Chapter 22 discusses Judas and how Satan entered his heart to fulfill his obligation to betray Jesus to the religious leaders. A search of the Gospels reveals that Judas never referred to Jesus as Lord. He called him Rabbi, or Teacher but never, Lord. Thus, for the son of perdition, the betrayal was convenient.
The Bible is silent on the particular events that led up to Judas becoming a disciple of Christ. He was the treasurer and and a thief (see John 12:6). Yet, he also was sent out by Jesus when He commissioned the disciples to travel though Judea healing the sick, raising the dead, and performing miracles. Since there is no mention in the Bible that Judas was excluded, one can assume that Judas worked along side the other disciples and was one of those who proclaimed happiness in that the "demons obey when we use your name." (Luke 10:17). Judas also received the blessings of Jesus' prayers and observed the many miracles and healings that Jesus performed.
Yet, something was amiss in Judas. His desire for money could not be satisfied by his discipleship. The lesson for us, as Christians, should not be missed. Even though we follow Christ, our worldly desires can mitigate and attenuate our zeal for spiritual experiences and a closer walk with the Lord. We must guard against the influence of Satan to "betray" our relationship with Christ. Judas succumbed to the internal pressure of greed by accepting money from and conniving with the religious leaders to deliver Jesus to them.
I think it not a coincidence that Judas picked the time of the Passover meal for his nefarious betrayal. After participating in the meal and hearing Jesus speak of the great sacrifice He would have to make, Judas' heart was so hardened that he still chose to betray Jesus. He knew that Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray and thus conspired to deliver Jesus at that time.
His use of a kiss was a mockery of the love Jesus felt for His disciples. Even the Lord himself was incredulous at being betrayed by a kiss (Luke 22:47, Matt 26:47, Mark 14:43 and John 18:1). This betrayal was so evil, so out of the ordinary that all four Gospel writers record it. A kiss is to indicate affection - a greeting of love and happiness, yet Satan, through Judas, perverts it into a betrayal that leads to death.
While we acknowledge Jesus as our Teacher, we must also accept and honor Him as our Lord. May our "kiss" be one of acceptance and appreciation and not betrayal.
May God bless you and bless the reading of His Word
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