Palm Sunday, 2012

So there you go, Jesus. Some April Fool’s Day, don’t you think? The old switcheroo. You open your arms for a tender embrace and then all of a sudden it’s a big cream pie, right between the eyes. Something like that.

I suppose we all feel that way. Seems like just a few minutes ago and we were on top of the world. Sun shining. Crowds cheering. People taking notice. Catching the wave just right. All those months and years out in the boondocks, and now we were going to be making it big time in the big city. All glory, laud, and honor. Right down Broadway.

Our hearts were full of excitement. Adrenaline coursing through every cell of our bodies. That sense of hope, purpose, destiny, that we felt somehow, just by intuition, when we first met you by our fishing boats. Here and now that all seemed to be coming to life. The enthusiasm of the crowds, the energy so real you could almost taste it. Things were really happening.

But now. Well, I guess the joke’s on you, Jesus. April Fools!

I mean, I know we said it. All for one, one for all. And we meant it, too. Really. And you know that. You know us better than anybody. We said we’d follow you anywhere, and we meant it. You’ve seen us when we were at our best, and when we weren’t at our best. You’ve heard our hopes and dreams. Our secret thoughts. Our confessions. Our regrets. You loved us anyway. And we knew that. Really we did. And we know it now. In fact we love you too, even now. Which is what makes this all so hard.

It could have been different. Even at this last minute we all probably could have scooted out over the garden wall and into the night. Out of town and halfway home again before the authorities even knew we were gone. Or we could have locked the doors and hunkered down in that Upper Room. But you’ve just had this other thing going on lately. This look in your eyes. Like you were seeing something farther out. Something we couldn’t see. Like there was something out there. Like this all was meaning something that you got, but that just left us shaking our heads.

I mean, I wonder. I wonder if we’ll ever know what was going on with you. What you could possibly have been thinking. What you were trying to accomplish.

April Fool’s Day, Jesus, but this is no joke. These guys – they mean business. We haven’t gone up against anybody like them before.

April Fool’s Day, Jesus. And yes, I know we said we’d be there with you, for you. But you knew all along, didn’t you? Story of our lives. Good intentions.

We’d hoped I think that we would be better than this. But that’s not what’s happening. Turns out this is a bridge too far. We wish you the best, and we hope you’ll understand. That you won’t hold it against us or anything. But if this is really the way you need to go, then Jesus, I’m sorry. But you’re on your own.