Read MARK 14: 43-72 and 15:1-15

Jesus knew the people in His life space:
He knew His disciples – their hearts,
their intentions, their weariness, their fear and self-protective behaviors,
and yet He loved them;
He knew Judas – the one who had traveled with Him and His other disciples,
whose interest in following Jesus had shifted
because of his own selfish interests,
and yet He loved him;
He knew the chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders –
those whose righteous toes He stepped on
as He traveled the circuit in ministry,
those who were jealous of Jesus' following and seeking His death,
and yet He loved them;
He knew the crowd that would be stirred and urged to chant “Crucify Him!” -
and yet He loved them;
He knew Pilate – who sought to find a way of releasing Jesus,
then sought to satisfy the crowd by releasing Barabbas
and handing Jesus over to be crucified,
and yet He loved him;
He knew Peter – who would curse and swear,
repeatedly denying that He knew Jesus,
and yet He loved him.
He knew the soldiers – who struck Him and spit on Him,
mocked Him by bowing before Him and calling Him “King of the Jews”,
and yet He loved them.

Jesus knew people ~ and He loved them,
irregardless of their status in the world,
in spite of who they were and what they did.
While He knew them and loved them, not all of them knew themselves.

But, Jesus said to His captors: “Am I leading a rebellion,
that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?
Mark 14: 48,49

While He knew them and loved them, not all of them knew Jesus.
Some thought He was the kind of person who would fight back in some way.
They were ready with swords, clubs, and false witnesses.

Yes, God loved them. The Bible tells us so:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son
that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish
but have everlasting life.
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world
but that the world, through Him, should be saved.
John 3:16,17
And Jesus prayed His consent:
“Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.”
Mark 14:36b

That's LOVE!

Twila Charles Leichty