Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 15:40
There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
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, out of whom had gone forth seven demons (Luk 8:2). This is the first time she is mentioned by St Mark.
Mary the mother of James the less ] The “Mary of Clopas” (Joh 19:25) who stood by the cross, and “Mary of James the Less” (comp. Mat 27:56), are the same person; she was the sister of the Blessed Virgin, and had married Clopas or Alphus.
James the less ] James the Little, so called to 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 account of his low stature; or ( c) because, when elevated to the bishopric of Jerusalem (Gal 2:12), he took the name in humility, to distinguish him from his namesake, now famous in consequence of his martyrdom (Act 12:2).
Joses ] See note above, Mar 3:31.
Salome ] See note above, Mar 10:35.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 40. Joses] Some MSS. and versions read Joset, others Joseph. See Clarke on Mt 27:56.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
There were also women looking on afar off,…. At some distance from the cross, observing what was said and done;
among whom was Mary Magdalene; who had received great favours 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 after this 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 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 comments on Mt 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 sister to Rabban Gamaliel. Salome, with the Ethiopians c, is said to be Mary’s midwife, and to accompany Christ, 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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
And Salome ( ). Apparently the “mother of the sons of Zebedee” (Mt 27:56). Only in Mark.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Magdalene. See on Mt 27:56.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “There were also women looking on afar off: hesan de kai gunaikes apo makrothen theorousai) “Then there were also women from afar (from the country of Galilee) observing, watching, or auditing this event;” Matthew adds “Many women,” and a “great company of people,” who had beheld Him and bewailed, from a distance, Mat 27:55; Luk 23:27; Luk 23:48-49.
2) “Among whom was Mary Magdalene,” (en hais kai Maria he Magdalene) “Among whom was Mary Magdalene, of Magdale, near Capernaum, in Galilee,” out of whom Jesus had cast seven unclean or demon spirits, Luk 8:2.
3) “And Mary the mother of:”(kai Maria he meter)”And Mary the mother of,” the following, Mat 27:56. See also her sister Mary, the mother of Jesus, Joh 19:25.
a) “James the less,” (labobou tou mikrou) “James the little one,” the less, also ca I led the “Son of Alphaeus,” the son of Mary, the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. He was a cousin of the Lord, also an apostle, Mat 10:3, and author of the book of James.
b) “And of Joses,” (kai losetos) “And the mother of Joses,” who also had a cousin by the same name, Mat 13:55. Note two sisters were called Mary and two cousins of the two Marys were called Joses.
c) “And Salome.” (kai Salome) “And Salome” the mother of Zebedee’s children, also mentioned Mar 16:1. The word Salome means “perfect” whole, or mature.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
7. WOMEN WATCHING. DESCENT FROM THE CROSS.
THE BURIAL. 15:40-47
TEXT 15:40-47
And there were also women beholding from afar: among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him; and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.
And when even was now come, because it was the Preparation, that is the day before the sabbath, there came Joseph of Arimathea, a councillor of honourable estate, who also himself was looking for the kingdom of God; and he boldly went in unto Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he learned it of the centurion, he granted the corpse to Joseph. And he bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of a rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 15:40-47
917.
What purpose did Mark have in mentioning the women of Mar. 15:40?
918.
Have we heard of Mary of Magdala, or Magdalene, before?
919.
Please attempt to identify the persons here mentionedi.e.: (1) James the less, (2) Joses, (3) Salome.
920.
What is the meaning of the expressionministered unto him?
921.
Why the many women who followed Jesus i.e., why were they there?
922.
Can we definitely identify Friday as the day of the crucifixion?
923.
Are we to understand from Mar. 15:43 that Joseph of Arimathaea was a member of the Sanhedrin?
924.
Just what was involved in looking for the kingdom of God?
925.
What could Pilate learn from the centurion he could not have found out from Joseph?
926.
Why use a linen cloth for the body?
927.
To whom did the tomb belong?
COMMENT
TIME.Friday.
PLACE.Calvary or Golgothathe tomb.
PARALLEL ACCOUNTS.Mat. 27:45-66; Luk. 23:49-56; Joh. 19:28-42; Joh. 19:40-42.
OUTLINE.1. Women watching, Mar. 15:40-41. 2. The descent from the cross, and the burial of Jesus, Mar. 15:42-47.
ANALYSIS
I.
WOMEN WATCHING, Mar. 15:40-41.
1.
Watched from a distance.
2.
They were: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the less, and of Joses and Salome.
3.
Earlier they had followed Him and ministered to Him in Galilee.
4.
There were many other women present who had followed Him to Jerusalem.
II.
THE DESCENT FROM THE CROSS, AND THE BURIAL OF JESUS, Mar. 15:42-47.
