From Betrayal to Blessing
Read Mark 14:43-52
Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. –Mark 14:44-45
The Princess Bride is a beloved story about a farmboy named “Westley” who goes to great lengths to rescue his true love (“Buttercup”) from the evil Prince Humperdink. In the movie, the story is told by a grandfather to his grandson (who is homesick from school). For most of the movie, the grandson is far more interested in the adventure (pirates, sword duels, storming the castle) than the romance of the story. He consistently tells his dad to skip the mushy stuff about “true love.” So when Westley and Buttercup are finally reunited, the grandfather starts to skip the description of their kiss. But the grandson, who by now is fully invested in their story, tells him to go ahead and read the mushy part. So the grandfather says:
“Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses that have been rated the most passionate, most pure … This one left them all behind.”
I’m not sure which kisses from history (film, literature, or art) that you would list as the “Top Five” most passionate and pure. I am certain that Judas’ kiss would not be one of them.
Judas chose a strange way to identify his master—a simple “finger point” would have been sufficient. A kiss, in contrast, is much more intimate. It brought Judas face-to-face with the one he was betraying. I wonder what thoughts and feelings Judas held in his heart at that moment? Was his heart bitter and hard against his master? Had he “justified” the decision in his mind—rationalizing all the ways he was “in the right” or the ways he’d “been wronged”? Or was his heart wracked in that moment by guilt and shame? Did he dare to look Jesus in the eyes as he moved in close to kiss him?
On the other side, I wonder what was in Jesus’ heart as he received that kiss from Judas? Jesus knew that Judas had come to betray him—there was no shock or surprise (as when Julius Caesar cried out: “Et tu, Brute!”). Neither did Jesus seem to harbor anger towards Judas—he was completely resigned to the fate ahead. If anything, Jesus seemed to have a profound sadness in his heart. He knew what this decision would cost Judas, that this moment would haunt him in the days to come, that Judas would even take his own life rather than live with the guilt of his action. Perhaps Jesus kissed Judas in order to impart one last expression of love and forgiveness. He was, after all, saying good-bye to one he had once counted as his friend.
When the prophet Isaiah received his call from God, he saw a vision of God seated in His throne room, surrounded by the Seraphim. Struck by awe and wonder, Isaiah fell to his knees and cried out: “Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among people of unclean lips!” (Isaiah 6:5)
God gave us lips to do many things. With our lips, we can praise Him. With our lips, we can bless one another. Think about all the ways we might kiss one another. As an expression of passion and desire (as in the Song of Songs). As a sign of our commitment (the way we seal the covenant of marriage with a kiss). As a way of blessing (like when we kiss a child goodnight). Or as a way of healing (like a mother kissing a boo-boo on a child’s knee).
But we can also use our lips in ways that defile rather than bless. We can use our lips to denounce the God who made them. We can use our lips to curse and harm one another.
Judas kissed the Holy One of God with unclean lips. Was his soul damned by that kiss? Or could it be that Judas’ sins were forgiven in that kiss, in the same way that the touch of a burning coal cleansed Isaiah‘s lips? That is not for us to know. What took place in that moment will forever remain between Jesus and his disciple. But I hope and pray for mercy, not only for Judas, but for all of us who have unclean lips, too.
I invite you to use these words from the 63rd Psalm as our closing prayer. May the kiss of God’s grace humble us and cleanse us and lift us to serve Him anew.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you. –Psalm 63:3-5