Matthew 26:47-50: Judas’ Kiss

“Friend, do what you came to do.”  Jesus to Judas in Matthew 26:50 

“Tell us more about Judas, he is our kind of guy. He is the sort of man any of us would be proud to promise a daughter to for marriage.”  (Don Richardson, recalling the response of the cannibals of the Sawi tribe when he told them the gospel.  He and his family ministered among this Indonesian tribe in the 1960s.  His book Peace Child chronicles this story.)

And while He was still speaking (v. 47), seamlessly connects this passage with Jesus’ words in verse 46. Those words still hung in the air when Judas came (v. 47).  Matthew sees no need to excoriate Judas.   Merely mentioning that Judas is one of the twelve (v. 47) is enough to wear off the skin of anything positive that may still cling to Judas. 

It wasn’t one from the masses that followed Jesus who betrayed Him.  It wasn’t one of the chief priests who battled Jesus continually or one of the Roman occupiers who betrayed Him.  Jesus was betrayed by one of His closest friends. Judas had been entrusted with Jesus’ money; he had ministered alongside Jesus.  He had witnessed miracles and maybe even performed miracles.  It was Judas, one of the twelve, who betrayed Jesus.

Judas did not come alone.  With him came a great crowd with swords and clubs (v. 47).   John’s version adds, “lanterns, torches and weapons” were part of the arsenal sent out to seize Jesus.  John also says that “a band of soldiers and officers of the chief priests and the Pharisees” (John 18:3) came with the chief priests and elders of the people (v. 47).

Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize Him.” And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!”  And he kissed Him (v. 49).  And here we have it…Judas’ kiss...  So atrocious, so unbelievable.  This kiss has become the primary metaphor for betrayal in many cultures world-wide. Yet God was not taken by surprise by this moment.   David had prophesied, “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me,” (Psalm 41:9).  Not only was the Lord not surprised by Judas’ kiss, He had ordained it.     

Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do” (v. 50).  These are not words of panic or desperation of a man whose life has spun out of control.  These are the words of the Incarnate Son of God who rises to meet His betrayer (v. 46), who aligns His will with the Father’s will (v. 42), who comes to earth “to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10).   These are the words of a man whose “hour is at hand” (v. 45) so He can “give His life as a ransom for many” (20:28).

In 23:8 Jesus warms about calling anyone “rabbi.”  Was that a foreshadowing of Judas’ greeting here?  The only time Jesus is called Rabbi in Matthew’s gospel is here (v. 49) and in 26:25; both by Judas and both in the context of betrayal. 

Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him (v. 50).   The gears are moving; the saga has started.  Prophesy is being fulfilled.   The Son of Man has now been “delivered over to the chief priests and scribes,” (20:18).

Don Richardson searched diligently for a way to reverse the praise the tribesmen had heaped upon Judas.    The moment came when Richardson witnessed how the Sawi tribe made peace with another warring tribe:  If a father wanted peace, Richardson explains, “he had to take one of his own children and give that child away as a peace child to be raised by a family in the enemy village.  And if that child remained alive and in the other village, the peace was secure.”

Richardson used this custom to explain how God showed love in that while we were at war with Him, He gave His only Son as a Peace Child.    As a result, Richardson saw many of the Sawi people put their trust in the Lamb of God.    After their conversion, the tribesmen told Don, “You didn’t tell us that Judas betrayed a peace child with that kiss.  If you had told us that, there is no way we would have claimed Judas as a hero.” (Youtube video, “Don Richardson Peace Child”)

Judas, with a kiss, lifted his heel against the Son of Man.   But soon our Lord will smash the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15).  He will rise again from the dead!    Both the kiss and the curse will be reversed! Persevere, Christian, persevere.