1.
Joseph of Arimathaea came in the late afternoon of the day before the Sabbath to ask of Pilate the body of Jesus.
2.
Pilate was surprised Jesus was already deadhe confirmed the report by asking the centurion.
3.
Upon a sure knowledge of the death of Jesus, the corpse was given to Joseph.
4.
Joseph bought linen in which to wrap the body of JesusJesus body was taken down from the cross and laid in a rock-hewn tomba stone was rolled against the door of the tomb.
5.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses noticed the place of His burial.
EXPLANATORY NOTES
I.
WOMEN WATCHING.
All the synoptists mention this group of women, Luke without enumeration of their names. Luke has a similar group (or, more strictly, the same) at chap. Mar. 8:2-3, with some names enumerated. Here three are mentioned as belonging to the company that followed him, when he was in Galilee, and ministered unto him (Luk. 8:3, ministered to him of their substance), and many other women are mentioned (by Mark alone) as having come up with him unto Jerusalem.They stood afar off (so all the synoptists), looking on, and with them (Luke) were all his acquaintancei.e., the group contained generally those of his friends who were present in Jerusalem. Of course the mention of this group, being introduced after the record of his death, relates to no single moment, and does not imply that the same persons were together during the whole time of the crucifixion. John has already spoken of all whose names are given here as standing earlier beside the cross. It is a touching fact that the mother of Jesus appears only there, beside the cross, and not among those who stood afar off.Mary Magdalene. Now earliest mentioned, except in Luk. 8:2. Her connection with her Lord began, as that passage leads us to believe, with his act in casting out of her seven demonsi.e., in relieving her of some specially severe form of demoniacal possession; for there is no good reason to spiritualize the healing, as James Freeman Clarke has done (The Legend of Thomas Didymus) into the deliverance from falsehood, murder, pride, luxury, selfishness, unbelief, and despair. There is no evidence for identifying her with any other Mary of the Gospels or to cast doubt on the purity of her life. The most probable derivation of her name is from Magdala, or Migdol, the watchtower, a town on the shore of Lake Gennesaret. After the healing she became one of the ministering women; but her recorded connection with her Lord has to do mainly with the scenes of his death and resurrection.Mary the mother of James the less, or the little. Probably a descriptive name, given because he, like Zacchaeus, was small of stature.And of Joses. (See Mar. 3:18). There are unanswered questions about this family group, but it seems most probable that the James and Joses here mentioned are not to be identified with those who appear among the brethren of the Lord at Mar. 6:3.Salome is to be identified with the mother of Zebedees children in the parallel passage in Matthew, and probably with the sister of our Lords mother in Joh. 19:25.
Between the record of the death and that of the descent from the cross John inserts the narrative, which he alone has preserved, of the breaking of the legs of the two robbers, in order to hasten their death before the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, and of the piercing of the side of Jesus with the soldiers spear, in order to test the reality of his death, or rather to decide the question, if there was any doubt. It is from the outflow of blood and water that the inference is drawn respecting the physical cause of his death.
II.
THE DESCENT FROM THE CROSS AND THE BURIAL OF JESUS.
Mar. 15:42. The natural inference is that the death occurred not long after the ninth houri.e., at between three and four oclock by our reckoning. The Sabbath would begin at sunset. It was common enough for the Romans to leave the bodies of the crucified on the crossindeed, they often remained there till they were devoured by birds or fell to pieces in decaybut this execution had taken place under Jewish auspices, and the Jews would not be willing, in view of the prohibition in Deu. 21:23, that the body of Jesus should remain all night on the cross, and still less over the Sabbath, which as the Sabbath of the passover week, was a great day (Joh. 19:31).The Preparation, that is, the day befor the Sabbath. A valuable definition, because it removes the suspicion that the same word may elsewhere mean the day before the passover.The time, when the even was come, cannot be more closely defined, but it cannot have been long after the death of our Saviour.
