. Even men, like Comte, who rejectChrist"s Gospel, admit
frankly that He immeasurably raisedthe status of women. So that, it is not
surprising that women should be foremostin the service of Christ. They are
simply discharging a vast and infinite debt.
—Its Breadth To-Day.
"They ministered" unto Him! And what an enlargedconceptionof ministry a
little phrase like that suggests!Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of
James and Salome, "ministered" to Christ by just attending to the needs of
our Lord and His disciples. Have we not, in our time, unduly narrowed that
word "ministry"? The public preaching of the word is not the only ministry
Christian folk can render. The point has been raisedafresh, and in a very
definite form, whether womenought not to be allowedto preach and speak in
churches. I do not saythat women have no right to take part in public
services. Theyhave most right. But let us not make the tragic mistake of
thinking that the only "ministry" of Christ is a public ministry. Christ has

some of His most faithful and useful "ministers" amongsttimid and shrinking
women who never dare make their voices heard in the public worship of the
sanctuary. I think of my own mother. I never heard her voice lifted up in one
service. I never heard her even offer a word of prayer in public. But I know
that she was a devoted "minister" of the Lord. And what was true of my own
mother is true of those multitudes of godly mothers who are the saving of our
homes and the strength of our land. And not only of mothers, but of those
other women like Mary of Magdala, who have no children of their own, but
lavish the affectionof their souls upon the sick and the helpless and the
forlorn of whom this world of ours is so full. These are the Salomes and Marys
of our modern Christian life, and they are as true "ministers" of Christ, as
those others whose calling it is to stand in our pulpits.
An Office for all the Faithful.
But it is not only in the case ofwomen, but with regard to all Christian folk
that we need this wider conceptionof ministry. Every Christian is or ought to
be a minister. There is a striking passage in St Paul"s Epistle to the Ephesians
about the function which pastors and preachers have to fill, the force of which
I do not think the average Christianman has grasped. Paulsays that God
gave the Church Apostles, evangelists, pastors andteachers, forthe perfecting
of the saints, "unto the work of ministering" ( Ephesians 4:12). Now that is an
ambiguous rendering. Although this view is not acceptedby most scholars, I
prefer to follow the rendering given in the Twentieth Century Testament, "He
gave His Church Apostles, evangelists, pastors andteachers, to fit His people
for the work of the ministry." It Isaiah , then, to the work of ministry that we
are all called; and this work is within the reach of every one of us. We want
our preachers and pastors and teachers ofcourse. But they are not the only
ministers; and theirs is not the only form of ministry. There is a gracious
ministry that can be exercisedin the home; there is a ministry that canbe
exercisedin the office and the shop; there is the ministry of the personalword
which is within the reachof every one of us; there is the ministry of prayer.

And there is the ministry of simple kindness and beneficence. We canstill
"attend" to Christ as these women did. We can still minister to His necessities.
For He walks our ways still in the shape of the poor and lonely and sick who
need our help. May God give us grace—like these holywomen—to do what we
can, to render our service.
JOHN MACARTHUR
Third point is the confusionof the women, verses 40 and 41. This is an
interesting footnote. “There were also some womenlooking on.” Here we see a
small group of faithful women. These are women who startedto follow Him
when He was in Galilee, according to verse 41, they used to follow Him and
minister to Him or serve Him. And there were many other women who came
up with Him to Jerusalem.
We know all about the men, don’t we? We know about the apostles andwe’re
familiar with them, but there was a group of women who had been with Him
since His days in Galilee, wayback at the beginning of the Galileanministry,
at the start of His secondyearof ministry. Now we’re at the end of the third
year, so there were women who had followed Him for two years. They’re true
disciples. They’re lovers of Christ. They’re believers in the Savior. They are,
frankly, now baffled. They are discouraged. Theyare devastated. They are
lost for an explanation.
John actually says that when Jesus was crucified, they were standing near the
cross, John19, they were standing near the cross. Theywere standing there
for sure when Jesus said, “Beholdyour mother, behold your son,” and put
Mary in the care of John and John in the care of Mary. They were right there,

