Luke 22:47

‘While he yet spoke, behold, a crowd, and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and he drew near to Jesus to kiss him.'

Note how Luke brings out the idea of suddenness, and the unexpectedness of such a crowd (‘behold, a crowd'). One moment Jesus was quietly speaking to His disciples in the darkness about their need to pray, and the next thing that happened was that out of the darkness came this great crowd of people carrying torches. And the torches revealed that amongst them was Judas, leading the way and coming to carry out his mission. As he advanced on them it was no surprise to Jesus. He had been expecting it. But the disciples were no doubt both bewildered and confused. What was Judas doing bringing such a crowd here at night?

‘He who was called Judas.' The reference brings out that at the time of writing he was a has-been. He was now long forgotten, a distant memory, for the twelve had been made up by the inclusion of Matthias.

‘One of the twelve.' The phrase has a foreboding sound. This man had been one of the chosen few. Jesus' own familiar friend was lifting up his heel against Him. And by his action he was forfeiting his destiny.

What happened next may possibly have even surprised Jesus. For Judas had had to find some way of indicating which man they should arrest in the darkness. And the way he had chosen brought out just how hardened he had become. Indeed we cannot even feel pity for a man like this, for it indicates that he must have been callous through and through. For he betrayed Jesus with a kiss of friendship, a kiss which may well have been given deliberately in order to disarm Jesus' companions, and which he had given from other motives in better days. To believe Judas guilty of betrayal would have been almost unbelievable. But to think that he would do it with a kiss of seeming friendship would have been seen as absolutely impossible.

‘He drew near to Jesus to kiss him.' As his intention to kiss Him would not have been known had he not actually made the attempt, (he would hardly have walked up with his lips pursed), the assumption must be that he did kiss him. Thus the suggestion that he did not go through with it is not tenable. He drew near with the aim of kissing Him, and he did. A parallel example of betrayal and hypocrisy is found in 2 Samuel 20:9. For other examples of non-genuine kisses compare Gen 27:26-27; 2 Samuel 15:5; Proverbs 7:13. The kiss was usually an attempt to show friendliness or win favour. In betrayal it was infamous, and accentuated the betrayal.

The purpose of the kiss was undoubtedly identification. All knew how dangerous it would be if they arrested the wrong person in the darkness with the result that the information of what they had intended to do then filtered through to the Galileans present in Jerusalem with Jesus still free. The consequences were unthinkable. And such a mistake would have been so easy to make. In the darkness one beard is much like another.