Mar. 15:43. Joseph of Arimathaea, or who was from Arimathaea. Mentioned on this occasion only, his name and residence being given by all four evangelists. Arimathaea is of uncertain site. It is commonly identified with Ramah, or Ramathaim-zophim, the home of Elkanah, the father of Samuel (1Sa. 1:1; 1Sa. 2:11)a place which is known in the Septuagint as Armathaim. The identification is probably correct, but the site of Ramah has long been in doubt. The best modern theory follows a somewhat ancient tradition in locating it at Neby Samwil, about four miles north-west from Jerusalem. This site would satisfy all the requirements of the history, and may be regarded as probably the true one. Concerning Joseph himself, we learn from Matthew that he was a rich man; from Mark, that he was an honorable counsellor, or, more probably, a counsellor of honorable estate, a rich and prosperous man. Luke as well as Mark calls him a counsellor, which means, here, a member of the council, or Sanhedrin, of the Jews. Luke further calls him a good man and a just, and adds that he had not consented to their counsel and deed. Apparently, he had been absent from the meeting; perhaps intentionally omitted from the call, perhaps absent at daybreak, when the meeting was held, at his home in Arimathaea. Concerning his relations to Jesus, we have in Mark and Luke that he waited, or was looking, for the kingdom of God (compare Luk. 2:25; Luk. 2:38), by which is meant that he was a devout Jew who delighted in the promises of God concerning his coming kingdom and was expecting their early fulfillment. The phrase does not declare that he was a disciple of Jesus, but it does represent him as one of those who were ready for discipleship. Matthew says, however, that he was a disciple of Jesus, and John says the same, adding, but secretly, for fear of the Jews. Thus he belonged to the class mentioned in Joh. 12:42-43. Not until now, apparently, had his convictions in favor brought him to frank confession. His position was a trying one, and he had not had moral power to conquer its difficulties. But now, the Lord being merciful unto him, as he was to Lot in Sodom (Gen. 19:16), he was brought forth out of his false position, love and sorrow being the messengers that led him forth. He camei.e., to the place of crucifixion. Perhaps the word, standing where it does, indicates that he arrived at the place when Jesus was dying or dead, having only then come into the city from his home. If he had been at Arimathaea since the night before, he may have known nothing of what was going on; in which case the sudden amazement would swell the tide of his indignation and horror, and easily lead him beyond his former self in devotion to the Crucified one. The participle does not merely mean boldly; it means, waxing bold, coming to new boldness. The word is peculiar to Mark. In this new boldness he went in unto Pilate, to his house or place of judgment, whither the chief priests would not go for fear of defilement (Joh. 18:28). There he cravedor, literally, askedthe body of Jesus. So, identically, the synoptists; John, asked that he might take away the body of Jesus.
Mar. 15:44-45. The mention of Pilates wonder and inquiry is peculiar to Mark. Plainly, Pilate did not know of the breaking of the legs of the robbers. Only a few hours had passed, and it seemed impossible that Jesus was dead. Not improbably, there was a shock to Pilates mind in the tidings: he had honestly wished to save him, and so soon all was over! Calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead long (palai), not any while. There is a certain rough tenderness in Pilate here; he would do what he could to preserve the Crucified One from insult and help him to honorable burial; so, the death being officially confirmed, he gave the body (or, rather, granted the corpse) to Joseph. So the best text: ptoma, instead of soma. Here John adds, he came therefore, and took away his body. Here, also, John tells of the coming of a helper to Josepha man of the same class, a fellow-member of the Sanhedrin, another secret discipleNicodemus, who came to Jesus by night (Joh. 3:1). His accession now is a surprise to us, but it may not have been to Joseph. He has appeared before only in that nightly conversation, and as pleading for candor in the judgment respecting Jesus, and taunted by his companions as if they already suspected him of a kind of discipleship (Joh. 7:50-52). He now brought a mixture of myrrh and aloesi.e., of the aromatics used in preparing the dead for burialabout a hundred pounds weight. This was not necessarily bought beforehand; speedy burials were common in that land, and rapid preparation must have been common too. Moreover, there is no reason to doubt that Nicodemus knew all the day what was going on. He may have been preparing while Jesus was dying. So there is no reason to suppose, as some have done, that his preparation was parallel to that of Mary of Bethany, made beforehand (Mar. 14:8). There is something extremely touching about the coming of these two men to bury the body of him whom they had not publicly confessed when he was alive. The shock of sorrow and indignation quickened love and rendered secret discipleship no longer possible. If the two men were thus drawn to Jesus in his extremest humiliation, it seems likely that by his resurrection their faith would be confirmed and rendered permanent.
