How Do You Love a Liar?

I really hoped he was clean this time.  I so much wanted to believe that this time when I was told, “I’m sober”, that all would be well.  I longed for the day not having to worry about relapses.  Believing that all would be well somehow made it easier to let down my guard.  After multiple lies and cover ups, it got harder to believe the sobriety claim.  I did not want to give money, or do anything else, to enable destructive behavior.  I was sick of being angry.  I did not want to feel this resentment of betrayal.  I wanted to believe my hopes would be rewarded.  I wanted to rejoice, but I did not want to be hurt again.  Each time I finally got my hopes up, the fall seemed to hurt much more.  Was there any way to love him like I did before betrayal and hurt?  Was there a way I could love him unconditionally even if he was lying to me again???

Have you ever been lied to by someone you love?  Have you lived in the same house, shared the same life, with someone you suspected was less than truthful?  Have you felt like a fool for hoping for the best, only to be rewarded with betrayal?  Jesus wanted us to forgive a brother every time he asked for it (Matthew 18:21-35).  Jesus desired forgiveness for the very ones that had him crucified (Luke 23:34).  Paul wrote of Jesus having this genuine desire for our forgiveness before we ever repented (Romans 5:6-8). Jesus knows our faults more than any others, even ourselves (Hebrews 4:13).  How was Jesus able to have such abundant love for everyone of us while we walked the dark paths of sin?

I am in awe of how Jesus loved Judas.  If there was ever a relationship that typified the type of betrayal any one of us could experience, it was that of Judas and Jesus.  Judas was in charge of the money that Jesus and the disciples used for their travels.  Judas was witness to many of the miracles of Jesus.  Judas heard multiple sermons by the Master, and witnessed Jesus’s extraordinary compassion.  However, Judas was not content with the blessings of their relationship.  He loved spending the money they had for himself.  His covetousness grew that he sought a convenient time to betray Jesus for money.  Judas was a man that cared about Jesus, but loved money even more.  Jesus gave His all for Judas.  Judas threw it all the way for money.

Jesus knew Judas was the one to betray him.  Jesus sent Judas on his way to fulfill his intentions on the evening it was to occur.  None of the other disciples assumed Judas was going to betray Jesus.  Jesus did.  Jesus loved Judas anyway.  Jesus kept Judas with the twelve.  Jesus fed Judas like He did the other disciples.  Jesus was not hateful, ugly, or cruel to Judas the whole time knowing Judas’s heart.  This kind of love is extraordinary.  Judas was a liar, and Jesus loved him more than many men could comprehend.  How could Jesus genuinely show this kind of love?  If we have an idea how Jesus could love a liar as Judas with such tenderness and care, it could help us do the same.  Thankfully, the scriptures give insight into how Jesus could love a liar.  More on that to come!