"Fear God, Love God, Serve God": "The Kiss"

But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the

Son of Man with a kiss?"

(Luke 22:48)

Judas and Peter

Is Easter the right time to talk about Judas' kiss of betrayal? Because of his betraying ghastly deed; we shouldn't even mention him, should we? Does Jesus miss Judas? The answer to all three questions is a resounding, and blood covered, YES! Easter is the perfect time to talk about "The Kiss."

Jesus and His disciples

Jesus had twelve disciples, but one was like a devil. Judas sold out the Lord Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver, and told the soldiers they would know whom to arrest, because he would "kiss" Him. But, did Judas repent for what he did, because later he tried to give the priests their money back. The Greek explains the meaning of the words in this betrayal:

"There are two Greek words which are translated "repented," the one properly

so translated, metanoeo, which means literally "to know after" and which therefore

means a change of mind or purpose; and the other, metamellomai, which is

used here and which means literally "to care after," indicates a sorrow for the past.

The first should be translated "repent;" the second, "regret."

(Bible Study Tools.com)

We see that Judas "regretted" what he did, but was not repentant for what he did ... big difference. Trench draws the distinction thus: "He who has changed his mind about the past is in the way to change everything; he who has an after care may have little or nothing more than a selfish dread of the consequences of what he has done."

Having obtained the condemnation from Pilate,

Jesus was charged

Judas, finding that the priests would not accept the returned money, he threw the silver to the ground and went out and hung himself. He sold his soul, he sold out the only Man who could save his soul, and where evil is concerned, it's always the soul that loses.

Judas hung himself

Imagine what this must have done to the heart of the One who came to die for the world, who came to shed His blood for all men, who came to give the world a hope and a future, who loved His creation unto death ... I believe Jesus Christ was saddened over Judas, just as He is saddened over lucifer, satan. Jesus Christ has no revenge for those who hurt Him; He loves deeply, and is still sad today that people don't love Him, that people still betray Him with their actions and indifference, that people turn their backs on Him and curse Him ... He loves even those who hate Him.

Evil

It's not too late for those in the grips of evil, for those who have succombed to the wiles of satanic fury. Come unto Jesus Christ, while there is still time. Give Him your heart; call out to Him for mercy; repent with sorrowful sincere honesty and humility; ask Him to fill you with His Spirit and you will speak with tongues as His Spirit gives you the utterance; then, be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins. It's Easter; it's Resurrection time ... Let the Lord Jesus Christ lift you to newness of life; let Him wash you with His blood shed for you; let Him give you peace like a river, and Joy unspeakable and full of glory. Let Him ... Let Him ...

Did Judas enter the mind of Jesus Christ when He was hanging on the cross? He took the sins of the whole world and redeemed them with His death, His blood and the stripes upon His back, but it was too late for Judas ... It's not too late for you and me ... The Holy Lord Jesus Christ arose the third day! He is alive and well, and it doesn't matter what you've done; He loves YOU utterly and He will receive You unto Himself; He will forgive You, care for You, carry You through the storms of life, wipe away Your tears, and hold You in His arms.