Mar. 15:46. The fine linen was the sindon, the same as that mentioned in Chap. Mar. 14:51a foreign fabric, probably Indian, said to have been used in Egypt as a wrapping for mummies. In later Greek, however, the word means linen. It can scarcely be said to define positively the nature of the cloth. Mark alone says that it was bought now, at the very time it was to be used. Wrapped him in the linen. The wrapping in this cloth was not a mere enfolding of the body, but, at least in part, the closer wrapping or binding (John, they took the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices) which was customary among the Jews. When Lazarus came forth, he was bound hand and foot with grave-clothes (Joh. 11:44), each limb wrapped up by itself. This wrapping, however, in the case of Jesus, was left unfinished because of haste, the Sabbath coming quickly on. Observe that the very thought of preparing the body thus for burial was inconsistent with all thought of a resurrection. Of the site and ownership of the sepulchre Mark tells us nothing, saying merely that it was hewn out of a rock, or rather, out of the rocki.e., not a natural cavern, such as were frequently used for tombs. Matthew and Luke note the same fact, Luke using a word (laxeutos) that points a little more definitely to the skillful workmanship of which the tomb gave evidence. It was no rude cave in which he was laid, but a carefully-made sepulchre. Luke and John tell us that it was new and had never before been used; Matthew, by a single word, that it was the property of Joseph. From John we learn that it was in a garden or orchard, an enclosed and cultivated placethe same word that is used of Gethsemaneand that the garden was in the place where he was crucifiedi.e., close at hand. The nearness of the spot is given by John, who says nothing of Josephs ownership as the reason for selecting it, the approach of the Sabbath requiring haste. Having thus placed the body, Joseph rolled a stone unto, or against (epi), the door of the sepulchre. Matthew, a great stone. Visualize the tomb described in the following passage: In Jerusalem has been found a peculiar tomb. The sloping ground has been cut down perpendicularly and the rock is cut out, so that the front wall is perpendicular rock. There is a chamber within, containing a table of stone on which to prepare the body for burial and a stone bowl for water. Within this is the tomb itself, an inner chamber, with shelves to receive the bodies. The entrance to this is an opening in the upright rock-wall three feet square. Running across before this opening, at the foot of the wall in which it is made, is a groove in the floor, one foot deep and six inches wide. In this groove is a round stone, six inches thick, just fitting the groove, and four feet or more in diametera stone like a grindstone. This runs in the groove, and can be rolled up before the square opening so as to cover it, and rolled away from it so as to give entrance. It is so heavy that the full strength of a man is required to roll it away. If Josephs new tomb were like this, the women might well ask who should roll away the stone for them. The date of this tomb, however, seems to be unknown, and so high an authority in Jewish customs as Dr. Edersheim appears to know nothing of such structures. (See Bible Educator, vol. iv., p. 332.) It is certain that rock-hewn tombs usually had doors of stone that turned on hinges. (See Hacketts Illustrations of Scripture, p. 108; Van Lenneps Bible Lands, p. 580.) If Josephs new tomb, perhaps unfinished, had such a door, with its fastenings yet uncompleted, he may, for additional security, have caused a stone so large as to be moved only with difficulty to be rolled up against it, on the outside.
Mar. 15:47. The women had remained at the cross when no apostle was there, and now they followed to the sepulchre, where new friends were doing the work that belonged to old. Only two are mentioned here and in Matthew; in Luke, the women generally who had followed from Galilee. Matthew shows them sitting over against the sepulchre; Mark says that they beheld where he was laid; and Luke shows them present and watchful during the entombment. He also shows them going home and preparing spices to finish the embalming, but not till after the Sabbath. (See the true division of paragraphs in Luke, in the Revision.) That Sabbath was to be a high-day with the Jews; to the disciples it was a day of despair. In truth, it was the turning-point of time, though neither Jews nor disciples knew it. The crime of the Jews and of sinful humanity was completed; the revelation of God as Saviour had been made; the work of preparatory dispensations was ended; all was ready for the breaking forth of the new power of God unto salvation. But that Jewish Sabbath before the dawning of the first Lords Day was the time of pause and silence: the Prince of Life lay dead, and all hopes seemed disappointed; the new power was as yet unknown and undreamed of in the world. No day was ever like that, or ever shall be.
Matthew adds the record of what was done after the night had passed: the enemies of Jesus secured the placing of the official seal of the governor on the door of the tomb and the setting of a guard there, under the pretence of fear that his friends might steal his body and declare that he had risen. (W. N. Clarke)
FACT QUESTIONS 15:40-47
1138.
What purpose was there in mentioning the women who followed and ministered to Him of their substance?
1139.
What touching fact is mentioned about the mother of Jesus?
1140.
What was the first mention of Mary Magdalene?
1141.
There is no reason to associate Mary Magdalene with some special acts of sinfulnesswhy do some do this?
1142.
Identify Mary the mother of James the lesswho was Joses and Salome? (Cf. Joh. 19:25; Mar. 3:17.)
1143.
John alone records an incident between the record of the death and the descent from the crosswhat was it?
1144.
Is it true that Jesus died of a literal, physical broken heart? Discuss.
1145.
What Jewish law forbid bodies to be left on the cross overnightwhat was the practice of the Romans?
1146.
Why refer to one sabbath day as a great day? (Cf. Joh. 19:31.)
1147.
What is meant by The Preparation,?
1148.
Give three facts about Joseph of Arimathaea.
1149.
Where is Arimathaea?
1150.
What was Josephs attitude toward the condemnation of Jesus?
