Betrayed With A Kiss

Matthew 26:47-50

And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.

Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him."

Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.

But Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?"

Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.

----------------------------------------

The Lord Jesus Christ was betrayed by one of His disciples.

He was then arrested to be executed on a cross.

*******

The Lord Jesus Christ was speaking to His 11 disciples when the crowd approached Him, climbing up the Mount of Olives.

*******

It was Judas Iscariot who betrayed Him, one of the 12.

It was hard to believe that Judas Iscariot who knew the Lord Jesus Christ intimately would betrayed Him.

*******

Judas Iscariot arrived with the multitude early Friday morning.

He was motivated by greed.

He was also possessed by Satan at that time.

He rallied the Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers to capture the Lord Jesus Christ.

********

Satan knew the right moment had come.

He entered into Judas Iscariot to see the plan to its conclusion.

*******

The servant of the high priest was with the crowd.

He was an important person, serving as an assistant to the high priest, who held the highest religious office in the land.

*******

It was dark.

They needed a sign so they wouldn’t grab the wrong person.

Judas Iscariot chose to use a kiss to signal the betrayal.

*******

A kiss was a sign of affection, love, and intimacy.

The kiss of Judas Iscariot was most despicable.

*******

It would be bad enough to betray a friend.

But Judas Iscariot sold out the very Son of God!

*******

It was inconceivable that a man could return such treachery for divine love.

*******

As soon as the Lord Jesus Christ came into view, Judas Iscariot said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" Then he kissed Him.

But the Lord Jesus Christ said to him, "Friend, why have you come?"

*******

Judas Iscariot was a false disciple.

He loved money.

He lived for today.

He wanted glory and success.

He had a greater regard for things than he did for God.

He had a greater desire for self than He did for the Lord Jesus Christ.

*******

Judas Iscariot kissed the Lord Jesus Christ to kill Him.

*******

But Judas Iscariot was not the only one.

People like him exist in every age, even today.

They pretend to love the Lord Jesus Christ.

But in reality are greedy, deceitful, and hypocritical.

They follow the Lord Jesus Christ for what they might receive: a salved conscience, peace of mind, reputation, self-satisfaction, or improved profits in business.

They would sell the Lord Jesus Christ if they could see greater gain somewhere else.

*******

One day we will find ourselves in our own garden of Gethsemane.

Will we stand with the crowd?

Will we betray the Lord Jesus Christ like Judas Iscariot?

Will we run away with the disciples?

Or will we stand beside the triumphant Savior?

The Betrayer Revealed

Matthew 26:20-25

When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.

Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?”

He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."

Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?"

He said to him, "You have said it."

---------------------

It is now after six o’clock on Thursday evening.

Later in the night the Lord Jesus Christ will be captured and brought to a mock trial early in the morning.

Then He will be crucified and die around three o’clock on Friday afternoon.

The Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples had to eat the Passover meal Thursday night before midnight, and nothing could be left in the morning.

*******

When anyone shared a meal with another person in that part of the world and at that time in history, he was identifying himself as a friend.

The idea of eating a meal with someone and then turning him over to his executioners was unthinkable.

When the Lord Jesus Christ told the disciples that one of them would deliver Him over, they knew one of them would do it, knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ would tell the truth.

*******

"And they were exceedingly sorrowful"

That is a strong way to indicate the degree of their sadness and grief.

Some may have even cried.

They didn’t know whom the Lord Jesus Christ was talking about.

*******

They didn’t know it was Judas because he was a capable hypocrite, excellent at playing out his masquerade.

Judas was so adept at his hypocrisy that the rest of the disciples had actually chosen him to be their treasurer.

They didn’t have any doubt about his integrity.

*******

"And each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?""

Even they didn’t trust themselves regarding their possibly betraying the Lord Jesus Christ.

That shows great integrity on the part of the disciples.

They knew that deep down inside them was a sinful principle so ugly, it might lead them to betray the One they loved.

*******

He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me."

The Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples ate with their hands, dipping the bread, the herbs, and perhaps even the lamb.

When the Lord Jesus Christ said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish," He could have been referring to any of the twelve because they all were dipping food into the dish.

*******

"The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him."

The Lord Jesus Christ was not a victim of a plan gone wrong.

His betrayal is exactly what God had planned.

No one did anything to the Lord Jesus Christ that was not a direct and immediate fulfillment of God’s eternal plan.

That was the divine plan.

*******

Judas was a betrayer, but a betrayer by his own choice.

