April 6

And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things. - Luke 23:49.

AND here we have some of the SAVIOUR’S OWN CONNECTIONS spectators on this occasion. Observe, First, They include his acquaintance. These were persons between friends and strangers, with whom he had occasional and partial intercourse, without admitting them to intimacy. Of such our Saviour must have had many, as he had never affected the monk and the ascetic. In his various journeys up to Jerusalem and back again to Galilee, where he commonly resided, he must have slept under many a roof. We find him frequently preaching in a private house. He would make acquaintance of those who resided there. His acquaintance, therefore, must have been many.

Secondly, They include “the women that followed him from Galilee, who stood afar off beholding these things.” Everything here was more than allowable. Everything here was praiseworthy. It is a remark which has been often made, but cannot be made too often, that women were the last at the cross, and the first at the tomb of Jesus. What a contrast these pious women here form with the disciples! Where are they? One has betrayed him; another has denied him; and all have forsaken him and fled. These women were not the “daughters of Jerusalem,” to whom Jesus turned and said, “Weep not for me.” Those were dwellers in Jerusalem; whereas the women here spoken of had followed him from Galilee, where they resided; they accompanied him when he came up to attend the Passover. But this is not all. We are led to observe, that there were “many women,” some of whom were women of substance, and they were enabled to exercise beneficence towards their Lord and Saviour.

Observe, it is not only said that they followed him up to Jerusalem, but that they “ministered unto him,” bearing his expenses. We have the names of some of them- Mary Magdalene was one who had been healed and delivered by our Lord of a complication of maladies, and she felt her obligation. Another was Mary, the mother of James and John, the very woman who, influenced by her two sons, requested that “one of them might sit at his right hand, and the other at his left in his kingdom;” and to whom he said, “Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of, and be baptized with the baptism wherewith I am baptized?” and they foolishly said, “We are able.” Here was the mother, but where were James and John, who said thej1 were then able? We shall indeed presently find one of them at least drawing near the cross, but nothing is said of James. Where was he?

Observe their position- “they stood beholding afar off.” Perhaps they could not get nearer for the crowd; but even here the prophecy was fulfilled, “My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore, and my kinsmen stand afar oft’.” Perhaps they were in some measure influenced by fear, and their courage increased with the occasion. But there was real love in them; this was the principle which swayed them, and they were soon by their love able to cast out fear, as we see by their subsequent conduct, especially on the morning of the resurrection. They stood beholding him, until, through the growing obscurity of the darkness that was now coming on, they had nearly lost sight of him. Doubtless they felt much despondency. They would feel the annihilation for the time of all their hopes of an earthly empire. After awhile, it is to be observed, they got nearer to the cross. Feeling the shaking of the earth, and now seeing the darkness, many drew back from the cross terrified, and thus gave the Saviour’s friends an opportunity of approaching nearer to it. And this was necessary, for otherwise they would not have been able to contemplate him in the spreading darkness. Here were two of the women with the mother of Jesus, Mary the wife of Cleophas and Mary Magdalene. Mary Zebedee, who had introduced her two sons, is not standing near the cross. John is there now. When Jesus therefore saw his mother and that disciple standing by, he saith unto his mother-Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to that disciple, Behold thy mother!”

These were the spectators on this occasion; and thus they were all influenced. Jesus died nearly two thousand years ago. We cannot therefore actually see him die, and yet in the preaching of the gospel before our eyes Jesus Christ is evidently set forth as crucified among us.