standing near, John says. But by the time we getto the end, after the
darkness, we readhere, “Theywere looking on from a distance” - a distance.
The “looking onfrom a distance” in that phrase, there’s a Greek verb used
four times by Mark, and every time he uses it, it expresses a kind of detached
observation. The centurion is looking and he’s near the cross. And he sees
clearly who this is. He is not confused. He comes to make this greatconfession
by the powerof the Spirit overhis life. On the other hand, these women who
have never been confused about who Jesus is are now all of a sudden way
back at the fringe of the crowd, detached, expressing a kind of indifferent,
almost what we would saydeer-in-the-headlights blind stare. They’re
confused.
Mark even identifies the names of a few of these women, there were many.
Mary Magdalene, who later becomes the first eyewitness ofJesus afterHis
resurrection. Mary, the mother of James the Less and Joses.Mary, the
mother of James the Less and Joses, thatwould be two sons. James the Less is
also calledJames, the son of Alphaeus in Matthew 10:3, he was one of the
twelve. So this lady named Mary (and there are lots of Mary’s) was the
mother of one of the apostles, James the son of Alphaeus, not James the
brother of John, sons of Zebedee, different James.
There’s another lady there by the name of Salome. She is, however, the
mother of James and John, the wife of Zebedee, according to Matthew 27:56.
Why are they there? Well, let me tell you something. For all that can be said
about the greatness ofthe apostles, they were gone, and these ladies were
there. So much for male courage. Something precious about that. Even in
their confusion, they were there. Slowly they started out at the foot of the
cross, maybe hoping for some miracle, something to happen that would make
sense out of all of it, and then He died. And they’re way at the fringe.

They had been with Him, verse 41 says, when He was in Galilee, and they used
to follow Him. That means they did it all the time, regularly, and serve Him,
minister to Him. They were eyewitnesses ofHis entire ministry in Galilee and
subsequently in Judea for the last year of His life. They would be the
eyewitnesses,first of all, of His resurrection. And they’re unique because
they’re not apostles. They’re not the chosentwelve.
They’re not men, they’re women believers who used to follow Him (imperfect
verb meaning in a continual fashion) and used to minister to Him, another
imperfect verb, continually. And by the way, in the gospelof Mark, only two
persons are ever said to have ministered to Christ. One, these women, and the
other in chapter 1, verse 13, the holy angels. So they function as kind of
earthly angels.
They’re not leaders. They’re not empoweredlike the apostles to do miracles.
They’re not calledto be preachers. But they are the truly, precious faithful
who, while the apostles have forsakenHim, have not. They are still there. And
they will be rewardedbecause they will be the first to see Him on Sunday
morning, and the sorrow of those ladies will turn to great joy.
RICH CATHERS
Introduction
We’ve been walking through the accountof Jesus’lastdays. We’ve seenHim
put on trial and condemned to death, even though He was an innocent man.
We’ve seenHim whipped and beaten. We’ve seenHim being crucified, nailed
to a cross. And we’ve seenHim die.

Today we look at another one of the keyelements of the “gospel”,that Jesus
was buried:
(1 Cor 15:1-4 NKJV) Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospelwhich I
preachedto you, which also you receivedand in which you stand, {2} by
which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you;
unless you believed in vain. {3} ForI delivered to you first of all that which I
also received:that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, {4}
and that He was buried, and that He rose againthe third day according to the
Scriptures,
It’s His burial that proves His death. The Roman officials would not have
releasedthe body of Jesus to be buried unless His death sentence had been
finished.
Why was it important that Jesus die?
It was His death that paid for our sins. His death was a sacrifice, paying the
debt we owed Godfor our sins. He died in our place. He paid for us.
His death also is a primary part of the resurrection. If He didn’t die, then He
didn’t rise from the dead. His resurrectionis the chief thing that proves to us
that Jesus is the Savior. His resurrectionsets Him apart from every other so-
calledreligious leader that has ever lived. Or died.
:40 There were also womenlooking on from afar, among whom were Mary
Magdalene, Marythe mother of James the Less and of Joses,and Salome,
:41 who also followedHim and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee,
and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.
Mary Magdalene – Despite what Dan Brown, the author of “The Da Vinci
Code”, hints at in his book, Mary Magdalene was not the wife of Jesus. Here’s
what we do know about Mary Magdalene, fromthe Bible:
She was a woman that Jesus had helped, He had castsevendemons out of her
(Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2)

