Conversations Around the Holy Hand Grenade

Fed or Poisoned

"Ha ha ha! That's rich!" James doubled over laughing.

Jesus had been eating the peas right out of the bag and it was starting to grate on me. The eating wasn't bothering me - he was always seen with a fig in his hand or a glass of wine next to him, and every meeting had to be over dinner.

But Jesus had this bag of snap peas he had picked up at the grocery, and he was eating them. The thing was he had picked it up a few days ago and it was not fresh. You wouldn't know it though. If they had been as rotten as Thomas had said then we would have noticed. It would have been disgusting.

He offered some to everyone. When Thomas stuck his hand in the bag he pulled out one that was green on the tip, but grey, brown the rest of he way, and slimy. You could tell that he wanted to drop it immediately when he realized, and he had this revolted expression. He just put it on the table. He reached for the bag because he wanted to take the whole thing and sort through it but Jesus pulled it just out of reach. He reached in and handed Thomas a fresh one.

Thomas ate it, reached into the bag and pulled out another disgusting looking pea pod. He cringed as he put it with the first one.

Jesus held up the bag again, offering it to everyone. We were all trying to look inside to see if the peas were good or bad. It was hard to tell. Finally, Peter stood up with confidence and a look of fearful modesty, stuck his hand in without looking, pulled one out and ate it. It was as green as the day it was picked from the vine. Peter smiled, laughed, almost jumped, thrust his hand in again with an expression saying that he would want to eat all the peas in the world to prove his faith in his friend.

Peter put the next one in his mouth without looking and then his expression changed. He gagged, stepped back, bent over, and then spat it beside the two that Thomas had left on the table.

Jesus had the same smirk on his face throughout this whole performance. Whether Peter was being fed or poisoned, he just kept watching, looking hopeful, chewing.