The Kiss, Treachery (18:2-9)

​The Kiss, Treachery (18:2-9)

Judas had lived with the Lord Jesus for three years, perhaps, and had heard Him teach, but he knew very little of Him. The traitor actually brought a company of temple guards, armed with swords and clubs (Matt. 26:55)! Think of the opportunities Judas missed and the privileges he scorned! We could think of the word “band” in John 18:3 as a "cohort." A Roman cohort was one-tenth of a legion, which would be six hundred men! Judas probably did not bring that many to the garden, but apparently a full cohort was made available to him if he needed it. Did he not see that the Lamb of God would be submissive and there would be no battle?

Jesus was in control; He knew what was going to happen (see John 13:1, 3, 11; 16:19). Judas anticipated some sort of deception and arranged to identify Jesus by kissing Him (Matt. 26:48–49). But Jesus startled both Judas and those who came to arrest Him by boldly offering Himself to them. He had nothing to fear. He had nothing to hide. He would willingly give His life for His sheep. Moreover, Jesus’s submission to the officers was an act of protection for His followers. He guarded them spiritually (John 17:11-12) and physically as well.

Why did the soldiers that arrested Jesus fall to the ground when He said to them, “I am He”? His “I am” would have sounded to the Jews present like a claim to deity. The Romans, outnumbering them, would be impressed by His bearing, for it was obvious He was in command. It was an emotional situation, and we do not know what Judas had told them about Jesus to help prepare them for this confrontation. The Jewish leaders had made attempts to arrest Jesus before and failed. The band were overwhelmed when they came across surrender and peacefulness; they were ready for a fight.

Perhaps it was a demonstration of God's power or a display of the majesty of Jesus Christ. “When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.” (Ps. 27:2).

Certainly Judas' kiss, given again and again to the Lord, was one of the meanest deeds of treachery ever recorded in sacred or secular history. In those days a kiss was a token of love and devotion. Family members kissed each other in meeting and in parting, but Judas was not a member of God’s family. Disciples kissed a rabbi as a greeting; it was a sign of devotion and obedience. But Judas was not actually a disciple of Jesus Christ, though he was a member of the band of disciples. Judas was in the garden with the enemy, not with Jesus’ friends!
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The sin of Judas is committed by the people of today who pretend to know and love the Lord. To betray Christ is bad enough, but to do so with a kiss, a sign of affection, is the basest treachery of all. It was born in the bowels of hell.