She was one of these womenfrom the northern area of Galilee who served
Jesus.
She was honored by Jesus by being the first person He appeared to after His
resurrection(Mark 16:9)
Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses – it’s possible that we don’t
know who this woman is, because we aren’t sure who James the Less and
Joses are. Butthere’s another possibility – that it’s Jesus’mother, Mary.
Jesus had some “half-brothers”, they had the same mother but different
fathers (Jesus was God’s Son). We know that two of His half brothers were
named James and Joses(Mat. 13:55).
Salome – (Mat. 27:56)she is the mother of the apostles James andJohn.
many other women – If the secondMary mentioned (vs. 40)isn’t the mother
of Jesus, we do know that Jesus’mother was there. John tells us that while
Jesus was dying on the cross, He entrusted John to take care of His mother
(John 19:25).
ministered – diakoneo (“deacon”) – to be a servant, attendant, preparing
food; taking care of things necessaryto sustain life.
Luke gives us some clues as to whom some of these other women might have
been when he tells about things happening earlierin Jesus’ministry in Galilee
…
(Luke 8:1-3 NKJV) Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through
every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom
of God. And the twelve were with Him, {2} and certain womenwho had been
healed of evil spirits and infirmities; Mary calledMagdalene, outof whom
had come sevendemons, {3} and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward,
and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.
Joanna was a personwho lived in Herod’s palace, but she followedJesus.
Luke tells us that Mary Magdalene, Joanna, andMary the mother of James
were part of the group that would go to the tomb early Sunday morning, only
to find that Jesus was gone (Luke 24:10)

provided – diakoneo (“deacon”) – to be a servant …
substance – huparchonta – possessions, goods, wealth, property
Lesson
Giving back to the Lord
These were womenwho had been touched by Jesus. Theyapparently had
either been sick or under demonic power. But now they were free.
A.T. Robertson: “This is the first woman’s missionarysocietyfor the support
of missionaries of the Gospel.”
This is the heart of what “giving” should be all about. Theygave back to
Jesus in gratitude for what He had done for them.
For those of you visiting our church, for those of you who were dragged
kicking and screaming to church, for those of you who are here to learn more
about Jesus and whether or not you want to follow Him … you should not
even be thinking about giving.
For those of you who think that giving is something you “have” to do, and it’s
a terrible sacrifice foryou to put your money in the Agape box, don’t do it.
(2 Cor 9:7 NKJV) So let eachone give as he purposes in his heart, not
grudgingly or of necessity;for God loves a cheerful giver.
Some churches come up with all sorts of ways to make people give …
Illustration
Hymns and Offerings
One Sunday a pastortold his congregationthat the church needed some extra
money and askedthe people to prayerfully considergiving a little extra in the
offering plate. He said that whoevergave the most would be able to pick out
three hymns. After the offering plates were passed, the pastor glanceddown

and noticed that someone had placed a $1,000bill in the offering. He was so
excited that he immediately shared his joy with his congregationandsaid he’d
like to personally thank the personwho placed the money in the plate. A very
quiet, elderly, saintly lady all the wayin the back shyly raised her hand. The
pastor askedherto come to the front. Slowly she made her wayto the pastor.
He told her how wonderful it was that she gave so much and in thanksgiving
askedher to pick out three hymns. Her eyes brightened as she lookedover the
congregation, pointed to the three handsomestmen in the building and said,
“I’ll take him and him and him.”
Giving should only be for those who have been touched by Jesus, those who
are grateful to Him for all He’s done in their life.
Note: These gals gave in two different ways –
1. Theygave money – they used their finances to help meet the needs of the
whole group.
2. Theyserved – they didn’t just write a check and walk away. They followed
Jesus and served the whole group.
Lesson
Godly women
It wasn’t that the disciples weren’t present at the cross, but it appears that
they had been watching from a distance:
(Luke 23:49 NKJV) But all His acquaintances, andthe womenwho followed
Him from Galilee, stoodat a distance, watching these things.
But the women were apparently up front, at the cross.
It is worth noting that women were the first at Jesus’cradle, the lastat His
cross, and the first to discoverHis resurrection.

Some people would lead you to believe that the church has held women back,
beginning with some sortof plot by the early church fathers. But just the
opposite is true:
Clement of Alexandria (died 101 AD) wrote, “Many womenhave received
powerthrough the grace ofGod and have performed many deeds of manly
valor.”
Jerome (died 420 AD), had some harsh criticism for dedicating his books to
women. He wrote, “These people do not know that while Barak trembled,
DeborahsavedIsrael, that Esther delivered from supreme peril the children
of God. Is it not to women that our Lord appeared after His Resurrection?
Yes, and the men could then blush for not having soughtwhat the women had
found.”
Marcella, who was born to a noble Roman family in 325, was highly revered
by Jerome, the 4th-century translator of the Latin Vulgate version of the
Bible. This noblewomanoffered her palace as a sanctuary for Christians who
were being persecuted, and was active in leading Bible classes andprayer
meetings among the other noblewomen. Though widowedat an early age and
having no children, she chose to not remarry and instead devoted herself to
serving Christ and the church. When Pope Damasus commissionedscholar
Jerome to make a newly revisedtranslation of the Gospels, taking the latest
available Hebrew and Greek texts and translating them into Latin, Jerome
moved into Marcella’s retreathouse palace for the duration of his task. For
three years, he depended upon Marcella and her other house guests to critique
his ongoing work, which eventually became a classic, the Latin Vulgate Bible.
Marcella founded the first convent for women in the Westernchurch, and
gave liberally of her wealthto help other Christians, clearly showing to her
fellow noblewomen that greaterrewards and fulfillment come from storing up
treasures in heaventhan from hoarding treasures onearth.
God uses women. Our church is filled with many wonderful, godly women
who serve the Lord just like these gals did. I think that sometimes some of us
lunk-head guys could learn a few things about serving Jesus from the gals
around us.

