The whole Scripture reveals the incredible love of God to the world. After understanding the truth that God loves us, do we love Him? Even after becoming His children, we do not love God. Most of us may deny this, assuming that we love God. But when we do not hate sin, it indicates that we do not love God. Even after knowing this, God still loves us to the end. It is bewildering to know that God never ends His love, but it is we who reject it. Jesus leaves the ninety-nine and chases the one running away from Him.
God Loves Us Despite Our Wickedness
A day before the first day of the Passover, while Jesus was having supper with His disciples, the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Him. As Judas handled the money bag, gradually, he started to love money more than Jesus and his colleagues. When we love this world and all in it more than Jesus, we cannot love God. We will have a different mindset from Jesus and with a different mindset, our words and deeds will go against Jesus.
The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
Romans 8:7-8 (NIV)
During the Last Supper, Jesus talked about His betrayer. It appears that Judas was born to betray Jesus for the sake of fulfilling the prophecy. Jesus was well aware of His betrayer, yet He loved Him. Before specifically pointing to Judas, why did Jesus expose his plot to His disciples? God did not intend to make him a betrayer, but by revealing his wickedness, Jesus wanted to lead him toward repentance. Not referring to his name, Jesus told everyone what one among them would do. Jesus said this to give a way out for the offender.
He said I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of scripture “He who shared my bread has turned against me.
John 13:18 (NIV)
God sent His only Son to this world as He does not want any soul to perish. The son of God took the sins of this world on Him, including the sin of Judas, and shed His blood to cleanse everyone. Above all, Jesus asked His Father to pardon every treacherous act committed by all people, including Judas. Yet, the passion for money did not allow Judas to understand God and His never-ending love. Moreover, he was keen on fulfilling what he committed to the wicked people and failed to give his life to God. Accomplishing our desires does not allow God to accomplish His will.
Leaving The Ninety-Nine
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Luke 15:1-2 (NIV)
There are three types of responses from sinners. The first type is when sinners run away from God out of fear, believing that He hates them. The second type is when sinners feel overwhelmed by their sins and pray to God for salvation. Their desperation leads them to repentance. The third type is when sinners consider themselves righteous despite their inner filth. They distance themselves from other sinners to appear righteous. However, the Lord cares for all these three types and continues to show His love to them.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 (NIV)
People often criticize Jesus for loving sinners, but they forget that He loved us even when we were sinners ourselves. These people are unwilling to acknowledge this truth. During the time of Jesus, the Pharisees were troubled by His association with sinners. Jesus explained His reason for temporarily leaving the righteous and pursuing sinners was to bring them back to His Kingdom. In order to convey this message, Jesus told three parables. The first parable involves leaving the ninety-nine sheep to search for the one lost sheep.
During the Last Supper, Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, dipped bread in wine, and gave it to one of them as a gesture of love. According to scripture, this is the moment when the devil entered Judas. At the start of the chapter, John wrote that the devil had already influenced Judas to betray Jesus. Ultimately, when Judas rejected Jesus’ love, the devil entered him to fulfill his own will. The devil tempts us to live contrary to God’s will, and if we persistently reject His love, the devil will possess us to carry out his own will against God.
Jesus And The Sinners
While Jesus was talking to His followers about the difficulties He would face and the way He would die, Peter declared that it would never happen to Jesus because satan influenced him to say that. Instead of scolding Peter, Jesus rebuked satan, the one who had tempted His follower.
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Matthew 16:23
But when the evil spirit took control of Judas, Jesus spoke to Judas instead of directly addressing the evil force. In the garden of Gethsemane, when satan influenced Judas to betray Jesus with a kiss, Jesus did not speak to the evil force but called Judas His friend. This shows that Jesus reprimands the evil one as long as we don’t allow it to enter our lives. However, if we give in to the evil one and let it fulfill its intentions, Jesus speaks to us instead of directly addressing the evil force.
As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
John 13:27
So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”
Jesus continued to love Judas despite his betrayal. He took upon himself the sinful act of Judas and died on the cross for him. Unfortunately, Judas, unable to comprehend the unconditional love of Jesus, tragically ended his own life. Jesus loves sinners unconditionally until the very end, but he despises their death. He offers us numerous opportunities to come to him, but our attachment to this world often prevents us from doing so. Even though God’s love is immeasurable, if we persist in living in sin and die as sinners, God disapproves of our deaths.
Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?
Ezekiel 33:11
Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?
Ezekiel 18:23
The Lord works out everything to its proper end – even the wicked for a day of disaster (Proverbs 16:4). God uses His people to produce good yield and uses the wicked for destruction. We have the choice to become His children or His enemies. However, some of us find it comfortable to engage in destructive actions, despite God’s warning against choosing evil. This impulse to do what is forbidden is the result of an irresistible desire.
For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.
Romans 7:11
Failing To Do Good
Cain was in the wrong and became angry with God. According to James 4:17, when we fail to do good, we commit sin. If we sin, the devil will take pleasure in being with us. Just like carrying blood-stained meat in a dense forest invites predators, having sin within us in this life will make the devil consume us. God warned Cain that if he does what is right, he will be accepted; but if he does not, sin is waiting to pounce on him. Sin desires to control him, but he must have authority over it, as stated in Genesis 4:7. When we fail to have control over sin, it begins to dominate us, preventing us from doing what we want and leading us toward what we do not want. The following verse addresses the situation where despite our desire to do good, we often find ourselves responding as sinners.
So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?
Romans 7:21-24
The Love Of God Is Our Seal
We fail because we resist our sinful desires and are burdened by numerous restrictions in our thoughts. However, if we disregard these restrictions and focus on doing what is right, it brings joy to God. Consequently, we will live in righteousness, leaving behind all forms of darkness. In order to conquer evil with goodness, it is important to wholeheartedly love God. God’s love for us is continuous, and He blesses us with His Spirit to secure our redemption and inclusion in His Kingdom.
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Let us set aside our fear and approach Him confidently because God not only pardoned our sins but also guards our salvation till we attain eternity.
The Jordan Valley 
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