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I think that Japanese people don’t change easily. For example, once they like something, they usually stick with it. At least, that’s been my experience.From 2012 to early 2020, I taught a Korean language class. It all began with a fan of TVXQ(東方神起) named Ms. Fukushima.
Among the members of TVXQ, Junsu was her absolute favorite. Even before she met me, she had been learning Korean from another Korean teacher. The reason she started learning Korean in the first place was because of TVXQ.
But after the Great East Japan Earthquake (March 11, 2011), that teacher returned to Korea. While looking for a new teacher, she met me. Ms. Fukushima ran a small café in her own building. Her feelings for Junsu never changed. No matter how many new idols came along and became popular, it was always Junsu. She wasn’t really interested in BTS either. She didn’t switch idols like people switch to a new smartphone. It was just… always Junsu. “I only love Junsu.”
At Shin-Akitsu Church, there is a believer named Ms. Motai, who is about 90 years old. Although I stepped down as the senior pastor of Shin-Akitsu Church in 2020, I still maintain a personal relationship with her.
Ms. Motai became a fan of Bae Yong-joon through the Korean drama “Winter Sonata” (冬のソナタ), and even now, her admiration for “Yonsama” has not changed.
I sometimes visit her home, and in her living room hangs a large poster(Bromide, ブロマイド) of Yonsama. She once told me: “The current Yonsama has gained a lot of weight and looks just like an ordinary middle-aged man. So, I don’t want to see him now. Instead, I’ll just remember and love the Yonsama from Winter Sonata forever~~”
Since 2020, I’ve come to know about a Japanese “national singer” named Kuwata Keisuke. He debuted in 1978 and is still beloved today. Every time he releases a new song, it becomes a hit.
The song most well-known to Korean people is “Just a Man in Love,” released in 1987. A more recent hit is “Smile, Like a Clear Blue Sky” (Smile, 晴れ渡る空のように). The band he leads is called Southern All Stars (サザンオールスターズ). When they perform in dome stadiums, they usually draw crowds of over 100,000 people. The biggest turnout was actually during the height of COVID last year — a staggering 550,000 people attended.
To be honest with you, I am a fan of Southern All Stars. Anyhow, the Japanese people’s love for Southern All Stars (and Keisuke Kuwata) will surely last forever.
I would argue that one of the characteristics of Japanese people seems to be “attachment” (愛着, or affection) to things and people. That’s why they often have a hard time throwing things away. And their attachment to people is also intense. Once they open their heart, once they set their heart on someone, once they give their heart — it rarely changes.
Foreigners often describe this trait in Japanese people as “loyalty,” but I would assert that it’s more accurately described as “attachment(愛着).” Because of this characteristic, Japanese people need to form an attachment to Jesus from childhood. Once something other than Jesus clings to their heart, it is almost impossible to remove it and replace it with Jesus.
Let us go back to today’s passage. Matthew 27:55 says, “Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.”
These are the women who followed Jesus to the very end. Most of the disciples had left Jesus hanging on the cross, but there were some who remained to the end. They were the unnamed women — women of faith whom the world overlooked. They never let go of their attachment(or affection) to Jesus.
In Matthew 27:55–61, we see that when Jesus died on the cross, most of His male disciples had fled (Mark 14:50). However, many women — especially Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee — remained at the scene. They witnessed Jesus’ death to the end and even followed Him to the tomb. Their love (or attachment) and loyalty shone powerfully, even in silence.
We might be able to notice that these faithful women had three key characteristics:
First, they were women who followed and served Jesus (v.55). The phrase “serving Jesus”(caring for his needs) doesn’t just mean following Him around — it means they devoted their lives and resources to Him. They had followed Him from Galilee and lived lives of discipleship. Their service was quiet, but the Bible recorded their names.
Let me ask you a question. How are you serving Jesus? Even if your service goes unnoticed, are you continuing to persevere in it?
Second, they were women who remained to the end (vv.56–58). There weren’t many who stayed at the foot of the cross. But the women did not run away from the place of pain or fear. They remained in the place of suffering, silently sharing in Jesus’ agony and mourning His death. Let me ask you this question. In moments of pain and discomfort, are you still staying close to Jesus?
Lastly, they became the first witnesses of the resurrection (v.61, cf. 28:1–10).
They followed Him all the way to the tomb — and later received the honor of being the first to witness His resurrection. God rewards those who are faithful. Their names were recorded in Scripture, and they became the first messengers of the Gospel.
Let me ask you this. When you stand faithfully and quietly in the place God has called you to, what calling might God have prepared for you?
Brothers and sisters, the world may not know, but God knows everything. The people in the world remember only great ministries and big names, but God remembers and records faithful believers.
Even when the male disciples fled, the female disciples remained. Those who seemed marginalized and weak played a decisive role in God’s redemptive history. Today, we too must become faithful servants in unseen places—serving our families, our work places, our churches, and our neighbors.
Sadly, most of the male disciples betrayed Jesus and fled when He suffered and was crucified. But there was one male disciple who followed Jesus faithfully to the end. Who was it? Yes, that’s right. It was the Apostle John. In John 19:25–26, we read:
“Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby…” (John 19:25–26a)
The crucifixion of Jesus was horrific. Most of His disciples ran away, remained silent, or hid themselves. But in that place of despair and suffering, there was one apostle who remained by Jesus’ side—that was John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. On the day Jesus was crucified, most of the twelve disciples scattered in fear. But in John 19, we see that John, referred to as “the disciple whom He loved,” stood beside Mary, the mother of Jesus. And from the cross, Jesus entrusted His mother to John’s care.
Especially in John 19:25–27, we can find three key characteristics of a true disciple as shown by John.
First, a true disciple is one who does not run from the cross, but stands with courage. John may have fled at first, but he came back. He did not avoid the place of pain and mockery, but stood at the foot of the cross. Let me ask you: When you face suffering in your walk with Jesus, how do you respond?
Secondly, a true disciple is one who remains to the end because of love. The phrase “the disciple whom Jesus loved” shows that John deeply experienced Jesus’ love. That love kept him from leaving—even in the face of death. Love produces courage, and love leads to obedience. Let me ask you: How have you experienced Jesus’ love, and how are you responding to that love?
Lastly, a true disciple is one who receives a new mission. In John 19:27, Jesus says to John, “Here is your mother.” This was not just a personal request—it was a new responsibility and calling. The fact that Jesus entrusted His final words to John shows just how much He trusted him. Let me ask you: Are you a true disciple whom the Lord can trust with His mission?
Let me conclude. John stood at the foot of the cross, enduring with love. He was faithful enough to be entrusted with the care of the Lord’s mother. Later, he became a witness of Jesus by writing the Gospel of John, the Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation. The world may remember Peter as the successful one, but God used John—the one who remained until the end.
Let us pray.
Lord, just as the women did not leave the foot of the cross, may we too remain by Your side until the end. We believe that You remember our quiet devotion and faithfulness. Even if the world does not notice, help us live faithfully before You.
Lord, when many others left, John stayed near You. May we also stand in places of pain and rejection without hesitation. Help us respond to Your love with obedience, and take full responsibility for the people and mission You have entrusted to us. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
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