We often talk about men learning to be the spiritual head of the home. That is
so important. I believe God wants men to be strong, godly leaders.
But to be honest, in many homes it is the woman who is more mature in the
Lord.
Gals, thank you for your love for the Lord. Thank you for setting an example.
(Prov 31:30 NKJV) Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman
who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
Mark 15:40-47 Burial
3/24/02 D. Marion Clark
Introduction
How does the Creedgo? “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Makerof
heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, who was born of the
virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.”
We have seenJesus suffer;we have seenhim die; now we see him buried.
How comforting it is, finally, to see him in the hands of those who care for
him. Hands no longer strike him, and no one now mocks him.
Just a short while earlier, perhaps a couple of days, he had blessedMary’s
extravagantdisplay of homage and love – pouring costlyperfume upon his
head – by saying that she had prepared his body for burial. That had meant a
lot to him. Now, his body is being buried, and one last actof homage will be
made.
Text
40 Somewomen werewatchingfrom a distance. Among them wereMary
Magdalene, Marythe mother of Jamesthe younger and of Joses, and
Salome. 41 In Galileethese women had followed him and cared for his needs.
Manyother women whohad come up withhim to Jerusalem werealsothere.

Mark presents an element of Jesus’ministry that heretofore we knew nothing
about. Beyond the male disciples who followedhim were a number of women.
What marks their relationship to Jesus was their service:they cared for his
needs. Luke tells us a little more in chapter 8 of his gospel:
Jesus traveled aboutfrom one town and villageto another, proclaimingthe good
newsof the kingdom of God. The Twelvewerewithhim, 2 and also some women
who had been cured of evil spiritsand diseases: Mary (called Magdalene)from
whom seven demonshad come out; 3 Joanna the wifeof Cuza, the managerof
Herod’s household; Susanna;and manyothers. These women werehelping to
support them out of their own means (8:1-3).
These womenplayed a notable part in Jesus’ ministry. Judas may have been
the treasurerfor Jesus and the disciples, but the money he managedevidently
came from these women for the most part. Perhaps some were from wealthy
homes of husbands or fathers;perhaps some were industrious and earned
money through making cloth or pottery. It is likely that they prepared many
of Jesus’meals, saw to it that he had goodclothing. As is generallytrue of
women, they would have been more alert than the men when he was tired or
hungry. Mostlikely they were not always with Jesus as the Twelve were.
More likely they followedhim for a time, perhaps even in the sense of keeping
shifts. It would not have been proper for a woman to leave her home and
follow him for an extensive period of time. Even so, they likely were already
creating somewhatof a scandal. It was not common for a Jewishrabbi to
have a following of women, nor was it consideredproper for women to be
following a rabbi like a disciple. And, yet, as Mark notes, this women
“followed” Jesus, the same term used for the disciples following him.
Mark names three of the womenpresent for Jesus’crucifixion and burial:
Mary Magdalene, Marythe mother of Jamesthe younger and of Joses, and
Salome. These womenwere apparently well-knownin the early church,
including Mary’s sons James and Joses orJoseph. Perhaps Salome is the
mother of James and John, if we understand Matthew right (cf. 27:56). We
know Mary Magdalene the best, or at leastthink we do. Mostbelieve her to
be a former prostitute, which is never said of her. Luke tells us she had been
possessedby sevendemons, but she is never reported as having been immoral.
As in keeping with their devotion and practicalconcernfor Jesus, the women
continue to keepwatch over Jesus during and following his crucifixion.

