“When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus saw how He had breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

And there were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 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.”             Mark 15: 35-41

The women held to their courage and faith. Everyone else, except John, had run away and were in hiding. The women kept vigil through the darkness and distress, and kept their eyes on the Lord their God. They stood under the darkness of God’s wrath and watched Him bear it all away. They all gazed, transfixed, at a love not understood nor seen before. This the end of all dreams and wishes and desires; the peace they had longed for; a heaven now hopeless, as the darkness closed in.

Was it all in vain? The care, the love, the sacrifice… but now this one sacrifice made by Jesus, one sacrifice for sin forever…

They hoped beyond hope, though His body hang as a lifeless corpse. Surely there was no way back from this. The life of God, snuffed out with ease and jubilation. Even as they looked, their love comforted them. Maybe there is another love beyond theirs, a love that transcends all time, space, pain and disappointment. A love that purges sin away and has a power not of this world’s knowing. A love reflected in their continual standing.. waiting for the promise to be kept…

“Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”     Matthew 28:20