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Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. The men seized Jesus and arrested him

Mark 14:44-46

I grew up in a village, now a big town, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. My parents divorced when I was a baby. I was, therefore, robbed of growing up in a balanced home. There was no father figure to show me how to properly show affection with a hug or a kiss, and even though my mother did her best to show affection to her children; kissing was not one of her fortes. So, I was very crude in my way of showing affection when I grew up. It came to me only with time and by the grace of God.

 I remember my first kiss, though very vaguely. It was very awkward, and with the wrong person, if you know what I mean. I had seen it in movies, and thought that when a boy and a girl were in ‘love’, they kissed each other. But did I really know the meaning love when I kissed that girl?

Later on in life when I moved to the city, I realized that a kiss was not only a lip to lip thing, but could also be a lip to cheek thing. I learned that a kiss was more than showing sexual affection. It was a way of expressing warmth in greetings, in welcoming people, showing appreciation, saying goodbye, or goodnight to one another in the home and much more. I learned that a kiss was profoundly meaningful, so the giver and the receiver must know the reason for the kiss at every instance. You don’t kiss without love, warmth, and a liking for another person. You shake hands.

As my learning deepened, I realized that people faked these things. They hypocritically hugged and kissed in public when they actually hated each other. I became sociable, but a little cautious. Then I met Judas Iscariot in the Garden of Gethsemane. He took me through a course in “Kissing 102.” That’s when I learned that kissing could be a sign of betrayal. What a rude awakening that was (Mk. 14:43-46).

Why would such a close friend of Jesus, who sat under His teachings, ate and drank with Him, and ministered in His name betray Him with a kiss (45)? The hypocrisy of affectionately calling Jesus, “Rabbi,” was revolting. What went wrong?

The truth is, Judas never belonged to Christ, except for the divine purpose of his calling (John 6:70). His heart was not right from the beginning; yet, he worked his way to the position of treasurer among the disciples (Jn. 13:29). John tells us that Judas was a thief (6). The love of money had gripped his heart and led him to all kinds of evil. Eventually, it pierced his soul in death (Matt. 27:5; cf. 1 Tim. 6:10). Such is the heart of Satan’s willing instrument; and it in his kiss – the betrayal of the Son (Mk. 14:45).

So, what is in your kiss? How do you really feel about the person you just kissed? Was motivated by love or hatred? Did you fake it or it came from a genuine and sincere heart? Can the one you kissed, even in Church, trust your warmth, or it was a kiss of death?

May God help us all!