GENE PENSIERO
Mark introduces us to a group of ladies whose routine daily life
was to minister to the mundane needs of Jesus.
Mar 15:40 There were also womenlooking on from afar, among
whom were Mary Magdalene, Marythe mother of James the Less
and of Joses,and Salome,
Mary of Magdala is how it should read. Since there were so many
Mary's following Jesus, this one was distinguished from the others
by reference to her Galileanhometownof Magdala.
3 of 15
Mark 15:40-47
"The Persuasionofthe Body Snatcher"
This is the first mention of her in Mark's Gospel. The earliest
reference to her is in Luke 8:2, where it is recordedthat Jesus
castout of her sevendemons.
She is mentioned twelve times in the New Testament, making her
the secondmostmentioned woman, after Mary, the mother of
Jesus.
Except in John 19:25, Mary is always named first in these lists of
women. We can therefore deduce that she held an unofficial
position of leadership among the women.
Mary of Magdala has been the victim of slanderby church
officials. Specifically, that she was a prostitute.
The Roman Catholic Church was guilty of fastening this slander
upon Mary when at Naples, in 1324, it establishedits first
“MagdalenHouse” forthe rescue and maintenance of fallen
women.
There is zero biblical evidence that Mary was a prostitute or a
notorious sinner.
Nor was she the girlfriend or the wife of Jesus, as is sometimes
portrayed in extra biblical literature. Forone thing, the factthat
she assumeda leading role among the womenargues for her
being a much older woman. We may imagine her in her twenties
or thirties, but she was just as likely above fifty or sixty years of
age.
Mostof the references to her are found in the crucifixion and
empty tomb accounts, where she is portrayed as a loyal disciple

at the foot of the cross, and as one of the first witnessesto the
resurrection.
4 of 15
Mark 15:40-47
The next Mary is distinguished by her sons. "Jamesthe less and
Joses"must have been well knownin the early church. The
nickname "less" apparently servedto distinguish this James from
other men of that common name by a reference to his stature. He
was either a little guy, or one of those big guys that you call "tiny."
Salome's name appears only in Mark’s Gospel(15:40;16:1). A
comparisonwith Matthew 20:20 and 27:56 indicates that she was
“the mother of Zebedee’s children," the apostles James andJohn.
From a comparisonwith John 19:25, it is commonly held that she
was also the sisterof Jesus’mother.
Mar 15:41 who also followedHim and ministered to Him when He
was in Galilee, and many other womenwho came up with Him to
Jerusalem.
Numerous other women followedJesus to Jerusalemto celebrate
Passover.
Mary, Mary, and Salome ministered to Jesus when He was in
Galilee;and they "followedHim" when He was outside of Galilee.
They were constantly serving Him.
Think, for just a moment, about Jesus and the Twelve, and
sometimes many more, traveling from place to place, as Jesus
preachedthe Gospel. There was groceryshopping to be done;
there were meals to be prepared; clothes neededlaundering and
mending.
Everyday... Day-by-day... Forthree-and-one-half years.
They did it, quite literally, as unto the Lord.
5 of 15
Mark 15:40-47
So ought we to do our mundane and routine activities as unto the
Lord.
Col 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name
of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Fatherthrough Him.
For some of us, it's going to be "wax on, waxoff," for the better
part of our lives. It is not insignificant if we are where the Lord
wants us, doing what He wants us to do, in His Name, and for His

sake.
At the same time, we don't want to settle for the routine if and
when the remarkable presents itself.
#2 Don't Think That Your Remarkable Service
For The Lord Is Inconceivable
JOHN GILL
Verse 40
There were also women looking on afar off,.... At some distance from the
cross, observing whatwas said and done;
among whom was Mary Magdalene;who had receivedgreatfavours from
Christ:
and Mary the mother of James the less;or "little", so called to distinguish him
from James the son of Zebedee, and because he might be little of stature: nor
was it unusual with the Jews to distinguish persons afterthis manner: so we
readF26 ofR. Jesa, ,1F"elttil eht" ,‫הקטון‬ ,leumaS fo dna ,"elttileht" ,‫זעלרא‬
which some have thought to be the Apostle Paul, so called from the littleness
of his stature:
and of Joses;or "Joseph", as the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions read;
and Salome;the mother of Zebedee's children, James and John; See Gill on
Matthew 27:56. This was a common name among the Jews;Herod had a sister
and a daughter of this name; and the daughter of Herodias, who demanded
the head of John, the Baptist, was of this name; and it is the same with
Shalom: we readF2 ofone Imme Shalom, or mother Shalom, wife of R.
Eliezer, and sisterto Rabban Gamaliel. Salome, with the EthiopiansF3, is said
to be Mary's midwife, and to accompanyChrist, with Mary, and Joseph,
when they fled into Egypt.
Verse 41
Who also, when he was in Galilee, followedhim,.... Whereverhe went in
Galilee, and from thence to Jerusalem:
and ministered unto him; of their worldly substance, Luke 8:3,

and many other women which came up with him into Jerusalem;from the
same parts; see Matthew 27:55.
PETER PETT
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