TRV
Translation
King James Version
(Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.
Complete Jewish Bible
These women had followed him and helped him when he was in the Galil. And many other women were there who had come up with him to Yerushalayim.
Berean Standard Bible
These women had followed Jesus and ministered to Him while He was in Galilee, and there were many other women who had come up to Jerusalem with Him.
American Standard Version
who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him; and many other women that came up with him unto Jerusalem.
World English Bible Messianic
who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and served him; and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Which also when he was in Galile, folowed him, and ministred vnto him, and many other women which came vp with him vnto Hierusalem.
Young's Literal Translation
(who also, when he was in Galilee, were following him, and were ministering to him,) and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.
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In the KJVVerse 24,868 of 31,102
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Commentary on Mark 15 verses 33–41
33 ¶ And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
36 And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
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.
Here we have an account of Christ's dying, how his enemies abused him, and God honoured him at his death.
I. There was a thick darkness over the whole land (some think over the whole earth), for three hours, from noon till three of the clock. Now the scripture was fulfilled (Amo 8:9), I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day; and Jer 15:9, Her sun is gone down while it is yet day. The Jews have often demanded of Christ a sign from heaven; and now they had one, but such a one as signified the blinding of their eyes. It was a sign of the darkness that was come, and coming, upon the Jewish church and nation. They were doing their utmost to extinguish the Sun of righteousness, which was now setting, and the rising again of which they would never own; and what then might be expected among them but a worse than Egyptian darkness? This intimated to them, that the things which belonged to their peace, were now hid from their eyes, and that the day of the Lord was at hand, which should be to them a day of darkness and gloominess, Joe 2:1, Joe 2:2. It was the power of darkness that they were now under, the works of darkness that they were now doing; and such as this should their doom justly be, who loved darkness rather than light.
II. Toward the close of this darkness, our Lord Jesus, in the agony of his soul, cried out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Mar 15:34. The darkness signified the present cloud which the human soul of Christ was under, when he was making it an offering for sin. Mr. Fox, in his Acts and Monuments (vol. 3, p. 160), tells of one Dr. Hunter, a martyr in queen Mary's time, who, being fastened to the stake, to be burnt, put up this short prayer, Son of God, shine upon me; and immediately the sun in the firmament shone out of the dark cloud, so full in his face, that he was forced to look another way, which was very comfortable to him. But our Lord Jesus, on the contrary, was denied the light of the sun, when he was in his sufferings, to signifying the withdrawing of the light of God's countenance. And this he complained of more than any thing; he did not complain of his disciples' forsaking him, but of his Father's, 1. Because this wounded his spirit; and that is a thing hard to bear (Pro 18:14); brought the waters into his soul, Psa 69:1-3. 2. Because in this especially he was made sin for us; our iniquities had deserved indignation and wrath upon the soul (Rom 2:8), and therefore, Christ, being made a sacrifice, underwent as much of it as he was capable of; and it could not but bear hard indeed upon him who had lain in the bosom of the Father from eternity, and was always his light. These symptoms of divine wrath, which Christ was under in his sufferings, were like that fire from heaven which had been sent sometimes, in extraordinary cases, to consume the sacrifices (as Lev 9:24; Ch2 7:1; Kg1 18:38); and it was always a token of God's acceptance. The fire that should have fallen upon the sinner, if God had not been pacified, fell upon the sacrifice, as a token that he was so; therefore it now fell upon Christ, and extorted him from this loud and bitter cry. When Paul was to be offered as a sacrifice for the service of saints, he could joy and rejoice (Phi 2:17); but it is another thing to be offered as a sacrifice for the sin of sinners. Now, at the sixth hour, and so to the ninth, the sun was darkened by an extraordinary eclipse; and if it be true, as some astronomers compute, that in the evening of this day on which Christ died there was an eclipse of the moon, that was natural and expected, in which seven digits of the moon were darkened, and it continued from five o'clock till seven, it is remarkable, and yet further significant of the darkness of the time that then was. When the sun shall be darkened, the moon also shall not give her light.
