There is, in what we know of the last week before Jesus’ death, much friendship.

Not that his friends were very helpful to him, in the way we think friends should be. I mean by the end, Judas betrayed him, Peter denied him, the rest of the 10 fell asleep. And no one could do anything to change the end of the week.

Some of us are constantly afraid that we are failing at being friends of Jesus. It’s all some of us can talk about.

Some of us are unaware that friendship with Jesus might be a thing.

Some of us think friendship with Jesus is akin to “liking” Jesus, or “following” Jesus. A click to put him in our social media feed along with all the competing voices explaining what he really meant, explaining how everyone else is wrong about what he really meant, everyone speaking with confidence. Even the ones that aren’t human.

That last week, Jesus expected that his friends would falter. In conversation, he had to suggest that they didn’t understand what he had just said. When they fell asleep, he expressed frustration.

And yet.

He didn’t walk away from them. He didn’t cut off the friendship. Knowing what people are like, individually and all together, he had still become a people. And he still wanted to be with his people.

At the heart of the life and the Passion of Jesus is relationship. At the bleeding heart and broken body.

We spend so much time creating and living up to expectations. What if he was serious when he said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”