Betrayed with a kiss

Betrayed with a kiss

Scripture:-

⁴⁷ While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” ⁴⁹ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. ⁵⁰ Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁵¹ With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. ⁵² “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³ Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴ But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

⁵⁵ In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. ⁵⁶ But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled. Matthew 26:47-56

Observation:-

Right after his ordeal in the Garden of Gethsemane, an armed mob arrives to take Jesus by force, led by the traitor Judas Iscariot. In a manner of the most hideous taste, Judas elects to betray the Lord with a kiss, signaling to the crowd which man was to be arrested.

The Lord is promptly seized and arrested but one of the disciples, namely Peter, fights back with his sword, cutting off the ear of the High Priest’s servant. The Lord quickly heals the servant and asks Peter to put back his sword, reminding him how this must be done to fulfill the Scriptures. He then admonishes the mob for taking up arms against him here while earlier doing nothing when H1e sat in the temple courts teaching. The disciples, horrified at the turn of events, desert Jesus and flee for their lives.

Application:

Other than the Lord Himself, the dominant character that stands out in this Scripture is Judas Iscariot and his perverse action of betraying Jesus with a kiss.  Ironically, during the time of King David, Joab the commander did a similar thing, pretending to lean to kiss his cousin brother Amasa, before stabbing him in the stomach. On the surface, Judas’ act was one of devotion and respect for His master. However, in truth, it was a terrible act of treachery and betrayal. The lesson for us here is not to just accept things or situations from their outward appearance but ask God for wisdom to discern the truth.

The second major event in this passage was the reaction of Peter and the healing of the servant (which was recorded in another Gospel). Peter impulsively acted with violence without waiting for the Lord’s instruction. But it was not the Lord’s will to use force. Instead, he mentioned twice how all that was happening now was necessary to fulfill Scripture. For us too, in a time of crisis, we must not react in panic or be impulsive. Rather, we should pray and ask God’s will as to what to do next. Decisions done in panic are usually wrong.

The final incident in this Scripture was the Lord admonishing the chief priests and their mob for only arresting him now in private with sticks and swords but not daring to do a thing when he taught everyday in the temple courts. In so doing, the Lord exposed their evil hearts for they plotted in secret and carried out their dirty deeds far away from the people whose favor they were afraid to lose. Are there shameful deeds that we do in secret, that cannot be exposed to the light? The Lord’s command is for us to live transparent and righteous lives unlike those of the chief priests and Pharisees of his days who were like whitewashed tombs which were white and clean on the outside but full of dead bones and everything evil on the inside.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You and praise You, Lord, for the wisdom that You give us. Grant us greater and discernment O Lord, that we might be able to look beyond the outside pattern of things but instead look and understand deeper what is the truth.       

Teach us too, O Lord, to be patient and not impulsive. To wait for Your guidance, even in times where the tendency is to panic and act impulsively according to our human wisdom.

Help us O Lord, to live righteous and holy lives not just on the outside but also on the inside, to reflect on the things we do, and seek to live lives worthy of Your calling! In Jesus name, Amen.