"'Yet there are some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him. He went on to say, 'This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has enabled them.'
From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.
'You do not want to leave too, do you?' Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that You are the Holy One of God'
Then Jesus replied, 'Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil! (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray Him.)"
John 6:64-71
After miraculously feeding over 5,000 people with a young boy's lunch, Jesus declared that He alone is the Bread of Life, that it is only through Him that people can be sustained eternally. He offered gruesome imagery of eating His flesh and drinking His blood in order to live eternally. In response, many turned from Him; this man didn't fit their cultural norms or ideas of the Messiah. Even one in His innermost circle would betray Him.
Astonishingly, Jesus knew all of this. He wasn't surprised when Judas betrayed Him. He wasn't surprised when followers who yelled "Hosanna!" on Sunday would yell, "Crucify Him!" on Friday. He knew who would reject Him, beat Him, kill Him. Yet despite this knowledge, Jesus still draws them in. He continues to share the truth of the Father with them, continues to heal and provide the miraculous, continues to share His very self with them, continues to love with abandon.
And so He does today. My God knows my heart. He knows the ugliness and beauty. He knows when I will turn from Him to do my own will. He knows how I will fail Him. He knows my sins that put Him on the cross. And yet! And yet, He still loves me. He still draws near to me, speaking the Father's love, truth, and justice into my life. Despite knowing my failures, selfishness, and hardheartedness, my Jesus draws close. He loves me still, loves me enough to die a brutal death.
What love is this?