1151.
What is meant by the expression he waited, or was looking, for the kingdom of God?
1152.
Joseph was a disciple of Jesusbut what kind?
1153.
When did Joseph arrive at the crucifixion? Show the boldness in the act of asking for the body of Jesus.
1154.
What certain rough tenderness is seen in the actions of Pilate?
1155.
What was probably a shock to Pilate? Why had Jesus died so soon? What had hastened the death of the robbers?
1156.
Who came to help Joseph in the burial of Jesuswhat did he bring.
1157.
What was it that quickened love and rendered secret discipleship no longer possible?
1158.
Did Nicodemus know of the events on the day of the crucifixion?
1159.
What type of cloth was bought for the body of Jesus?
1160.
Was Jesus bound in the cloth even as Lazarus?
1161.
Give three facts about the tomb where Jesus body was laid.
1162.
What should we understand in the fact that a stone was rolled in front of the door of the tomb?
1163.
How were doors usually fastened to the rock-hewn tombs?
1164.
New friends were doing the work that belonged to oldwhat was it?
1165.
What day was the turning point of time? Explain.
1166.
What was done after the night was passed?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(40) Among whom was Mary Magdalene.The list is the same as that in Mat. 27:56, with the exceptions (1) of the epithet less, or better, little, as applied to James, and (2) the name of Salome instead of the mother of Zebedees children.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And there were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome, who when he was in Galilee ministered to him, and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.’
The mention of the women is in preparation for what lies ahead (Mar 15:47 to Mar 16:1). Here we learn that they were at the cross but keeping their distance, although at some stage, along with John, some were close enough for Jesus to speak to (Joh 19:25-27). This latter privilege might have been limited to relatives. However, their vigil was not easy, torn with grief as they were, and they may well have found being too close both difficult and unbearable. Difficult because there was a crowd of them and it was by the public road, especially when the darkness descended, and unbearable because they were so griefstricken. But they had wanted Him to know that they were there to say their farewells. Luk 8:3 describes some of them as having previously ‘ministered to them (or Him) of their substance’.
It is easy to be critical of the disciples for their absence but they were marked men, while the women would in general be ignored, and Jesus’ women relatives would be expected to be there. It is noteworthy that even his brothers are not mentioned as being there. For males to be directly connected with the crucifixion of a supposed insurrectionist, especially those related to the king of the Jews, may well not have been advisable. It is probable that when a group of insurrectionists were crucified, as here, those who were present at the scene were vetted for further suspects. John probably had some immunity if he was the disciple ‘known to the high priest’ (Joh 18:15), and he was there protecting Mary and his own mother Salome (Mat 27:56).
‘Mary of Magdalene.’ She was probably from Magdala in Galilee and was a healed demoniac (Luk 8:2). Nothing else is known about her except for the full part she played in the resurrection narratives, her prominence there partly possibly arising because she was a younger and more sprightly woman. (Later tradition is unkind to her but there are no real grounds for thinking that she was ‘a sinful woman’. That was good sermon material. She may in fact have been fairly wealthy and have dabbled in the occult, which would explain her possession).
‘Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses.’ Possibly the same woman as ‘Mary of Joses’ (Mar 15:47) and ‘Mary of James’ (Mar 16:1). The differing descriptions may indicate different sources for his material or just deliberate variation. She may also be ‘the other Mary’ (Mat 27:61; Mat 28:1 compare Mat 27:56). But Mary the mother of Jesus could also have been called the mother of James and Joses (Mar 6:3), and it is interesting that John alone otherwise mentions her presence at the cross (and does not mention Mary the mother of James and Joses). Perhaps Mark did not like to call her the mother of the risen Jesus.
However the names were very common and this Mary may have been Mary (the wife) of Clopas (Joh 19:25) who was distinguished by him from Mary, the mother of Jesus (when John wrote all would possibly be dead so that if she was the wife of Clopas she would then be associated with her husband rather than her sons).
Identification of a woman by a son’s name was commonplace among the Arabs and was probably Semitic custom if the husband was dead. James may have been called ‘James the less’ because he was small or simply because he was the younger brother. We do not know whether he can be connected with James the son of Alphaeus (Mar 3:18).
The truth is that we do not know for certain who she was, but we can be sure that all this was clear to the early church. They knew these people.
‘Salome.’ Probably the wife of Zebedee, and mother of James and John (Mat 27:56).
‘And many other women.’ Jesus had many disciples besides the twelve, and that included many women to whom He showed the respect not often accorded by a Rabbi.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Laying Jesus To Rest (15:40-47).
