He knew me, Yet He loved me…….

I was reminded not too long ago about an old song I used to sing called When He was on the Cross.

A line from it that I’m thinking on this morning after reading Matthew 16 is,

“He knew me, Yet He Loved me. He who’s Glory makes, the Heaven’s Shine. So I’m worthy, of the Blessing. When He was on the Cross, I was on His Mind.”

In Chapter 16, Jesus began to warn his disciples about the “leaven” of the Pharisees and Saduducees.

“Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Thinking that Jesus was scolding them over not bringing bread, they whispered among themselves.

Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “You have such little faith! Why are you arguing with one another about having no bread? Are you so slow to understand? Have you forgotten the miracle of the feeding of five thousand families and how each of you ended up with a basket full of fragments? And seven loaves of bread fed four thousand families with baskets left over?

Don’t you understand? (emphasis added)

I’m not talking about bread, but I’m warning you to avoid the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

Look back up to the word, knowing.

Yes, I added the bold print, but what struck me this morning along with those song lyrics was the fact that Jesus knew who he picked to follow Him, as His Apostles-

The men who would lead the church to the Truth about Him from here on out.

The answer came, as I thought-

and Jesus was reading my thoughts  the same way He was theirs that day,

that He knew exactly who He called, and chose and what they would become.

That was a total blessing to me.

Because I was thinking,

Jesus, why didn’t you pick that guy and girl that you said had “great faith?”

Our Father is a God of hearts.

And make no mistake, He knows them.

I encourage you to read all of Matthew 16 in the Passion Translation.

In it, Jesus rebukes Peter, after Peter takes Jesus aside to rebuke Him!

Yes, Peter rebukes the Lord.

Yet, Jesus knew Peter.

He knew what He would become as He continued to follow Him.

I don’t know where you may be at this point while following Jesus, but what I do know is this,

He knew you.

When He chose you.

Way before you ever “measured up.”

He sees you through The Blood Sacrifice, and Romans 5 said that it was while we were yet in our sin that Christ died for us.

He wasn’t looking at our perfect performance.

I don’t care who you are or what you’ve done.

Just like Peter’s performance if you read on….

Jesus used Peter’s profession of who He was to build the church, not what He did or didn’t do.

In simple terms this morning….

Peyton is my daughter.

Her heart was to help me make breakfast this morning.

She made a mess.

She will learn.

It never once crossed my mind that I didn’t love her or that she was no longer my daughter.

I corrected her, because I love her and want her to become all that I know she can be!