The Women

The Women
Scripture: Luke 23:26–49 (CEB)
Part of the Witness at the Cross Lenten series

What gives someone the courage to stay present to suffering instead of looking away?

In this week’s sermon, we stand at the cross alongside the women who followed Jesus all the way to Golgotha. While many disciples fled, these women remained—watching, mourning, and bearing witness to the suffering of Christ.

Drawing on the Gospel of Luke and insights from Witness at the Cross by Amy-Jill Levine, we reflect on what it means to stay present in moments of pain and grief. These women remind us that faith is not about avoiding suffering, but about learning how to face it—with honesty, courage, and compassion.

Jesus’ words to the women—“weep for yourselves and your children”—also invite us into the practice of lament. We are called not only to grieve Christ’s suffering, but to acknowledge the pain in our own lives and in the world around us.

Even from a distance, the women stayed. And in doing so, they became faithful witnesses.

This story invites us to consider how we, too, are called to bear witness—to remain present, to support one another, and to trust that we are not alone at the cross.

🌀 Reflection Questions

• The women followed Jesus all the way to the cross when most disciples fled. What gives us courage to stay present with suffering rather than look away?
 • Jesus tells the women to “weep for yourselves and your children.” When is lament for our own world’s pain an appropriate response to Jesus’ story?
 • The text says the women “stood at a distance observing.” What keeps us at a distance from Jesus’ suffering? What would it mean to come closer?
 • These women are named as witnesses—they saw, they stayed, they mourned. Who are the faithful witnesses in your life who have shown you how to stay present in hard times?

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