Jesus knows his disciples (or why we don’t need to be cynical)

One of the things that I love about John’s gospel is this repeated refrain: Jesus knows who are his. Jesus knows our hearts better than we do. And because he knows our hearts, he knows who and what we love. He knows who are his people and who are not.

I was reminded of this again as I taught through John 6:59-71 at my church. This passage serves as the climax of a massive confrontation between Jesus, the Jewish religious leaders, and even those who claimed to be his disciples. People followe...