Matthew 26:48Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He permitted Himself to be seized after demonstrating His might. John the Evangelist reveals that in that moment, Christ sought to admonish Judas, asking, “Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:48). Is it not a disgrace to betray in such a manner? Nevertheless, since He did not prevent his actions, He allowed the kiss and consented to His own betrayal. His adversaries laid hands on Him during the very night the Passover was observed, filled with fury and distress. They would have accomplished nothing, had He not granted them permission.

Judas indicated the sign, in part due to the darkness that obscured recognition, but also because those dispatched to seize Jesus were not primarily from the general populace; rather, they were servants of the religious leadership who may not have been familiar with Him. The disciple identified the Lord to them through a kiss, demonstrating his understanding of Jesus' humanity, which emboldened him to approach and kiss Him.

Wretched Judas, yet not deserving of pity! Through the same disbelief that led him to betray his Master, he perceived the miraculous works of the Savior occurring right before him not as manifestations of divine authority, but as mere tricks of sorcery. Having possibly heard of His transformation on the mountain, he was apprehensive that a similar transfiguration might enable Him to evade the grasp of the authorities. Thus, he indicates a sign, so that the rulers can recognize the one he intends to kiss.

Following this revelation, Judas attempted to hide his betrayal of the Savior. Rather than directly exposing Him, he devised the ruse of a kiss, believing that the Savior's gentleness would lead Him to forgive him, even though he was more deserving of humiliation for betraying someone so humble. Fearing that Jesus Christ might escape the grasp of the offenders, as He had previously, Judas commanded: ‘take Him and lead (Him) safely.’ Mark added this detail (Mark 14:44).

Throughout these events, various aspects of Christ's afflictions are unveiled. The significance of Judas' kiss lies in teaching us to embrace all adversaries and those who may oppose us vehemently. Ultimately, God does not turn away from him.

It is a longstanding practice to kiss, symbolizing affection and camaraderie. This has always been the case, as evidenced in scripture (Gen. 29:11, 13; Gen. 33:4; Luke 7:45; Acts 20:27; Rom. 16:16). Judas and the Sanhedrin presumed that Jesus Christ would flee, as He had done previously (Luke 4:30; John 8:59), unless they devised a plan for His capture in a surprise manner; the unfortunate blind men remained skeptical of His divine authority. Furthermore, they believed that the guards would not recognize Jesus among His followers during the night. Thus, a simple gesture of camaraderie was manipulated into a predetermined signal by which Judas betrayed his Lord to His adversaries.

Judas, described as both a servant and a deceiver, a disciple yet an enemy, chose to betray through a kiss. He who had foretold his betrayal offered a sign, stating, “Whom I kiss, he is he; take him up, and lead him carefully, that he may present him safely where he should go, lest the people be disturbed.” St. Chrysostom laments, “Ah, what wickedness has seized Judas’s soul! With what eyes could he have looked upon the Master? With what lips did he dare to kiss Him? A guilty heart! What was running through his mind? What audacity possessed him?

The high priests, having secretly instructed Judas to bring Jesus to them under cover of darkness, had to ensure their plan remained concealed. They could not disclose to the guards whom they were to apprehend; their directive was simply to seize the individual whom Judas would indicate. This careful approach was necessary for two reasons: the possibility of encountering vigilant onlookers who might learn of their intentions and rally a crowd to free the detained prophet, and the previous instance when the temple guards and the high priests’ servants hesitated to arrest Him (John 7:45-46). Thus, the soldiers were commanded to apprehend the one whom Judas would identify. In keeping with his secretive role, Judas specified only that the one he would kiss was the target and urged them to capture Him gently.

In the month of March, on the Friday evening prior to Easter, there occurred an arrest, marking the initial phase of many contemporary inquiries. This raises the question of whether the apprehension was legitimate. There is no reason to question its authorization by the high priest, and the involvement of the Roman cohort alongside the temple authorities likely stemmed from the same Jewish leadership, giving it an initial appearance of legality. However, was the arrest before any formal examination permissible according to Jewish law? It does not appear so, unless there was genuine concern over potential resistance or escape. In this instance, there was no desire to flee, but some degree of unintended resistance could have been anticipated.

The Jewish people, like many cultures, had distinct ways of greeting one another. When they encountered friends or made inquiries akin to our own "How do you do?", they would say השׁלום. As an expression of goodwill, they often uttered שׁלום לך, meaning “peace be with you,” as noted in passages like Judges 19:20, 1 Chronicles 12:18, and throughout the New Testament in John 20:19, 21 and Luke 10:5: “peace be upon this house.” At the time of parting, they would commonly express "לך בשׁלום," or "go in peace." Depending on the status of the individual being greeted, various gestures accompanied these greetings. A modest or profound bow was customary and often repeated. For instance, Jacob bowed to the ground seven times when he met Esau (Genesis 33:3).

"Provided them a signal": it is possible that the Roman soldiers and others accompanying Judas were not familiar enough with Jesus to identify Him (at least they did not recognize Him when He approached them: John 18:4ff.); the shadows of night, particularly in the garden among the trees, might have obscured their ability to see the Savior (cf. Theophil. Theophilus); furthermore, it is likely that the Roman soldiers and some of the attendants were unaware of the identity of the One they were meant to apprehend; nonetheless, the only expectation placed on the betrayer was that he would perform some action to clearly reveal who was being betrayed. Judas selected a kiss as that sign.

As he journeyed, the traitor aimed to unmistakably identify the Divine Teacher to his companions who had neither seen nor known Him first-hand, while simultaneously attempting to mask his treachery with insincerity and flattery before the Teacher and the apostles. He vowed to signal them with a customary gesture. Did Judas not perceive the possibility that the Lord might once again withdraw from the throngs, as He had previously done when His hour had not yet arrived (Lk. 4:30; Jn. 6:15; 7:30, 44; 8:20, 59)? Yet the all-knowing One was aware that His hour had indeed arrived, and that the time had come for the darkness of the ruler of this world (Jn. 14:30) and his followers to come to fruition, according to the eternal decree of God. Thus, ‘just as He did not allow Himself to be seized until the appointed time, He also did not retreat when that time arrived, but willingly surrendered Himself to the wicked’ (St. Athanasius of Alexandria).