“And all His acquaintances and the women who had followed Him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.” (Luke 23:49)
The reactions to Jesus’ death were very different.
The Roman centurion standing at the foot of the cross acknowledged that Jesus had been righteous. With those words, he praised God and essentially admitted that Jesus had been unjustly condemned.
People who had come to watch out of curiosity returned home in shock and sorrow. They were disturbed by all the strange events of that day.
And then there were those who knew Jesus well and had seen from a distance what had happened to Him. They were faithful followers of Jesus. For a long time, they had listened to His teachings and watched His miracles. They got to know Him as the Messiah, who brought God’s Kingdom near. He presented Himself as “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). He also told His disciples that He would be rejected and killed by people, and that He would rise again three days later (see, for example, Luke 18:31-33). However, that prediction had not sunk in. “This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.” (Luke 18:34) Now they stood there beneath the cross of Jesus — confused and sad. The only thing they could do was give Him a proper burial.
Imagine if you had been there. How would you be feeling?