Judas Iscariot: Part 5 Betrayed by a Kiss
Matthew 26 v 47-49
And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss.
The Gospels according to Matthew, Mark and Luke all record that Judas identifies Jesus with a kiss. John doesn’t mention this and says Jesus identifies Himself as God (by saying ‘I am’) and then as Jesus of Nazareth. This may be because John’s Gospel is concerned with proving Christ is God and so John wants to emphasise this part rather than the kiss.
Ancient Meaning of a Kiss
In Ancient Greek, the word ‘kiss’ relates to engaging in intimate companionship. There is affection and emotion within a kiss. By Judas kissing Jesus, he was betraying Him in a deep and profound way. Through this kiss, he was rejecting Christ and His mission.
In Hebrew, the word for kiss relates to ‘coming together’, not necessarily because of affection. The word is also used for when angels touch their wings.
From the root of this Hebrew word, we can get the phrase ‘armed men’. When we imagine the scene where Christ is kissed by Judas, he is accompanied by armed men. An interesting coincidence.
Betrayal Themes
The theme of betrayal is common within the Bible. We see it in the stories of Samson, who is betrayed by Delilah, the prophet Hosea, by his wayward wife and with Isaac, his deceiving Jacob.
Even God is consistently betrayed by Israel. They seem to regularly wander off and serve other gods. This is echoed in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Judas betrays Jesus, just like Judah turned their back on God in the Old Testament. It reminds me of this verse in Isaiah.
Isaiah 29 v 13
The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
The First Kiss
Rebekah and Jacob conspire to deceive the aged and blind Isaac. Jacob had already received the birthright, after it was sold to him for a bowl of stew by Esau.
Jacob dressed up as his brother, and approached Isaac.
Gen 27 v 26-27
Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.” So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him
This is the first kiss in the Bible, and it involves deception and betrayal.
Jacob then embarks on a story of redemption where he finally meets the Angel of the Lord. He then crosses a river and meets with his brother Esau, whom he is then reconciled with.
Judas did not choose a path of redemption but committed suicide.
Dante’s Inferno
Dante wrote this masterpiece in 14th Century AD. It tells the story of his journey into Hell, who he meets and what he learns. Hell is separated into different circles and at the centre is the Devil. The lowest part of Hell is occupied by the greatest of betrayers.
The next circle out from him is called Cocytus. It is the place where all the betrayers reside.
Within this circle, there is a region called Judecca. It is the part of Hell which is reserved for those who have betrayed their Lord. This is where Judas resides, next to the Devil. In fact, Dante tells us that the Devil sometimes chews on the head of Judas.
Judas kisses Christ in the Garden, but in contrast, the Devil now ‘kisses’ Judas in Hell.