III. Christ's prayer was bantered by them that stood by (Mar 15:35, Mar 15:36); because he cried, Eli, Eli, or (as Mark has it, according to the Syriac dialect) Eloi, Eloi, they said, He calls for Elias, though they knew very well what he said, and what it signified, My God, My God. Thus did they represent him as praying to saints, either because he had abandoned God, or God had abandoned him; and hereby they would make him more and more odious to the people. One of them filled a sponge with vinegar, and reached it up to him upon a reed; "Let him cool his mouth with that, it is a drink good enough for him," Mar 15:36. This was intended for a further affront and abuse to him; and whoever it was that checked him who did it, did but add to the reproach; "Let him alone; he has called for Elias: let us see whether Elias will come take him down; and if not, we may conclude that he also hath abandoned him."
IV. Christ did again cry with a loud voice, and so gave up the ghost, Mar 15:37. He was now commending his soul into his Father's hand; and though God is not moved with any bodily exercise, yet this loud voice signified the great strength and ardency of affection wherewith he did it; to teach us, in every thing wherein we have to do with God, to put forth our utmost vigour, and to perform all the duties of religion, particularly that of self-resignation, with our whole heart and whole soul; and then, though speech fails, that we cannot cry with a loud voice, as Christ did, yet if God be the strength of the heart, that will not fail. Christ was really and truly dead, for he gave up the ghost; his human soul departed to the world of spirits, and left his body a breathless clod of clay.
V. Just at that instant that Christ died upon mount Calvary, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, Mar 15:38. This bespoke a great deal, 1. Of the terror of the unbelieving Jews; for it was a presage of the utter destruction of their church and nation, which followed not long after; it was like the cutting asunder of the staff of beauty (for this veil was exceedingly splendid and glorious, Exo 26:31), and that was done at the same time when they gave for his price thirty pieces of silver (Zac 11:10, Zac 11:12), to break the covenant which he had made with that people. Now it was time to cry, Ichabod, The glory is departed from Israel. Some think that the story which Josephus relates, of the temple door opening of its own accord, with that voice, Let us depart hence, some years before the destruction of Jerusalem, is the same with this; but that is not probable: however, this had the same signification, according to that (Hos 5:14), I will tear, and go away. 2. It bespeaks a great deal of comfort to all believing Christians, for it signifies the consecrating and laying open to us of a new and living way into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
VI. The centurion who commanded the detachment which had the oversight of the execution was convinced, and confessed that this Jesus was the Son of God, Mar 15:39. One thing that satisfied him, was, that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost: that one who was ready to give up the ghost, should be able to cry out so, was very surprising. Of all the sad spectacles of this kind he never observed the like; and that one who had strength to cry so loud, should yet immediately give up the ghost, this also made him wonder; and he said, to the honour of Christ, and the shame of those that abused him, Truly this man was the Son of God. But what reason had he to say so? I answer, 1. He had reason to say that he suffered unjustly, and had a great deal of wrong done him. Note, He suffered for saying that he was the Son of God; and it was true, he did say so, so that if he suffered unjustly, as it was plain by all the circumstances of his suffering that he did, then what he said was true, and he was indeed the Son of God. 2. He had reason to say that he was a favourite of heaven, and one for whom the almighty power was particularly engaged, seeing how Heaven did him honour at his death, and frowned upon his persecutors. "Surely," thinks he, "this must be some divine person, highly beloved of God." This he expresses by such words as denote his eternal generation as God, and his special designation to the office of Mediator, though he meant not so. Our Lord Jesus, even in the depth of his sufferings and humiliation, was the Son of God, and was declared to be so with power.
VII. There were some of his friends, the good women especially, that attended him (Mar 15:40, Mar 15:41); There were women looking on afar off: the men durst not be seen at all, the mob was so very outrageous; Currenti cede furori - Give way to the raging torrent, they thought, was good counsel now. The women durst not come near, but stood at a distance, overwhelmed with grief. Some of these women are here named. Mary Magdalene was one; she had been his patient, and owed all her comfort to his power and goodness, which rescued her out of the possession of seven devils, in gratitude for which she thought she could never do enough for him. Mary also was there, the mother of James the little, Jacobus parvus, so the word is; probably, he was so called because he was, like Zaccheus, little of stature. This Mary was the wife of Cleophas or Alpheus, sister to the virgin Mary. These women had followed Christ from Galilee, though they were not required to attend the feast, as the males were; but it is probably that they came, in expectation that his temporal kingdom would now shortly be set up, and big with hopes of preferment for themselves, and their relations under him. It is plain that the mother of Zebedee's children was so (Mat 20:21); and now to see him upon a cross, whom they thought to have seen upon a throne, could not but be a great disappointment to them. Note, Those that follow Christ, in expectation of great things in this world by him, and by the profession of his religion, may probably live to see themselves sadly disappointed.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 33–41. Public domain.
