Jesus was able to treat Judas Iscariot lovingly and with grace even though he knew had already begun to betray him at the time of what we refer to as The Last Supper. He served him, washed his feet and spent time with him, right along with the other disciples. Jesus was already walking in forgiveness and love with the disciple who would forever be known as his Betrayer.
Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. ~ John 13:1-5 NLT
When Judas made the choice to reject the love and salvation of Jesus in exchange for money from the priests of the Temple, Jesus released him to do what he was going to do. Because love from another is not truly love if it is forced, coerced, or manipulated, Jesus showed us what we must do with those who choose to reject us or wrongfully condemn us. He models that we are to LET THEM GO.
When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.” So Judas left at once, going out into the night. ~ John 13:27,30 NLT
Just a little later, in his painful moments as he slowly died, horribly nailed to the cross he chose to bear for all mankind, Jesus forgave those who had persecuted him, and he asked God to forgive them as well.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” ~ Luke 23:34a NLT
Even though Jesus forgave Judas Iscariot and the religious leaders who demanded that he be crucified, and he prayed for their forgiveness to God, they were not reconciled to him, and therefore they were not reconciled to God. While forgiveness can be one-sided, reconciliation takes two. To reconcile and restore two people, the relationship has to be the focus in order to get to a place of love and reparation. Without a desire or investment in building or rebuilding a relationship, there can never be reconciliation. In the Bible account, Judas no longer valued his relationship with Jesus, and the religious leaders chose not to have a relationship with him in the first place.
We can apply this valuable wisdom to our own lives by considering a person who has turned against us. There may have been something that we did which was misunderstood by that person, or maybe we truly did something that was harmful to them and we have done our best to apologize and own our actions. Relationships are complex, and imperfect people sometimes hurt others even with good intentions.
Forgiving someone in our heart is something that each person is responsible for. No one can do this for us, and it is our choice to make, but Jesus pointed out the importance of forgiveness and explained how unforgiveness has eternal repercussions and it poisons our heart.
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” ~ Matthew 6:14-15 NLT
When we choose to forgive someone, we make the choice to LET THEM GO. We no longer condemn them for what they did, but we draw a line in the sand between us and them. If the person who wronged us wants to continue in relationship with us and make amends, then growth and change needs to happen in order to repair the damage that has been done. In order for them to be reconciled to us, a vulnerable discussion about rebuilding trust, followed by making a plan and then showing a behavioral change needs to happen while the relationship continues to be worked on by both parties.
What if the person that we have forgiven continues to repeat the same offense and show no remorse or desire to change? Jesus showed us what to do in cases like that as well. We are supposed to love everyone, serve everyone, and pray for everyone, but we are told not to partner with those who are not reconciled to us, to Christ, or to God. And as you recall, reconciliation takes two, as well as the fact that love is only true and good if offered freely.
Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? ~ 2 Corinthians 6:14 NLT
Now pay attention to what Jesus taught to those who chose to be in relationship with him after he had let Judas go…
As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will give his own glory to the Son, and he will do so at once. Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” ~ John 13:31-35 NLT
Jesus gave some extremely valuable insight to those who knew him, loved him, and were reconciled to him, which includes us who believe and are in relationship with him. He revealed something extremely different than the law which had been taught by religious leaders for decades. Jesus teaches us, “Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” Notice that he loves us first?
We must first receive love in order to give love to others, right? Since God is love, and his Son, who is one with him, is love, we know that Jesus loves us. Jesus loves his enemies, those who betrayed him, even those who killed him, because he has no ability to hate within his entire being.
The choice is ours because God created us to have free will. We can choose to receive his love and abide with him in the upper room at the banquet table, spending time in relationship with him, or we can choose to leave his presence and walk out into the night as Judas did, to “do what we are going to do.” Jesus loves us, forgives us, AND… he lets us decide whether we want to accept his love or reject it.
For those who reject it, they will not have the capacity to pass along to others what they don’t have within them. They are not capable of loving others unconditionally because God’s love, through Christ, will not flow through them and then be shown to others. They have not chosen to be reconciled with Christ, who drew a line in the sand about the sin committed, but remains with his arms out wide, offering love, grace, and reconciliation for all who desire it.
Those who openly accept the love of Jesus, knowing that we are empty and have nothing without it, are reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of Christ. We belong to God, and we know that we are his son or his daughter. In his infinite wisdom, he knew that if created us with free will, and then he let us go, that all who would return to him in repentance and love are HIS FOR ETERNITY.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” ~ John 15:5-12 NLT
Following Jesus comes with a cost. For those of you who have people, perhaps even adult sons or daughters, that don’t want to have anything to do with you since you have put your relationship with God first, take heart that you share in Christ’s suffering. Continue to love them as he loves you, forgive them, pray for them, stand firmly at the line you drew in the sand, keep your arms open to them for future reconciliation, and then LET THEM GO. They belong to God first, and he has better things for you to do in the Kingdom than to beg them to return, mourn the loss of what you wanted, or to change your direction away from your source of life, Jesus. God will never give up on them, and he knows what is best for them, as well as for you. After all, he waited patiently for you to come back to him, and then Jesus welcomed you with love and mercy. He will give us the strength to do the same.
“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” ~ John 15:18-19 NLT
You have been set apart. Walk in the ways of the Lord, and be free from everything and everyone that you need to let go of.
“My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory.” ~ John 17:9-10 NLT