The women who had ministered to Jesus and His disciples were gathered at the cross. It is impossible to imagine the feelings in their hearts as they saw the figure of their beloved Master hanging on the cross. But they were determined to wait it out to the end, and do what they could to see that His beloved body was given proper burial. Although they probably had no idea how they would do it.
And then to theirs and everyone’s surprise a member of the Sanhedrin, accompanied by His servants, arrived at the cross and took down the body of Jesus. Following them the women saw them lay Jesus in a new tomb that was nearby, and not knowing what final treatment had been given to His body they determined that as soon as the Sabbath was over they would anoint His body for burial.
Analysis.
a
b And when evening was now come, because it was the preparation, that is the day before the Sabbath, there came Joseph of Arimathea, a councillor of honourable standing, who also himself was looking for the Kingly Rule of God, and he boldly went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus (Mar 15:43).
c And Pilate was amazed that He was already dead, and calling to him the centurion he asked him whether He had been dead very long, and when he learned it of the centurion he granted the corpse to Joseph (Mar 15:44-45).
b And he bought a linen cloth, and taking Him down, wound Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of a rock. And He rolled a stone against the door of the tomb (Mar 15:46).
a And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where He was laid (Mar 15:47).
Note that in ‘a’ the two Marys and others were watching Him as He died on the cross, and in the parallel the two Marys watched where He was laid. In ‘b’ Joseph asked for the body of Jesus, and in the parallel he takes it down from the cross and lays it in a tomb. Centrally in ‘c’ Pilate grants the corpse to Joseph.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
Ver. 40. James the less ] viz. In stature, note, or age.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
40, 41. ] either in age, or in stature, so distinguished, hardly, at the time of this Gospel being written, from James the son of Zebedee, but more probably from James the brother of the Lord, the bishop of Jerusalem: see Prolegg. to Ep. of James, i. 8. This Mary is the wife of Alphus or Clopas: see Joh 19:25 .
= , Matt.: our Evangelist mentions that they had accompanied Him to Jerusalem; and we may observe a curious variation of the wording, in . , and . . the former rendering necessary the additional clause, . . .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mar 15:40 . On the faithful women who looked on from afar, vide on Mt. Mk. singles out for special mention 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 = either the little in stature (Meyer and Weiss), or the less in age, the younger (Schanz). Mk. refers to the mother of Zebedee’s children by her own name, Salome. Neither evangelist mentions Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar 15:40-41
40There were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome. 41When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.
Mar 15:40 “There were also some women looking on from a distance” The apostolic group was ministered to both financially and physically by several women (i.e., cooking, washing, etc., cf. Mar 15:41; Mat 27:55; Luk 8:3).
SPECIAL TOPIC: WOMEN IN THE BIBLE
“Mary Magdalene” Magdala was a small city on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, three miles north of Tiberias. Mary followed Jesus from Galilee after He had delivered her from several demons (cf. Luk 8:2). She has unfairly been labeled as a prostitute but there is no NT evidence of this. See Special Topic at Mar 16:1.
“Mary, the mother of James the Less and Joses” In Mat 27:56 she is called “the mother of James and Joseph.” In Mat 28:1 she is called “the other Mary.” The real question is, to whom was she married? In Joh 19:25 possibly she was married to Clopas, yet her son James, was said to be the “son of Alphaeus” (cf. Mat 10:3; Mar 3:18; Luk 6:15). See Special Topic at Mar 16:1.
“Salome” This was the mother of James and John, who were part of the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples, and the wife of Zebedee (cf. Mat 27:56; Mar 15:40; Mar 16:1-2). See Special Topic: The Women Who Followed Jesus at Mar 16:1.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
also women = women also.
afar off = from (Greek. apo. App-104.) afar.
among. Greek. en App-104.
Magdalene. See Mat 27:56.
the less = junior. Divinely supplied only in Mark to distinguish him from James the Apostle (compare Mat 13:55, and Mat 27:56). See also Act 12:17; Act 15:13; Act 21:18, Gal 1:2, Gal 1:12.
Salome. See Mat 27:56.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
40, 41.] -either in age, or in stature, so distinguished, hardly, at the time of this Gospel being written, from James the son of Zebedee, but more probably from James the brother of the Lord, the bishop of Jerusalem: see Prolegg. to Ep. of James, i. 8. This Mary is the wife of Alphus or Clopas: see Joh 19:25.
