“Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?” Matthew 26:53–54 (NLT)
Jesus loves you more than you could ever imagine. How do we know?
When we study the Scriptures, we find God’s plan for mankind’s redemption has love written all over it—from start to finish.
For example, when the Roman soldiers arrived with Judas Iscariot to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faced a big decision. While legions of warrior angels waited for His command, Jesus simply let the soldiers take Him.
It’s mind-blowing when you think about it. Imagine knowing you’re facing certain death and have full access to thousands of mighty angels who are ready to fight on your behalf. How agonizing would it be to hold back from commanding them to wipe out your enemies and spare you the pain of an excruciating, humiliating death?
That’s precisely why God gave Jesus full authority over His life choices and access to angels—to make Jesus’ love for us obvious. If God had forced Jesus to die, we would see Him as a reluctant or unwilling Saviour.
Instead, Jesus had the freedom to voluntarily give up His life for you and me—or save it and spare Himself the embarrassment and pain. (See John 10:17.) But because God made sure Christ had free will and authority over His life, Jesus was free to make a deeply personal choice.
His decision led to His death, resurrection and the complete redemption of anyone who accepts His sacrifice. That’s how we know He loves us!