{Many women} (gunaikes pollai). We have come to expect
the women from Galilee to be faithful, last at the Cross and
first at the tomb. Luke ( Lu 23:49 ) says that "all his
acquaintance" (pantes hoi gn(9373)toi aut(9369)) stood at a distance
and saw the end. One may hope that the apostles were in that sad
group. But certainly many women were there. The Mother of Jesus
had been taken away from the side of the Cross by the Beloved
Disciple to his own home ( Joh 19:27 ). Matthew names three of
the group by name. Mary Magdalene is mentioned as a well-known
person though not previously named in Matthew's Gospel. Certainly
she is not the sinful woman of  Lu 7  nor Mary of Bethany. There
is another Mary, the mother of James and Joseph (Joses) not
otherwise known to us. And then there is the mother of the sons
of Zebedee (James and John), usually identified with Salome ( Mr
15:40 ). These noble and faithful women were "beholding from
afar" (apo makrothen the(9372)ousai). These three women may have
drawn nearer to the Cross for Mary the Mother of Jesus stood
beside the Cross (para t(9369) staur(9369)) with Mary of Clopas and
Mary Magdalene ( Joh 19:25 ) before she left. They had once
ministered unto Jesus (diakonousai aut(9369)) and now he is dead.
Matthew does not try to picture the anguish of heart of these
noble women nor does he say as Luke ( Lu 23:48 ) does that "they
returned smiting their breasts." He drops the curtain on that
saddest of all tragedies as the loyal band stood and looked at
the dead Christ on Golgotha. What hope did life now hold for
them?