“Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival or to give something to the poor" (John 13:29).

As I reflected on this verse, I found myself wondering why Jesus did not take the money bag away from Judas, especially when He knew Judas had been stealing from it. Why would the Lord continue to trust him with that responsibility? Why would He keep him close, teach him daily, and love him fully, knowing what was in his heart?

Perhaps it reveals something about the way God sees you and me. He does not relate to us merely  by who we are, but according to who He created us to be. He made man in His image and likeness. He knows what His grace can do in a yielded heart. Jesus lived with Judas for three years. Judas sat under the same teaching as the other disciples. He watched the same miracles. He saw the sick healed, the oppressed delivered, and the dead raised. Day after day, he remained in the presence of the One who is Truth, Life, and Love.

And Jesus did not stop loving him.

I can almost imagine the Lord thinking these words about Judas: "Judas, you are more than this. Dishonesty is beneath who you were created to be. You do not have to go this way. You were made for more." Even knowing Judas would betray Him, Jesus kept loving him to the end.

This tells us something powerful about love. Real love is not merely a feeling. It is a conscious decision. Scripture of Jesus: “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (John 13:1). No one forced Him to keep loving Judas. He chose to. His love was not controlled by Judas’s behavior, loyalty, or worthiness. It flowed from who Jesus is.

That kind of love is costly. It is the kind of love that washes feet it knows may walk away. It serves people who may misunderstand it. It extends kindness even when it is not returned. Before Judas went out to betray Him, Jesus still fed him. He still washed his feet. He still treated him as one loved.

This is the love Christ calls us to walk in. Whether we are dealing with a spouse, a child, a friend, a sibling, or a colleague, loving people must become a deliberate choice. Not because they have earned it. Not because they always respond well. But because love is the way of Christ. And if we are to love like Him, then our love must be tested, stretched, and made real in everyday relationships.

True love is not about living for ourselves alone. It is about using our lives, our gifts, and our opportunities to bring life, dignity, and hope to others. It is about seeing people through the eyes of God and refusing to reduce them to their weakness, failure, or present condition.

Jesus loved His own to the very end. That is still the pattern. So the question is not merely whether we say we love people. The real question is whether we have decided to love them in a way that endures, serves, forgives, and reflects the heart of Christ.

Prayer:
Father, thank You for loving me with a love that does not give up. Thank You for the example of Jesus, who loved to the very end. Teach me to love people deliberately, patiently, and selflessly. Help me not to love only when it is easy but to choose love as an act of obedience and Christlikeness. Let my life become a channel of Your grace to those around me. In Jesus’ name, amen.