Shadows of Sorrow at the Foot of the Cross, The Women Who Stayed When Others Fled
In the dim light of that awful Friday afternoon, the women stood there. They watched their loved son and friend suffer in ways no one should ever have to endure. John 19 pulls us right into that scene, raw and heartbreaking. Mary the mother of Jesus, her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene didn’t run. They stayed close even as the sky turned dark and the earth shook. They’re not far away from each other. Despite the pain, it’s a picture of love that won’t let go.
Take a moment to think about Mary. She raised this boy from a tiny baby to the man who healed the sick and preached. As she watches him nailed up there, blood spills from his hands and feet, his body broken under the weight of sin, she sees the horror of it all, the slow suffocation, the mocking crowd, and the soldiers casting lots for his clothes. There’s a lot of fierce, enduring love in parenting in the Bible.
When God gave Hannah Samuel, she dedicated him back to the Lord. She let him go to serve at the tabernacle while he was still young. Hannah prayed desperately for a child, and when God gave her Samuel, she dedicated him to the Lord. That took faith and courage. Mary, too, had heard the angel say her son would be the Savior, but no angel could prepare her for his crucifixion. Yet she stayed. She wasn’t going to run away from it.
In 2 Timothy, Lois and Eunice are good examples. They passed down their faith to Timothy, their grandmother and mother forming his heart from childhood. Quiet, steady parenting that made him one of Paul’s most trusted helpers. A love that walks through the valley of death without abandoning the one it loves is similar to what the women on the cross showed us.
The Gothic reality of that day hits hard. The cross was not clean or noble looking. It was ugly, bloody, humiliating. Roman execution meant to break bodies and spirits. It’s amazing how brave these women were. Mary Magdalene, who had been freed from seven demons by Jesus, now watches her deliverer die. Their presence says a lot. Despite being overlooked, women became witnesses to history’s biggest moment.
His mother was taken care of even in his agony by Jesus. He looked up and said, “Woman, look at your son” and “Discipline, look at your mother.” He made sure she’d be looked after. That tender moment in the middle of horror shows the heart of our Savior. Parenting lessons echo here too. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to train up our kids right. Now that he’s dying, he’s still honoring his mother’s bond.
When everything crumbles, the women at the cross teach us about loyalty. Their love was not based on comfort or victory in that moment. It was rooted in something deeper. They couldn’t understand it all. They probably felt their hearts shattering with every labored breath Jesus took.
Other biblical parents faced impossible decisions as well. Abraham and Isaac were on a mountain, the father was willing to sacrifice his son for God’s will. The pain must’ve been crushing, but he trusted God. Jochebed, Moses’ mom, hid her baby on the Nile to keep him safe from Pharaoh’s decree. The stories remind us that godly parenting is often about surrender, pain, and trust when you don’t know what’s coming. She released him into God’s hands.
In Calvary, the women showed that same surrender. They couldn’t stop the suffering, but they refused to abandon their Lord and son. Their vigil in the darkness gives us hope. Because we know what happened on Sunday. The tomb was empty. Death lost its grip.
If following Jesus gets hard, when the cross we’re supposed to carry feels too heavy, should we stay or should we scatter like the disciples did at first? The women show us a better way, faithful presence in the midst of grief.
When the gospel is set against a dark backdrop, it shines the brightest. John 19 invites us to stand there with those women, to feel the weight of what our sin cost, to marvel at the Savior who willingly paid it all. Blood, thorns, nails, all of it emphasizes God’s incredible love.
Their example can inspire us to love without limits. To stay when it hurts. To trust when we don’t understand. The women at the cross watched their beloved die horribly, but they didn’t give up. It leads straight to resurrection morning and the birth of the church.
The biblical parents walked in faith before us too, so let’s do the same. Let’s raise our kids, love our friends, and follow God with that same steadfast spirit. Even when the shadows fall heavy and the crosses in our lives seem unbearable, let us trust the One who conquered the grave.
