I know, crazy.

It is amazing to think of how much can be communicated with just three words. I read these three words, "I know, crazy", awhile ago and they have stuck with me. Their message has stuck with me and the whole thought about what we say and how we say it has stuck with me.

Words have different meanings and varying nuances based on what is said, when it's said, and how it's said. If you said, "I know, crazy" you could mean a few different things depending on the context.

If I told you that we got 3 feet of snow today and then said, "I know, crazy", I would be saying that an unheard of event just took place. It is crazy to think that we would ever get three feet of snow in one day, and just as crazy that it would happen in April. I would be confirming that I understood and agreed that something very unusual and noteworthy just took place.

But, what if I used those words to describe something not so very extraordinary, albeit, a bit on the unusual side. Let's say I told you that I ate oatmeal for lunch and then said, "I know, crazy". I'd be saying that I understand that my behavior is a bit out of the ordinary and I understand that you might think it was a weird thing for someone to eat oatmeal for lunch.

Now then, what if I used those same words once again, but this time to describe something that someone else has done that is a little on the unusual side. What if I told you about how my son wore shorts to school when it was only 20 degrees outside and then said, "I know, crazy"? Now what am I saying? It seems to me that what I am saying is not just that this act is out of the ordinary or is unusual, but I'm also telling you that I expect you to think it's crazy and I want you to know that I think it's crazy too. I'm saying, don't lump me in with that odd behavior, it's crazy!

I think about how often we say things and make comments concerning situations or events in order to align or distance ourselves from certain opinions or viewpoints. I think of how much we can communicate while saying very little.

I imagine Peter standing by the fire on that first Good Friday while Jesus was being "tried". He was asked directly if he was one of Jesus' followers and he denied it. But I imagine another kind of denial. I imagine a group of people talking with him around the fire and saying to Peter, "Did you know that Jesus, that guy in there, claims to be the Messiah, the son of God?" And I can imagine Peter betraying his Lord by merely saying, "I know, crazy".