Betrayed by a kiss (Holy Thursday 2025)

That first Holy Thursday was jammed packed with fascinating events, each worthy of our attention: foot washing, a new commandment, a shared meal, prayer in the garden, betrayal, arrest. But we must narrow our focus. So tonight we focus on Judas’ betrayal of Jesus in the garden, as recorded in Luke (22:47–48).

Luke stresses the sudden appearance of the crowd. Jesus has been praying, then lamenting the weakness of his disciples. He is mid-sentence when suddenly a crowd arrives from the shadows. ‘While he was still speaking a crowd came up and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them.’ (Luke 22:47). The details are sparse, but we can fill in the blanks from other gospel accounts: we imagine torches, soldiers, swords, clubs. The crowd vastly outnumbers the dozen sleepy fisherman and tax collectors. Judas leads the pack. Judas was one of “The Twelve,” one of Jesus’ closest friends. The name “Judas” is now synonymous with betrayal, so we need to stop our minds from racing ahead.

Judas uses a kiss as a sign of greeting. Luke writes, ’Judas approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:47–48). It’s left to Mark to explain the meaning of the kiss: it’s meant as a signal for the guards to recognize their mark. But Luke seems to have a slightly different intent. Instead of serving to identify Jesus, Luke uses the kiss to highlight the juxtaposition between the affection on the surface and the hostility underneath — Judas intends to betray the Son of Man with, of all things, a kiss!

Consider this for a moment. The Greek word for kiss (philesai) is related to the word for brotherly and familial love (phileo). It is used to denote the sign of affection between family and close friends, and can range in meaning from “hug” to “kiss.” For the Europeans among us, it’s perhaps most like the double cheek kiss greeting one gives. It’s a sign of greeting, respect, and affection. Judas will twist this sign of affection and love into betrayal.

The Kiss of Judas by James Tissot

On the surface Judas is a friend and brother. Externally he’s doing and saying the right things. But truly he’s just pay lip service. Underneath, his heart is ruled by his own ambitions, his own goals. Internally he wants to follow his own will. See, sin goes down deep. In describing the root cause of sin, the Reformers in the 1500s described sin as “deep seated,” saying that we are corrupted “to our very foundations” and “we are poisoned by the venom of original sin from the soles of our feet to the hairs on our head.” (Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, 1:62). Sin isn’t just our actions on the surface, which may actually look friendly, like this kiss. Sin penetrates deep into our core, lurking deep beneath the surface. Sin is when our inner and outer persons are in conflict.

It’s easy to point the finger at Judas. But the dark truth is that, like Judas, we are conflicted beings. St Paul puts it like this, ‘I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but I do what I hate.’ (Romans 7:15). Are there areas in your life where you are “paying lip service” to God — doing and saying one thing on the surface, but deep down there is something else? Are there topics, issues, or perhaps people, that cause your inner and outer persons to be in conflict and out of alignment?

But the good news for us is that Jesus submits to the traitorous kissing. It is his Father’s will for him to accept all the shame, suffering, and agonies which humans heap upon him, even unto death. He receives the kiss, as he will receive the blows, the crown of thorns, the nails, the cross. St Paul says, ‘While we were still enemies, Christ died for us’ (Romans 5:8).

It is here in the garden that Jesus takes the initiative. ’The man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:47–48). Judas is still approaching when Jesus takes complete charge of the situation. Jesus, who seemed so full of anguish during his prayer time, is now depicted as the master. He points out the conflicted and divided sinful nature of Judas.

In our own divided, conflicted lives, God likewise takes the initiative. If you were able to join with Immanuel Church during Lent, you might recall that we heard the parable of the Prodigal Son and Forgiving Father from Luke chapter 15. A son rebels against his father, wishing him dead, taking his inheritance, then squandering it all on “wild living.” The son comes to his senses and returns home, but it’s the father who takes the initiative to restore the son. The father is on the porch scanning the horizon for his lost child. When finally spotted, the father runs out to protect his son, to cover him with new clothes, give him the signet ring with the family seal. But what does the father do first? The father kisses his returning son! This is the kiss of life, restoring the lost son to the family.

Just as the father’s kiss signifies restoration, Jesus accepting Judas’ kiss (which leads to the cross) makes possible our restoration and forgiveness. Although there are times we pay lip service to Jesus, although our inner hearts and outer actions may be out of alignment, this is not our end. Jesus willingly takes our divided hearts, carrying them with him to his mock trial, to the cross, to the grave. Jesus dies for you and buries our conflicted hearts with him. But that is not the final word! He will be raised on the third day. And his resurrection restores you as family and sibling. His resurrection means that our inner person is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). You are being made new; you are given a new heart. Jesus endures the kiss of death so that you might receive the kiss of life, and be welcomed home like the Prodigal Son.

So tonight, let us not despair at the Judas within us. Instead, let us marvel at the Christ before us. Let us bring our own mixed motives, our failures, our ‘lip service’ to Him with honesty. Let us respond to His incredible initiative. And let us receive anew the scandalous grace He offers — the grace that transforms a traitor’s kiss into the Father’s welcome. Amen.