DAY SEVEN -- Betrayed by a Kiss
Even so, with the meekest of gestures, has the war for the world been engaged. With a kiss. And the kiss has a tooth. And the snake that struck the Lord has a back of fire and a body of human opinion. —Walter Wangerin
Reflect
Read the following verses slowly and thoughtfully: Read the verses again, placing your name in them. Reflect on what Jesus has done to forgive your transgressions and cover your own sins. Offer Him a heart of thanksgiving. Read Jesus watches the steady snake of torchlights weave its way up the hill in silence. As darkness restrains the dawn, a night owl hoots in the distance. The three disciples shiver, trying to shake the sleep from their minds. Plagued with troubling questions, they summon the rest of the men. Where are they going? And why does their Master keep talking of betrayal? Respond Try to imagine the scenes in the Garden that night—disciples waking from restless sleep, Jesus intent on revealing Himself, angry religious leaders and powerful soldiers forming a silent but deadly mob, and one man embracing betrayal as a way of life. Place yourself there. A Prayer Oh, my Lord, how many wounds must You receive in Your journey to the cross? This one must leave Your heart raw. Betrayed by a kiss. I want to stand back and point my finger at Judas. And yet, how often have my lips burned Your face with disloyalty? How many times have I reached for Your touch, yet held my own heart at a distance? I long to say I will never betray You, Lord, but You know my heart. Hold me close when I do betray you . . . especially when I do, for the road away from Your side is a desperate one.
Reprinted by permission. Contemplating the Cross: a Forty Day Pilgrimage of Prayer, Tricia McCary Rhodes, 2004, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Copying or using this material without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited and in direct violation of copyright law.
How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit! (Psalm 32:1–2 NASB)
To betray someone is to be false or disloyal to him or her. Ask God to reveal your own heart over the past few days. Have you been false? Disloyal to His call on your life? Ponder your own capacity to betray Christ day by day. Confess your neediness to Him and receive His forgiveness.
Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:48 NASB)
As they huddle together near Jesus, a crowd sharing an unlikely rapport advances up the hill. Roman soldiers with orders to arrest some rabble-rouser lead the way. Jewish high priests, dependent on “unclean” Gentiles to help them accomplish their goal, swallow their pride as they walk close behind. Temple guards bring up the rear, clubs and swords readied to meet expected resistance.
They all tread quietly—some arrogant, some angry, some irritated at having their sleep interrupted, still others simply curious. Near the front of the throng, a Jew named Judas from the distant village of Kerrioth glances furtively about, nervous energy characterizing his movement. Priests on either side urge him forward.
As they near the Garden of Gethsemane, a figure emerges from the shadows, his voice piercing the night with a calm none of the crowd can comprehend. “Whom are you looking for?”
Judas recoils, trying to slip behind a Roman soldier. The others come to an abrupt stop, some stumbling over one another in surprise. The military leader pulls himself up and barks: “Jesus of Nazareth.”
“I am He.”
In tandem, every one of them falls backward as if felled by a single stroke of lightning. After a moment’s confusion, they struggle to their feet, baffled and embarrassed.
The quiet stranger asks again, “Whom are you looking for?”
This time several call out: “Jesus—Jesus of Nazareth.”
“I am He. I am the One you look for—let these others go.”
With these words Jesus offers His disciples an opportunity to escape and the betrayer a chance to walk away. The soldiers seem perplexed. They have come to arrest a hardened criminal, a dangerous interloper—not this commoner who stands before them. No one knows quite what to do.
No one, that is, except Judas, who now wrestles with a terrible sense of foreboding. Jesus looks into the crowd, searching for his face. Prodded by the priests, Judas finally steps out and throws his arms around his Teacher.
“Rabbi.” Judas kisses Jesus slowly—first on one cheek, then the other.
Does the face of Christ burn when those lips touch His cheeks? Does He kiss Judas back, holding him close for just a second amid the crazy chaos of the night?
Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?
Time is suspended, the onlookers frozen in awkward stillness as they observe the painful interaction. Betrayed by a kiss. It could have been so much easier. Judas could have stood at a safe distance, pointing a finger while the soldiers rushed in. He could have called out from afar: “That’s the One—there He is. He’s your man.”
Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?
No reprimand. No rebuke. Just riveting words that rock the money-keeper to his very core. The redeemer reaches out in the face of lethal disloyalty and fixes forever His own terrible fate.
Sense what Jesus must have felt as the crowd approached. Consider what it is like to have someone you deeply love betray you in such a way. Hear the tender voice of Jesus.
Meditate on 1 Timothy 1:15: “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all” (NASB). Consider that you, too, are a sinner, at a core level no different from Judas’ in the moment he betrayed Christ. Offer a prayer of gratitude that Jesus receives you daily to His side, loving you unconditionally. Write a response in your prayer journal.
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