DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- AMAZING LOVE

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- AMAZING LOVE

" 'I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled: "He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me." Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.' " (John 13:18-19).

This is an amazing thing and hard to comprehend. Jesus said that he chose Judas as one of His disciples, knowing full well that Judas would betray Him. The purpose was to provide proof to His disciples that He was indeed the Messiah, the Savior. And not just the Savior, but the very God of God – the "I Am" – Yahweh of the Old Testament Scripture. Note that in the translations, the last word in our focus verse is italicized, indicating that it is not in the original Greek manuscripts but is added by the translators to make the sentence flow. So the translation is: that "you may believe that I am" -- the same Greek Ego Emi that is used in other places to validate His divinity as the God who was revealed to Moses in the burning bush as the "I Am" (as in John 8:58).

What amazes me is that Jesus would choose Judas, knowing full well that this man would be His betrayer. But Jesus treated Him in the same way that He treated the rest of the disciples. There is no hint in the Gospels that Jesus ever treated him differently than the other disciples. He never disparaged Judas or indicated that he was less than worthy to be His disciples. That is not a natural thing. It could only be a God-thing. Only God could show such grace and love to someone who would do such evil to Himself. I believe Jesus loved Judas as much as he did the other 11 disciples.

It was all a part of God's plan for our redemption. The fact is that the betrayal by Judas did not catch Jesus by surprise. Nothing catches God by surprise. He knows it all from beginning to end. In Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost, he declared that Jesus was "delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God...(to be) crucified and put to death" (Acts 2:23).

Oh, the amazing love of Jesus that would put up with us. Even when He knows we will fail and betray Him, He still loves us. That is amazing love.

Love, Dad