= , Matt.: our Evangelist mentions that they had accompanied Him to Jerusalem;-and we may observe a curious variation of the wording, in ., and . .-the former rendering necessary the additional clause, …
Fuente: The Greek Testament
women: Psa 38:11, Mat 27:55, Mat 27:56, Luk 23:49, Joh 19:25-27
Mary Magdalene: Mar 16:9, Mat 28:1, Luk 8:2, Luk 8:3, Joh 20:11-18
Mary the: Mar 15:47, Mar 16:1, Mat 13:55, Mat 27:55, Mat 27:61, Joh 19:25, 1Co 9:5, Gal 1:19, Jam 1:1
Salome: Mar 16:1
Reciprocal: Mat 20:20 – the mother Mar 6:3 – James Luk 23:27 – and of Luk 24:1 – they came Luk 24:10 – General Act 1:14 – with the Act 15:13 – James
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Chapter 22.
The Faithful Women
“There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; (Who also, when He was in Galilee, followed Him, and ministered unto Him;) and many other women which came up with Him unto Jerusalem.”-Mar 15:40, Mar 15:41.
The Sorrow. Stricken Group.
Hate and scorn and furious and savage contempt surged 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 gathered round 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 scarcely safe for anyone 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 women had 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. Though He was dying there, the despised and rejected of men, their hearts still clung to Him, they still loved Him, He was to them still the chiefest among 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 sacred head, but love kept them rooted to the spot. Love gave them boldness. Love lent them courage. Their perfect love cast out fear.
The Women.
The disciples all forsook Him and fled. Peter, Thomas, Philip, 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 evangelist tells us, Jesus had cast seven devils. It was a passion of adoring gratitude which brought Mary there. She owed everything worth having to the Lord. She had been redeemed from the lowest hell by His power. The priests and scribes might heap what insult and scorn they pleased upon His head, but nothing could dethrone Him from the supreme place in Mary’s affections, for all she was and hoped to be she owed to Him Who hung and suffered there. And near her was Mary, the mother of James the Less and Joses-James the Less being the second Apostle of that name in the little circle of Twelve. And near her again was 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 showed their devotion to the Lord, for they, says Mark, “when He was in Galilee followed Him and ministered unto Him.” Our English translation scarcely reproduces the exact force of the Greek. The Twentieth Century Testament is nearer the mark where it renders the words, “all of whom used to accompany Jesus when He was in Galilee and attend on Him.”
Their Work.
What a vivid light this throws upon the conditions under which Christ exercised His Galilean ministry. It is not altogether easy for us to reconstruct the historic conditions. Supposing that we had been privileged to watch Christ in His journeying through Galilee-we should have seen Him, as other Jewish rabbis had been, accompanied by a little group of chosen disciples. 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 disembarrassed for His higher engagements.” Let me 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 special duty these faithful women took upon themselves. They “ministered” to Him. They took care of His physical comfort. They prepared a home for Him. They looked after His rest and refreshment. Jesus was so absorbed in His work that He was neglectful of 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 suggests certain thoughts about the services women have rendered to Christ and His cause all down the centuries. This is the first little group of ministering women, but they have never lacked their successors. Women have always been prominent amongst those who follow Christ and minister to Him. I wonder sometimes what the 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 foremost in the service of Christ, 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 degradation and dishonour, treated as mere chattels or things. From that pit of dishonour and shame it was Christ’s hand that lifted woman up and set her on that pinnacle of respect and dignity on which she stands today. Even men, like Comte, who reject Christ’s Gospel, admit frankly that He immeasurably raised the status of women. So that, it is not surprising that women should be foremost in the service of Christ. They are simply discharging a vast and infinite debt.
-Its Breadth To-Day.
“They ministered” unto Him! And what an enlarged conception of 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 raised afresh, and in a very definite form, whether women ought not to be allowed to preach and speak in churches. I do not say that women have no right to take part in public services. They have 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” amongst timid 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 affection of 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 of women, but with regard to all Christian folk that we need this wider conception of 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 Christian man has grasped. Paul says that God gave the Church Apostles, evangelists, pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, “unto the work of ministering” (Eph 4:12). Now that is an ambiguous rendering. Although this view is not accepted by most scholars, I prefer to follow the rendering given in the Twentieth Century Testament, “He gave His Church Apostles, evangelists, pastors and teachers, to fit His people for the work of the ministry.” It is, 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 of course. But they are not the only ministers; and theirs is not the only form of ministry. There is a gracious ministry that can be exercised in the home; there is a ministry that can be exercised in the office and the shop; there is the ministry of the personal word which is within the reach of every one of us; there is the ministry of prayer. And there is the ministry of simple kindness and beneficence. We can still “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 holy women-to do what we can, to render our service.
Fuente: The Gospel According to St. Mark: A Devotional Commentary
1
These women were faithful to the last, but with feminine timidity they had stood some distance away watching. They had come from the same district where Jesus was brought up, Galilee, and had served him on various occasions.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mar 15:40-41. These verses agree in substance with Mat 27:55-56, but the order is different and the other variations throw much light on the questions which have arisen as to the persons mentioned.
