On that Friday, the sky went dark. The earth trembled. The veil was torn. Love bore the weight of the world.

This is the day we remember a Savior who didn’t just die for us—He died with full knowledge of what we’d do. Of how we’d fail. How we’d wander. How we’d try to earn what was always meant to be received.

And in the middle of that sacred story is a relationship full of tension and heartbreak: Jesus and Judas.

Judas Iscariot—the betrayer. The one who sold the Savior for silver and sealed it with a kiss. But before he was the betrayer, he was chosen. Called. Trusted. Included. He walked with Jesus, sat at the table, carried the ministry’s money bag, and heard every parable.

Jesus knew.

And still… He loved him.

He washed his feet. He broke bread with him. He called him “friend.” He didn’t expose him to the others. He didn’t shame him in front of the crowd. He loved him to the end.

That’s the kind of love that wrecks you.

Because I’m not perfect. I’m not an “in your face” Christian. I get it wrong more than I’d like. I wrestle. I stumble. But I’m real. And Jesus loves that, too.

He never asked me to hide behind perfection. He asked me to come as I am.

And the truth is—you can’t hide your sin from the hands that created you.

He formed you. He knows the hidden places. He sees the wounds and the willful choices. And still—He loves.

That’s what Good Friday is about.

A Savior who knew betrayal was coming, and still knelt to wash the feet of the one who would deliver it.

A Redeemer who saw every moment of weakness and still chose the cross.

A King who could have called down angels—but chose to stay.

For you. For me. For Judas.

Because that’s the gospel.

That’s grace.

And that’s the love we remember today—not a love that flinches at failure, but one that draws near in it.

⸻

“But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8

Today is Good Friday.

And still—He loves us.