Matthew 27:55

Matthew 27:55, in plain English

Many women are there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus all the way from Galilee to care for Him.

Why it's here

The men ran. The women stayed. They could not stop what was happening, but they refused to abandon Him. Their presence is a testimony of love stronger than fear.

Who's speaking

The narrator recognizes the faithful women who remain at the cross.

Where it sits in the story

When everyone else disappeared, these women stayed. They watched every moment. Their faithfulness in the darkest hour is one of the most beautiful details in the whole story.

The scholarly reading

Many women (gynaikes pollai) are present, watching from a distance — faithful disciples who followed (ekolouthesai) Jesus from Galilee to minister (diakonousai) to Him.

Language and setting

The verb diakoneo (to serve, minister) indicates these women were active supporters of Jesus' ministry, a detail that challenges patriarchal assumptions about discipleship in the ancient world.

Voice

The narrator identifies the women who remained faithful when the male disciples fled.

Significance

When all the male disciples have fled, the women remain — watching, waiting, faithful to the end. Their courage at the cross is a quiet rebuke to the cowardice of the Twelve.

53After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.

54When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

55And many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to minister to Him.

56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

57When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself was a disciple of Jesus.

Read all of Matthew 27 — The climax of the story. Every thread — sacrifice, covenant, prophecy, promise — converges at a cross outside Jerusalem.