Mary, the mother of James the little. Undoubtedly the wife of Alpheus (Joh 19:25), hence James the little is the Apostle James the son of Alpheus (chap. Mar 3:18; Mat 10:3). We hold that she was not the sister of our Lords mother (see on Mat 13:55; Joh 19:25), but that Salome was. An additional reason for this view, and also against the opinion that James the son of Alpheus, here spoken of, is identical with James the Lords brother (Gal 1:19), is to be found in the expression here used: James the little. This may refer either to his age or his stature, probably the latter; but in any case it is used to distinguish him. James the son of Zebedee had been put to death many years before this Gospel was written (Act 12:2), and the readers of this Gospel would need this term only to distinguish this person from James the Just, the brother of our Lord, who was well known throughout the early church, and the author of the General Epistle of James.
Joses. Against the view that this too was one of the Lords brothers (Mat 13:55, Mar 6:3) is the fact that his name occurs here twice (Mar 15:40; Mar 15:47) to distinguish this Mary, when according to the theory we oppose, two other brothers (Judas and Simon), who are thus assumed to be Apostles, are not mentioned. Mary the mother of our Lord had probably been conducted away by John before this time (see Mat 27:56; Joh 19:27).
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 40
Salome; the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
THE BODY
40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; 41 (Who also, when he was in Galilee followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem. 42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the daybefore the sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. 44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. 45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
Women had followed Him to Jerusalem and they were at the cross. One might wonder where they stayed during this time. It might be possible that they were involved in preparation and serving of the Last Supper. Verse forty-one might back this thought up in that they had followed and served Him in Galilee.
Mat 27:55 mentions that there were “many women” not just a few. “And many women were there beholding from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:” In verse forty-one Mark also mentions this.
This probably relates to the opposite that was not true, that there were many men. We know that Peter denied the Lord and it would seem that the apostles had been absent if not afar off. There evidently had been no men who had followed from Galilee either.
Now, you women’s libbers hold onto your dander here, there is nothing sexist in what I am going to say. Women have always been servers in the Lord’s service. They tend to take that humble position to do what they can for the Lord. Many churches would falter if not for the women who serve behind the scenes. Often they are the cleaners and the providers of the needs of the church. Often this is their choice, not their position.
This is not to say that serving is the only thing women can do in the church for they are also fine teachers of children and serve well on committees for preparing for the on-going’s of the church.
This is not to say that men cannot “serve” in those same capacities and often do within the church. I served with a man who had been president of a Bible Institute. His philosophy of service was “If you see something that needs doing, then it is your responsibility to do it.” This philosophy caused students and faculty to see him picking up trash, mopping floors and cooking in the dinning hall. Anything that needed doing when he passed by was HIS job.
Oh that men and women in our current church would adopt that same philosophy.
Joseph of Arimathaea sought the body of the Lord. His going at this time is related to the fact that the Sabbath was coming and the body needed to be taken care of – probably because bodies on the cross on the Sabbath was not allowed.
Pilate was shocked that Christ was already dead. This is another strong indication that the Lord not only allowed Himself to be arrested, did not defend Himself and did indeed choose the exact time of His own death – a giving up of His spirit rather than it being taken from Him when He died a natural death.Joseph may have been a member of the Sanhedrim since the term “counselor” is used of members of that body of men. At any rate a man of noble character and high position in some body of men. A man who Pilate may have known or at least he respected the position of the petitioner.
Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson
15:40 {8} There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
(8) Christ, to the great shame of the men who forsook the Lord, chose women for his witnesses, who beheld this entire event.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Matthew referred to the same three women, and Luke mentioned them generally. Salome was the mother of Zebedee’s sons, James and John, Jesus’ cousins. These women, like the soldiers, also witnessed Jesus’ death. Their loving example contrasts with the enemies of Jesus who ridiculed Him. However Mar 15:41 is unique to Mark. It should be a special encouragement to all female disciples. Many women followed Jesus and served Him throughout His ministry. John mentioned that he was present at the crucifixion (Joh 19:26-27), but none of the other male disciples appear to have been there. Women can serve Jesus as disciples as well as men. Their roles may be somewhat different 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 of Jesus’ burial (Mar 15:47) and resurrection (Mar 16:1-8).
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Some Women Who Observed the Crucifixion |
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Mat 27:56 |
Mar 15:40 |
Joh 19:25 |
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Mary Magdalene |
Mary Magdalene |
Mary Magdalene |
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Jesus’ mother (Mary) |
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Mary the mother of James and Joseph = |
Mary the mother of James the less and Joses = |
Mary the wife of Clopas |
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Mother of Zebedee’s sons = |
Salome = |
Jesus’ mother’s sister |