ending

"We're a long long way from home Bob,
home's a long, long way from us,
I feel a dirty wind a blowing..."--'Devils and Dust' written by Bruce Springsteen

And after the day came the night. And they took him before the council of the Sanhedrin where it was determined that He was a genuine threat to the peace of the community who lived under the tyranny of Rome. It was a sound decision fueled by tremendous fear...with the finger on the trigger. And they all agreed together, they were of one mind, and they made a pact. They were sure of their position. They were 'right'. And this needed to be done for the sake of the community.

We've got God on our side
We're just trying to survive,
What if what you do to survive
Kills the things you love

Fear's a powerful thing
It'll turn your heart black you can trust
It'll take your God filled soul
Fill it with devils and dust

Fear's a powerful thing, it'll turn your heart black you can trust...take your God filled soul and turn it to devils and dust. And they are afraid. Let sleeping dogs lie. And they took him to the steps of 'justice' where it was determined that he had done nothing wrong. And Pilate washed his hands while she dreamed a dream. And the elders went home to rest.

Dawn broke.

And He began a long, long journey home. A long way away from home, home a long, long way from Him. And if I recall there was a dirty wind blowing that night. Something rancid in the air. Rotten in Denmark you say. And it was night on that day in that hour, darker at 3:00 in the afternoon than at the pitchest time of the deep dark night. And the earth trembled as death won the day. And God trembled as He breathed His final breathe. And the earth felt His breathe and shook.

"Where are you going?" asks Pita. "Home, I'm going home" replies John Creasy. And he trudges along the suspension bridge to the other side. But this time someone walks alongside him. I see dead men walking. It is Jesus.

It isn't done. The sun will come up another day. The sun will come up tomorrow. And we will forget this ever happened.

"Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty I'm free at last..." was the whisper of God that would turn to a shout. The peasant who would be King. The pauper that owned the earth. Unrecognized by His 'own' He is handled, managed, and not so discreetly put away. Silenced. In His own words he acquiesced or so it seems...'it is finished'. Well thank God for that. Perhaps we can put it all behind us. Get on with life. This has all been so disturbing to me. But in the night it all comes back to haunt. Your guard drops in the deep sleep of the night. You can't control your dreams or your nightmares. I dreamed of Jesus as 'strange fruit' swaying yet still on a tree. He is spread eagle and the blood runs red.

Well I dreamed of you last night
In a field of blood and stone
The blood began to dry
The smell began to rise

Well I dreamed of you last night, Bobby
In a field of mud and bone
Your blood began to dry
And the smell began to rise

At last it's over. This bloody mess. Who's to blame? Am I my brother's keeper? He should have kept His mouth shut. He put us in a bad situation. You can't defy Lord Caesar and live. There is too much Egypt in all of these criminals.

What kind of friend would pull a knife when it's him or you and his kid needs shoes? What kind of man will do you in when the bomb goes off and the shelter's his? Don't be naive, why, we all know that everyman does these things when pressed into a corner. We all do. But what if what you do to survive, to get by, to stay afloat, kills something deep down inside you. What if your fear kills the thing you love. What of dignity, bravery, courage and all that stuff. Fables, fairy tales and fantasy. When it comes down to it we save our own skin. We look after number one. We are no different than the crowd gathered on the Portico steps.

Still.

Something beckons us to be better than that. Actually if we only knew, it's Someone. And we want to be heroic. We don't imagine ourselves as Peter or God forbid Judas. We dream of passing through the crucible intact.

Now every woman and every man
They wanna take a righteous stand
Find the love that God wills
And the faith that He commands

We want to be heroic. But when the gun is pointed as us. When it's loaded. When it's Rome. When it's your pension. What kind of friends do friends become when the musical chairs are down to one? Will you knock me out of the chair, throw me under the bus, leave me hanging out to dry? And what kind of friend am I? Would I do you in?

Another waits in heaven. With open arms for His one true love.

When Edward asks,"So what happens after he climbs up the tower and rescues her?" Vivian replies; "She rescues him right back."

Mortality loses its grip on this day and has no more strength. Eternity is on the other side of darkness. The deliverer is nigh. God's reputation has been rescued here on this cross...and Jesus...the One who rescues God...He will be rescued right back.