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Pseudo-Jerome (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
The veil of the temple is rent, that is, the heaven is opened.
But the last are now made the first. The Gentile people confesses. The blinded Jew denies, so that their error is worse than the first.
As the female sex through the Virgin Mary is not shut out from salvation, so it is not thrust away from the knowledge of the mystery of the cross, and of the resurrection, through the widow Mary Magdalene, and the others, who were mothers.
John ChrysostomAD 407
HOMILIES ON TITUS 6
For what reason then was he being supported by women? For women, it is said, followed him and ministered to him. It was to teach us from the first that he is ready to receive those who do the good. Could not Paul, who supported others by his own hands, have maintained himself without assistance from others? But you see him receiving and requesting aid. Now hear the reason for it. “Not because I want a gift,” he says, “but I want fruit that may abound to your account.”
Bede (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 735
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
(ubi sup.) Now the cause of the centurion's wonder is clear, that seeing that the Lord died in that way, that is, sent forth His spirit, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. For no one can send forth his own spirit, but He who is the Creator of souls.
(ubi sup.) He means by James the Less, the son of Alphæus, who was also called the brother of our Lord, because he was the son of Mary, our Lord's mother's sister, whom John mentions, saying, Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother and his mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. (John 19:25) And he seems to call her Mary of Cleophas, from her father or some relation. But he was called James the Less, to distinguish him from James the Great, that is, the son of Zebedee, who was called amongst the first of the Apostles by our Lord. Further, it was a Jewish custom, nor was it thought blamable after the manners of an ancient people, that women should furnish to teachers food and clothing out of their substance. Wherefore there follows: Who also when he was in Galilee followed him, and ministered unto him. They ministered unto the Lord of their substance, that He might reap their carnal things whose spiritual things they reaped, and that He might show forth a type for all masters, who ought to be content with food and clothing from their disciples. But let us see what companions He had with Him, for it goes on: And many other women which came up with him into Jerusalem.
Theophylact of Ohrid (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 1107
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
Again, God by the rending of the veil implied that the grace of the Holy Spirit goes away and is rent from the temple, so that the Holy of holies might be seen by all;e also that the temple will mourn amongst the Jews, when they shall deplore their calamities, and rend their clothes. This also is a figure of the living temple, that is, the body of Christ, in whose Passion His garment is torn, that is, His flesh. Again, it means another thing; for the flesh is the veil of our temple, that is, of our mind. But the power of the flesh is torn in the Passion of Christ, from the top to the bottom, that is, from Adam even down to the latest man; for also Adam was made whole by the Passion of Christ, and his flesh does not remain under the curse, nor does it deserve corruption, but we all are gifted with incorruption. And when the centurion who stood over against him saw. He who commands a hundred soldiers is called a centurion. But seeing that He died with such power as the Lord, he wondered and confessed.
And so the order is inverted, for the Jew kills, and the Gentile confesses; the disciples fly, and the women remain. For there follows: There were also women looking on afar off, amongst whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome.
