In the sermon yesterday morning we listened about the deep, deep love of Jesus. Jesus loves everyone (John 3:16), and that includes you and me.
Some people wonder if Jesus also loved Judas, the man who betrayed Him. He did. He knew from the start what Judas would do, but He chose Judas anyway. In John 13 at the Last Supper with the disciples, Jesus gave Judas a “sop.” The action of giving a sop was when the host of a meal would dip a piece of bread and then give it to his friend at the table. This action meant that Jesus considered Judas a friend, but it also seems that He was giving Judas one more chance. He knew what would happen, but, because He loves so deeply, Jesus gave every chance. Judas took the sop and when Jesus told him to go do what he must do, he immediately left to prepare the betrayal.
In Jesus’ loving expression towards Judas, I was struck by the love of God in a way that I haven’t been before. God knows who will ultimately accept Him and who will reject Him, but He still gives each of us every chance to accept and love Him in return for all the love He is offering to us. No matter what you’ve done, no matter if you’ve rejected Him before, God will give you every chance because He loves you so much!