Throughout the gospels, it was no secret that the Pharisees and chief priests had looked for an opportunity to have Jesus killed, and every time, Jesus had managed to slip through their fingers. His hour had not yet come.
However, despite the Pharisees’ hatred of Jesus from the outside, it was ultimately a close companion and trusted friend on the inside who handed Jesus over to be tried, tortured, and eventually crucified.
On the night of Jesus’ arrest, Judas Iscariot, one of Christ’s own twelve disciples, betrayed his master with a kiss.
That Judas, feigning friendship, would betray the perfect, sinless Son of God with an outward display of affection is rightly condemned as one of the most despicable acts of treason in human history.
Jesus had shown His friend nothing but kindness throughout His ministry and offered him the fullness of grace and richness of His eternal glory. Judas responded by rejecting Jesus as his lord, betraying the Messiah for a handful of money. As a result, Judas would spend the brief remainder of his life in a guilt-ridden hell of his own making.
But what was really behind the kiss of Judas? Why should this now-famous kiss be regarded as the ultimate reflection of Judas’ warped and calloused heart?
No more than a few days before Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Judas had left the group in secret and cut a deal with the Pharisees to betray Jesus. We know that the Pharisees and chief priests offered Judas 30 pieces of silver, which Judas accepted without hesitation.
Why Judas ultimately turned against his friend and master is not completely revealed in Scripture. Somewhere along the way, however, Judas had lost faith in Jesus and became disillusioned and bitter, resenting Jesus for not fulfilling his material desires or meeting his expectations.
With the deal struck and payment already delivered, Matthew’s gospel tells us that “from then on he (Judas) looked for a good opportunity to betray Jesus” (Matthew 26:14-16).
As a member of Jesus’ inner circle, Judas would have been privy to private information about Jesus’ travel plans and lodgings. Over the three years that he had followed Jesus, Judas would have become familiar with Jesus’ habits, including where He taught, where He slept, where they liked to eat, and where He often went to pray. This was information the Pharisees did not possess.
As renowned theologian, Matthew Henry writes in his commentary, “though the rulers, by their power and interest, could kill him when they had him their hands, yet none but a disciple could betray him… if Judas had not been an apostle, he could not have been a traitor.”
The Pharisees needed a more covert way to take out such a public figure. With a member of Jesus’ inner circle in their pocket, they now had the inside information to do just that (Matthew 26:3-5).
One night, as Jesus sat down in the Upper Room to celebrate the Passover with His disciples, an opportunity presented itself to Judas.
By this point, Judas had already made up his mind to betray his friend and master. Though Satan had given him the idea to betray the Son of God, it was Judas’ choice to follow through with his treacherous plan. Once he was committed, the Bible tells us that Satan entered Judas, leading and tormenting him (Luke 22:3; John 13:27).
At the dinner table, Jesus warned His disciples that one of them would betray Him. John tells us that “the disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking” (John 13:22). Even then, the disciples were unaware of Judas’ true character and unsuspecting of his true intentions. Jesus, of course, knew what was in Judas’ heart and knew who amongst them would betray Him in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (Psalms 41:9).
Matthew records that Judas even feigned shock and ignorance like the rest, asking Jesus, “surely it is not I, Rabbi?” (Matthew 26:25). Jesus, fully aware of what Judas was planning, looked to His friend and said, “you have said it yourself.”
And, as is often the case, Jesus gave Judas the free will to pursue what he had set in his heart to do. “What you do, do quickly,” He told Judas (John 13:27). Judas left the group and went straight to the chief priests and Pharisees with information on where to find Jesus (John 13:30; Mark 14:10).
After partaking in the first communion, Jesus and the other disciples traveled to the Mount of Olives, into the Garden of Gethsemane, to pray.
John tells us that “Judas, who was betraying Him, also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with His disciples” (John 18:2). With a large detachment of armed soldiers and temple guards prepared for violence, Judas arrived to hand Jesus over to the Pharisees.
In many ways, Judas’ betrayal can be seen as the inciting incident in Christ’s crucifixion, something Christ understood and had prepared for.
As Judas and the soldiers approached Jesus in the garden, Scripture tells us that Judas had given the soldiers a pre-arranged signal. “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; arrest Him and lead Him away under guard.” (Mark 14:44; Matthew 26:48)
Of course, there is some debate and speculation about why Judas needed to identify Jesus in the first place.
