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, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. John 19:25-27

It’s been a while since I pulled out HNAC Alison but I feel that today’s few verses are the time to do it.

I like to imagine how I would interact with the Bible and ideas within Christianity if I was “Hypothetically Not a Christian” because I think this gives me a broader perspective of my faith.

I also like writing as HNAC Alison because it allows me to write without a filter… because she’s a loose cannon, sassy kinda gal.

Personally I find it hard to fathom that Jesus can say anything whilst on the cross but here he speaks to his mother and a disciple, presumably John. However, I’m pretty sure that HNAC Alison would focus in on the fact that the women around the cross were highlighted.

I don’t know whether she’d realise just how unusual that was for an ancient Jewish text, but she’d be celebrating the fact. And I think, to an extent, it’s right to celebrate the fact.

The gospel writers have taken the time to write an orderly (to quote Luke) and truthful account of Jesus’ time on earth. The fact that they bother to talk about the women and name them is testament to the fact that they were telling the truth. Women in that context were not of value. They add no weight to the story from the perspective of the times in which the gospels were written.

Yet John includes this exchange. And Jesus demonstrates a very human understanding of his mother’s needs. This, I am sure HNAC would celebrate… and then probably take the feminist read of the text too far with some sort of focus on a ‘spinoff’ series tracking these women in the days leading up to the cross.

Which, come to think of it, could make for an interesting mini-series… (put that in the list of potential screenplays to write).

However, HNAC Alison would probably go a little too far down the feminist path. A little too much ‘her’ in the hermeneutics, you could say.

There’s a time and place for the feminist read of a text, but I think The Cross is not it.

Because the cross is all about the man, Jesus. If we stray too far from this central player in these pages of the Bible, then we’ve lost the plot and are dancing with the danger of heresy.

The women, along with John, come to the cross. For this they should be applauded.

But it’s the cross of Jesus as it says in the passage. So let’s keep it – and Easter – all about him.

Yours with the HERmeneutics,

Alison