All
his acquaintances, and the women who followed with him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Luke 23:49
Luke 23 [44.] It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” Having said this, he breathed his last.
Luke 23 [47.] When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous man.” All the multitudes that came together to see this, when they saw the things that were done, returned home beating their breasts. All his acquaintances, and the women who followed with him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Luke 23 [50.] Behold, a man named Joseph, who was a member of the council, a good and righteous man (he had not consented to their counsel and deed), from Arimathaea, a city of the Jews, who was also waiting for God’s Kingdom: this man went to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body. He took it down, and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that was cut in stone, where no one had ever been laid. It was the day of the Preparation, and the Sabbath was drawing near. The women, who had come with him out of Galilee, followed after, and saw the tomb, and how his body was laid. They returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
Meaning:
Jesus has died. The centurion has praised God, and the crowds have gone home beating their breasts (Luke 23:47-48). Luke then turns the camera to one more group of people: those who knew Jesus best. This short verse is easy to pass over, but it introduces the witnesses who will see his burial and discover the empty tomb.
- “All his acquaintances”
The word refers to those who knew Jesus personally: friends, followers and disciples. Most of the twelve had fled when he was arrested, and Peter had denied him. Yet some who loved him could not stay away. They stood at a distance, perhaps out of fear of the authorities, perhaps because the soldiers kept onlookers back. The scene recalls the lament of the suffering righteous man in the psalms: “My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague. My kinsmen stand far away” (Psalm 38:11). Jesus died in great loneliness, but not completely forgotten.
- “The women who followed with him from Galilee”
Luke had already introduced these women early in Jesus’ ministry. They included “Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; and Joanna, the wife of Chuzas, Herod’s steward; Susanna; and many others; who served them from their possessions” (Luke 8:2-3). They had travelled with him and supported his work. Now they followed him all the way to the cross. Mark also names some of them, “Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome” (Mark 15:40-41), and Matthew records the same scene (Matthew 27:55). John adds that Jesus’ mother stood near the cross with them (John 19:25-27).
- “Watching these things”
Luke stresses that they saw what happened. The same women would watch where the body was laid (Luke 23:55), and on the first day of the week they would be the first to find the tomb empty and hear the angels’ message (Luke 24:1-10). Their testimony links the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. They could say with certainty that the one who rose was the one who had truly died.
The Significance of Luke 23:49
- Faithfulness when hope seems lost
These followers had no idea that Jesus would rise. They stayed simply because they loved him. Their faithfulness in the darkest hour is an example for every believer who goes through a time when God seems silent. Staying close to Jesus, even at a distance, matters.
- God uses the overlooked
In the ancient world the testimony of women was often given little weight. Yet God chose these women to be the first witnesses of the resurrection. The gospel honours those whom society overlooks.
Cross-References:
Psalm 38:11: “My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague. My kinsmen stand far away.” The suffering one’s friends stand at a distance.
Luke 8:2-3: The women from Galilee who followed Jesus and served from their possessions.
Mark 15:40-41: “There were also women watching from afar.” Mark names the women at the cross.
Conclusion: In Luke 23:49 the friends of Jesus and the women who had followed him from Galilee stand at a distance and watch him die. Their quiet faithfulness makes them witnesses of his death, his burial and soon his resurrection. The verse reminds us that love for Jesus perseveres even when all seems lost, and that God gives honour to those the world overlooks.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible