Luke 22:47-48 47While he was still speaking, behold there was a crowd, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them, and he drew near to Jesus to kiss him. 48But Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Jesus’ prayer in the garden was only the beginning of his challenges. As soon as he had finished his prayer and confirmed the Father’s will for him to take up the cup, the cup was given to him. Luke notes how the following event began even as Jesus was talking, thus showing the connection between Judas’ betrayal and the failure of the disciples to pray. All the disciples were failing at that moment.
A different crowd than those who greeted Jesus in 19:37 with praise. This crowd came with the intent of harm and destruction. Luke describes the crowd in detail in verse 52 as “the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders.” Luke makes the account impersonal by how he describes Judas as the one called, as if the reader would not recognize the name by this point in the story. It is as if this story came by itself from the tradition Luke used to tell his “good news” of Jesus. The situation worsens even more with the mention of Judas being one of the twelve. Judas had been with Jesus many years by this point. He had heard and experienced the same things that the other disciples had. What made him different? He had not come to the point of full commitment but more of convenience and curiosity. Without full commitment, a would-be follower of Jesus will be more open to falling into temptation and being pulled back into the world. The other eleven were approaching that same danger point, especially Peter, as the story will indicate.
Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. A kiss was a common form of greeting, like it still is in some cultures. Why did Judas need to do that? It may have been because it was dark and may have been difficult to identify which of the group was Jesus. Mark 14:44 indicates that Judas had planned this approach already and had informed the guards that whomever he kissed was the one to arrest. Luke does not specifically mention that Judas kissed Jesus, but that is the assumption. The shock and irony of the situation is that a friend and follower would do this. Jesus’ pronouncement in verse 48 shows the significance of the situation by his use of the title Son of Man.
There are many ways to betray Jesus, but they all start in the heart and are inspired by wrong attitudes and lack of full commitment. Doubts can arise when people have not fully consecrated themselves and do not go to God about these doubts. Judas had plenty of opportunity to turn back, but he dug himself deeper in a hole. Satan was behind the situation, drawing Judas toward a path of destruction.
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