Were the women close or far from the cross? Matthew, Mark, and Luke all seem to say that the women at the cross watched from a distance. John, however, seems to place them close to the cross. Is this a contradiction? Let’s take a look:
At a distance from the cross
Matthew 27:55, “And many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him.”
Mark 15:40, “And there were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome.”
Luke 23:49, “And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee, were standing at a distance, seeing these things.”
Close to the cross
John 19:25, “Therefore the soldiers did these things. But there were standing by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”
This is no contradiction at all. The crucifixion went on for hours, and the women at the cross did not stand in the same place all day. Quite simply, at one point in the crucifixion chronology, the women were standing at a distance, and then later they were standing closer. You can check the chronology at the Crucifixion Chronology page.
