Now standing beside Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
John 19:25 NET
All of the gospel accounts tell us that there were women present at the cross when Jesus was crucified. Women who had followed him during his ministry (Luke 23:49) and cared for his needs (Mark 15:41). Three of these accounts list at least some of their names.
Identifying the Women
John lists either three or four women. The first was Mary, the mother of Jesus. John is the only one to identify her as being at the cross. The second woman John lists is Mary’s sister. And there is some uncertainty after that. Is Mary, the wife of Clopas, a third woman? Or is she the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus? The Greek is unclear here, but most translators identify them as distinct women. Primarily because two sisters with the same name would be highly unusual. And finally, John identifies Mary Magdalene.
Matthew 27:56 lists three women: “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.” And Mark 15:40 also lists three women: “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome.”
Mary Magdalene is included in all three lists. This Mary is mentioned one other time in Scripture. In Luke 8:2, we are told that Jesus had cast seven demons out of her.
All the accounts list a Mary in addition to the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary, the mother of James and Joseph. These are likely the same Mary. And her sons must have been well known in the early church to be mentioned here.
The Mystery Woman
But what about the mystery third woman? John calls her the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Matthew has a third woman, the mother of Zebedee’s sons, James and John. And Mark has a third woman named Salome. Are these all the same woman? There is no way to know with any certainty. But it is fun to speculate.
Assuming they are the same woman, which is by no means certain, it would identify the mother of James and John as Salome, making her also the wife of Zebedee. But even more interesting is that it would make James and John first cousins of Jesus since their mothers were sisters. Again, this is nothing more than interesting speculation. But it is fun sometimes to speculate, so long as we recognize it for what it is.