The most plausible explanation addresses the probable ignorance of the Roman soldiers and Jewish guards who had accompanied Judas into the Garden of Gethsemane. And by ignorant, I don’t mean stupid or unintelligent. Many of these soldiers may never have seen Jesus in person. They had heard of Him and maybe even heard Him from a distance. But how many had gotten close enough to see Jesus face to face?
There’s a good chance, therefore, that many in the company would not have known Jesus’ face well enough to identify Him on their own. They needed an insider’s confirmation. The darkness of night probably didn’t help either.
And yet, the decision to arrest Jesus at night could not have been more intentional. Under cover of darkness, Judas and the Pharisees could attack and arrest Jesus, who was beloved by many, without interference or public outrage from His followers and supporters.
Even though this is one of the few moments in the gospels where Judas stands out from the other disciples, even he wanted to keep his sin and betrayal concealed from the world. In this sense, Judas was not only a traitor; he was also a coward.
Furthermore, Jesus was not your typical public figure or celebrity, which complicated identifying him. He had chosen to carry Himself, not as a lavish king or noble dressed in fine robes, but as a humble servant and son of man. We see this throughout Jesus’ life, from His humble birth in a manger to His Triumphal Entry on the back of a donkey.
We know that the glory of Christ will be revealed in eternity and His second coming. On earth, however, Jesus’ appearance was more plain than princely. As Isaiah prophesied, “for he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2)
Without Judas or someone who could positively identify Jesus, nothing stopped one or more of Jesus’ disciples from stepping up and claiming to be Jesus when confronted by the soldiers, giving the real Jesus the chance to escape. Having Judas on the scene prevented the soldiers and Pharisees from being hoodwinked by an “I am Spartacus” moment from Jesus’ disciples.
Jesus was who they had come for, and with Judas there to provide positive identification, they were certain to get their guy.
There were many ways Judas could have chosen to identify Jesus to the soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane. A kiss, however, was arguably the most tragic and treacherous.
Culturally, a kiss would have been used to signify love, affection, and respect between close friends and beloved companions. Christians in the early church were accustomed to greeting or dismissing their brothers in the faith in such a way.
According to Pastor John MacArthur, “Judas could not have chosen a more despicable way to identify Jesus, because he perverted its usual meaning so treacherously and hypocritically” (The MacArthur Bible Commentary, 1253).
In the same way, the Roman soldiers mockingly adorned Jesus, the rightful King of Kings and Prince of Peace, with a crown of thorns and a purple robe, so Judas betrayed one deserving of adoration and affection with a kiss.
Furthermore, the verb describing Judas’ kiss suggests a fervent, prolonged expression of affection (Luke 7:38-45). Judas had feigned love for Jesus for the three years of His ministry. Here he feigned prolonged adoration for the Messiah for all to see.
Jesus, however, was not fooled, nor would He wait to be betrayed or handed over to His captors. His arrest and crucifixion were part of God’s plan.
Before Judas’ kiss, Jesus had already identified Himself to the soldiers, handing Himself over to be arrested, beaten, and later crucified for the sake of humanity. And yet, Judas followed through with his betrayal anyway.
Thus, Jesus was sold out, not by enemies or outsiders, but by a companion, a friend, and a brother. As it is written, “for it is not an enemy who taunts me, then I could endure it; nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, my companion and my confidant; we who had sweet fellowship together, walked in the house of God among the commotion.” (Psalms 55:12-14).
In the end, just because Judas was a close follower of Jesus did not mean he was a true believer. Proximity to the teachings and miracles of Jesus did not change Judas’ heart or secure his salvation, nor did his occasional good works and later regret.
Jesus had warned His disciples that “not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23)
The tragedy of Judas Iscariot is the confirmation of this eternal reality.
The offer of grace had been extended to Judas for over three years. Sadly, the opportunity for Judas to inherit the kingdom of heaven and walk with Jesus in eternity was rejected and squandered.
Rather than embracing Christ from the inside out, Judas feigned love on the outside. He had done it for three years; he would seal his heart for perdition with a final kiss. In doing so, the heart of Judas drew that much closer to Satan’s clutches, further away from God’s goodness and mercy.
Further Reading
Peter and Judas: A Tale of Two Betrayals
Why Did Judas Betray Jesus After Following Him for Three Years?
Why Was Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas?
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