Daily devotion: Judas and that kiss!
The Kiss of Betrayal
Luke 22:47–48 – And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
They say a kiss is “the contraction of the mouth due to the enlargement of the heart”—a symbol of affection. But not all kisses are born of love. Some, as with Judas, are cloaked in betrayal.
In Jesus’ day, it was customary for disciples to greet their Rabbi with a respectful kiss. But Judas used this tradition of honour to betray the One he had followed for three years. Instead of honouring Jesus, he marked Him for arrest with a deceitful act that reeked of hypocrisy.
The arresting party that night in Gethsemane was not a small group—Roman soldiers, temple guards, and religious leaders made up a large armed force. That Judas felt the need to point Jesus out with a kiss shows how little he understood Jesus, even after walking with Him for years. Jesus wasn’t going to flee. He wasn’t going to fight. He came to surrender—not to Rome or to the priests—but to the will of His Father.
Judas’ heart had long been distant. John 13:27 tells us that Satan entered him, and by then Judas was already committed to his plan of betrayal. He sold out the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave.
His name, Judah, meant “praise,” but his actions became synonymous with treachery. He betrayed innocence with a kiss and later, when filled with regret—not repentance—he returned the silver, only to end his life in despair (Matthew 27:3–5).
Judas’ story is a warning. Remorse is not repentance. Regret without turning back to God leads only to despair. Contrast Judas with Peter—Peter also failed Jesus, but he repented, was forgiven, and restored.
Judas’ life shows us the danger of proximity without transformation. You can walk beside Jesus, hear His words, and witness His miracles—and still reject Him in your heart.
Each one of us has a choice. To be like Judas—close in distance but far in heart—or like Peter—humbled by sin, but brought back by grace.
Prayer:
Lord, guard my heart from growing cold or distant. Keep me from hollow gestures and superficial faith. Help me to walk with You not only outwardly, but with a heart that is fully surrendered. May I never betray You with my actions, my silence, or my compromise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.