He rejected grace and the offer of salvation.

He made his own choices, yet God in His marvelous sovereignty used Judas’s betrayal to accomplish His holy purposes.

*******

"But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!"

The man who betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ is cursed.

Judas had no desire to usher in the Kingdom of God on the Lord Jesus Christ’s terms.

He had no desire for the salvation of the world.

The OT predicted that the Lord Jesus Christ would die on a cross.

It was written that He would die on the cross for the sins of the world.

Yet even though that was in the plan of God, the man who turned the Lord Jesus Christ over is still a cursed man.

*******

"It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."

It would have been better to have never been born than to endure what Judas would endure – existence in eternal hell.

The degrees of punishment in hell are related to one’s level of rejection: the more truth you understand and reject, the greater one’s punishment in hell.

Therefore, the severest damnation in hell is reserved for Judas.

*******

Judas rejected the very One he had lived with for three years.

Judas made his own choices, and they were the source of his own damnation.

Yet the choices fit perfectly into the sovereign plan of God.

God controls not only the good, but also the evil of man to accomplish His own ends.

*******

The Lord Jesus Christ doesn’t identify the betrayer in Matthew 26:24; He just pronounces damnation on him.

He gave Judas ample opportunity for salvation and repentance.

*******


Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?"

Judas had to say that.

If he had said nothing, he would have been unmasked.

He had to play the game.

Everyone else asked the Lord Jesus Christ that question, so he had to say it.

********

He said to him, "You have said it."

The betrayer was finally revealed!

Then The Judgment Day

When the Lord Jesus Christ comes in His glory, He will come with all the holy angels.

And He will sit on the throne of His glory.

All the nations will be gathered before Him.

And He will separate them one from the other, just as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

And He will say to His sheep, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

"For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me."

Then they will answer Him, saying, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?"

"When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?"

"Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?"

And the Lord Jesus will answer and say to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."

And He will say to those who are not His people, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

"For I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me."

Then they will answer Him, saying, "Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?"

And the Lord Jesus will answer them, saying, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did not do it to Me."

And they will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

*******

The Lord Jesus will come in His glory.

He will come with all the angels.

He will sit on the throne of His glory.

Everyone will be gathered before Him.

He will separate the righteous from the wicked.

He will pronounce the sentence.

He will called the righteous 'the blessed of His Father' and the wicked 'You cursed'.

He will called the righteous to come and inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation f the world.

He will command the wicked to depart from Him into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

He will talk about their good deeds and evil deeds.

Salvation is not a matter of words, but of faith and the surrendering of our life to God alone!

And we are to do all His biddings to all His people.

*******

The day is coming.

Shall we fall short and be found wanting?

Or will we be ready?

The End Of The World

When will the end of the world be?

When
... many false Christs abounds.
... there are wars and rumors of wars.
... there are famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

Then there will be the beginning of sorrow for believers.
... There will be tribulation and persecution.
... They will be hated by all nations.
... Many will be offended.
... Many will betray one another.
... And many will hate one another.

Then there will be more confusion, distress and pain for believers:
... Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
... Lawlessness will abound.
... And the love of many will grow cold.

But Christians must endure to the end to be saved.

And the gospel must be preached in all the world as a witness to everyone.

Then the end will come.

The Fruitless Tree

A fig tree dried up at the word of Jesus.

There was nothing on it but leaves, and the Lord Jesus said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."

Every tree with fruits, in or out of seasons, is good. We would like to keep trees that produce abundant fruits; we would normally cut down trees that produce little fruits or no fruit at all.

The Lord Jesus was hungry. But the fig tree was fruitless.

The Lord Jesus cursed the fig tree, and the fig tree withered away.

It is a lesson for us.

A Christian life without the fruits of the Spirit is a useless life.

When there is an outward show without an inward change, we can be sure that it is an empty and fruitless life.

A Christian life that has lost its testimony and power is an useless life. It might be once filled with glory and hope; it has now lost its glory and power.

Some churches are like that. They are now no more places for worship. They have become business centers, social spots, and leisure grounds.

The Lord Jesus said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves."

John the Baptist had lived a good life. The general public had regarded him as a prophet. His testimony was clear and convincing.

The disciples marveled at our Lord's doing. They were wondering how was it that the fig tree withered away so soon.

If we are faithful and prayerful, we will receive what we ask for.

A fig tree without fruits is a useless tree.

A church that is not good for worship is worthless.

A christian life that has lost its testimony is a wasteful life.

How would you live your life?