Glossa Ordinaria (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 1274
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
After the Evangelist has related the Passion and the death of Christ, he now goes on to mention those things which followed after the death of our Lord. Wherefore it is said: And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Mark 15:41 offers a profound glimpse into the unwavering devotion of a group of women who faithfully followed Jesus throughout His ministry, from its beginnings in Galilee to its agonizing culmination in Jerusalem. These women not only accompanied Him on His journeys but also actively supported and provided for Him and His disciples, demonstrating a steadfast commitment that endured even to the foot of the cross, where they bore witness to His crucifixion. Their consistent presence highlights a vital, though often understated, aspect of Jesus' earthly support network and the depth of their discipleship.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs Contrast to highlight the exceptional loyalty of these women against the backdrop of the male disciples' flight (Mark 14:50), thereby emphasizing their unique courage and steadfastness. There is also a subtle use of Foreshadowing, as their presence as eyewitnesses to the crucifixion directly prepares them to be the first witnesses to the empty tomb and the resurrection (Mark 16:1-8), establishing their crucial role in the gospel narrative. Furthermore, the description of their continuous "following" and "ministering" functions as Emphasis on the profound depth and practical nature of their discipleship, portraying them as exemplary followers of Christ.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Mark 15:41 powerfully illustrates that faithful discipleship is not limited by gender or social standing, and that true service often involves humble, practical acts of support. These women's unwavering presence at the cross, when most others had abandoned Jesus, stands as a testament to a love and loyalty that transcends fear and self-preservation. Their "ministering" points to the essential, often overlooked, role of material and practical support in advancing God's kingdom, reminding us that all forms of service, whether prominent or behind-the-scenes, are vital and valued by God. Their example challenges believers to consider the full scope of discipleship, embracing both spiritual devotion and tangible acts of care, even in the face of adversity.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The steadfastness of the women at the cross in Mark 15:41 offers profound lessons for contemporary discipleship. Their example challenges us to examine the depth of our own commitment to Christ, particularly in times of difficulty, opposition, or public shame. Are we willing to stand with Jesus when it is unpopular, costly, or even dangerous? Their "ministering" reminds us that service to Christ is not always grand or public; often, it is found in the quiet, consistent, and practical acts of support for His work and His people. This verse calls us to embrace humble service, recognizing that every act of love and provision, no matter how small, contributes significantly to the kingdom. It encourages us to cultivate a faith that endures through all seasons, remaining loyal to Christ even when His path leads through suffering, trusting that His ultimate victory is assured.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who were these "many other women" mentioned in Mark 15:41?
Answer: While Mark 15:40 names Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome, Mark 15:41 expands this group to include "many other women." The Gospels do not provide an exhaustive list of all these women, but Luke 8:1-3 mentions Joanna, the wife of Chuza (Herod's steward), and Susanna, alongside Mary Magdalene, as women who provided for Jesus and His disciples out of their own means. This indicates that Jesus' ministry was supported by a diverse group of women from various backgrounds, all united by their devotion. Their anonymity in this verse highlights that their faithful service, though vital, was often humble and not for public recognition.
What does it mean that they "ministered unto him"?
Answer: The Greek word translated "ministered" is diakonéō (G1247), which implies active, practical service. This would have included providing for Jesus' and His disciples' material needs, such as preparing food, washing clothes, offering financial support (as suggested in Luke 8:3), and generally tending to the logistical requirements of an itinerant ministry. This was not merely passive attendance but an active, tangible contribution to the sustenance and operational needs of Jesus' mission. Their service was essential in enabling Jesus to focus on teaching and healing.
Why is it significant that they "came up with him unto Jerusalem" from Galilee?
Answer: The journey from Galilee to Jerusalem was a significant and often arduous pilgrimage, especially for the Passover feast. This detail underscores the long-term, consistent nature of their commitment to Jesus. It shows that their devotion was not just a momentary interest but a sustained following throughout His public ministry, from its early days in Galilee (where much of His teaching and healing occurred) to its climactic and tragic conclusion in Jerusalem. Their willingness to accompany Him on this final, dangerous journey demonstrates exceptional loyalty and courage, especially when many others had abandoned Him.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The steadfast devotion of the women in Mark 15:41, who followed and ministered to Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem and remained with Him even at the cross, profoundly foreshadows and reflects the ultimate service and sacrifice of Christ Himself. Their unwavering loyalty to Jesus, even in His humiliation, points to the greater faithfulness of God the Father, who did not abandon His Son but upheld Him through the ordeal (Isaiah 50:7-9). These women, by their selfless "ministering," embody the very spirit of Christ, who "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Their presence as faithful witnesses at the crucifixion also anticipates their crucial role as the first witnesses to the empty tomb (Mark 16:1-8), making them the initial bearers of the good news of Christ's triumph over death. Thus, their human faithfulness, though remarkable, ultimately serves to highlight the divine faithfulness of the Father and the unparalleled, self-giving service of the Son, whose death and resurrection are the very foundation of our hope and the ultimate act of "ministering" for humanity's salvation (Romans 5:8).