What's a Bosom Buddy?

Have you ever wondered what a bosom buddy is? It's kind of a weird way to refer to good friends. Everyone has heard the phrase, "oh, they're such bosom buddies!" And old people have seen Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari in the old T.V. show about cross dressing men who live together. In fact, the term bosom buddy doesn't necessarily have anything to do with boobs. It is actually a reference to the way that people partied in Biblical times and it illustrates a fascinating theological principle.

You see, back in Jesus' times, people didn't sit in chairs to eat at parties. Instead, they reclined on the ground on the table while they ate and drank. They just laid there and drank! That sounds fun to me. Sometimes sitting is just too much effort, never mind standing. After a few drinks, you're on the floor anyway, might as well just start down there and save the embarrassment. They were on to something back then.

There is another advantage to reclining though. If you imagine people laying around a table, propped up on their left elbow and eating with the other arm, it looked like this:

The great thing about this is that everyone had someone they could lean on if they got tired, drunk, or just too stuffed to stay upright. Or, you have a person you can whisper to as you lean back on their chest. This is where the term bosom buddies came from. Back then, you could have a special relationship with the person next to you at a party because if you had some dirt to spill, or a drunken confession, you could just lean back and whisper it to them privately. You were SUPER lucky and awesome if you got to sit to the left of the host. This was the seat of honor because the host was your bosom buddy, meaning that they really wanted to talk to you.

Okay, ready to have your mind blown? Guess who had the seat of honor at the last supper. Guess who Jesus leaned back on and whispered to. Judas. Frickin' Judas the betrayer! Why in the world would he be at the seat of honor, bosom buddies with Jesus? 

This is a crazy question and I frankly didn't consider the depth of it before I committed to writing on this topic today. Here are a few ideas:

Maybe Judas just asserted himself as the honored guest even though that's not what the host (Jesus) wanted. After all, Satan had already entered Judas and convinced him to betray Jesus. Satan could certainly deceive Judas into thinking that he deserved to sit at the seat of honor.

Or, maybe Jesus wanted Judas to sit there. Maybe he figured if anybody needed a good bosom buddy, it was Judas. After all, Judas was about to make the biggest mistake of his life by leading the authorities to Jesus. Jesus might have wanted to let him know just how big a mistake he was making. 

I think one thing we can take away from this is that no matter how much we mess up, Jesus is still willing to be our bosom buddy. It's not like Jesus said, "Forget you Judas! I'm not sitting next to you, you backstabber! Do you even go here?" No, even Judas, who betrayed Jesus to death, is not beyond bosom buddyhood with Jesus. In fact, no matter what we do, no matter how far we go from God, God is always ready to recline with us, lay back, and talk to us. God is always ready to reveal divine secrets, especially to people who have made a lot of mistakes. It's all a part of God's master plan to have a close relationship with everyone. If you screw up, you may very well find yourself at the place of honor, hearing God whispering in your ear. From personal experience, I would advise listening.

This week's drink has nothing to do with bosom buddies. Until you drink it with your bosom buddies.

I Believe I Cran Fly

Ingredients: 2 shots spiced rum, 1 shot cranberry liqueur, drizzle of mezcal/tequila, drizzle of triple sec.

Shake rum and cranberry liqueur over ice. Strain into glass. Drizzle a few drops of mezcal and a few drops of triple sec on top. Add ice if you're into that. 

Since this is about three drinks strong, make sure you have a bosom buddy around. No, not that kind of bosom buddy.