47 While He was still speaking, a crowd arrived, led by the man called Judas, one of the Twelve. He approached Jesus to kiss Him. 48 But Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49 Those around Jesus saw what was about to happen and said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

51 But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And He touched the man’s ear and healed him.

52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple officers, and elders who had come for Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against an outlaw? 53 Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on Me. But this hour belongs to you and to the power of darkness.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Ashel Singh

Prior to this scene, Jesus was in deep, soulful prayer, submitting himself to God’s will, knowing that his death was coming. A crowd approaches, led by Judas. He walks forward and greets Jesus with a kiss. I can only imagine the gut-wrenching feeling of being deceived and then greeted with a kiss!

This passage helps me think about 3 things. First, Judas’ act is a reminder that treachery often comes not from strangers but from those closest to us. Judas’ kiss looked like love, but it was in fact the deep betrayal of trust. Sin can often hide behind things that seem good or harmless. On top of that, Judas had walked with Jesus for many years, yet his heart had drifted away. We need to be constantly alert to the danger of not being truly surrendered to Jesus despite being surrounded by the church and the Word of God.

Secondly, it’s easy to respond to things emotionally rather than with spiritual maturity. The disciples mean well in how they act. They want to protect Jesus and be loyal to him, but their actions oppose the very mission he came to fulfill. Their emotional reaction in the heat of the moment shows their spiritual immaturity. But Jesus, even in the moment of his betrayal and arrest, still shows compassion by healing the servant’s ear.

Finally, what rocks my world is how Jesus submits to God fully. Jesus could have stopped it all. He could have called down angels. He could have slipped away. But he didn’t. Instead, he calmly faces his enemies and the powers of darkness, because it was his Father’s will.

Obedience to God’s will is costly. Jesus didn’t obey the Father because it was easy, he obeyed because it was right. The victory of God’s plan often comes through surrender, not resistance. The world portrays surrender as weakness, and this moment looked like the triumph of evil. But God’s plan was unfolding towards Jesus’ resurrection. In God’s kingdom, surrendering to his will leads to redemption and victory over death – and for us, that happens as we surrender our lives fully to Jesus as our Lord.

I’m sure we can often relate to the disciples. We may want to fight, fix and react immediately. But this passage reminds me that loyalty to Jesus means obedience, even when it’s painful, misunderstood or costly. The kiss that betrayed Jesus led him to the cross. But through his pain and resurrection he displayed the ultimate act of love – which led to giving us eternal life in him. Forever and ever. Amen

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ashel is a member of our Fairfield Evening congregation.