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This week we continue our discussion of chapter 22 of Luke’s Gospel. Please read verses 41-53 every day this week and, if possible, use a different translation each day, asking God to open your eyes to fresh revelation from His Word.
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Luke 22:47-48 (New Living Translation – NLT)
‘But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of his twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss.
But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”’
Greeting cards seem to be a big money business. While many businesses seem to be on the decline, the greeting card industry appears to be bucking the trend and is actually increasing in value. Recent figures estimate that 1.7 billionpounds was spent in 2016 on the various types of cards on sale.
When I was younger, there was only ever one time of year that I was interested in receiving cards: Valentine’s Day. I wasn’t too bothered about birthday cards especially if they didn’t have any money in them and I can’t remember receiving a Christmas card. Valentine’s Day was very different and I was heartbroken if I didn’t get at least one card on February 14th.
I don’t know if you remember receiving any such cards, but we used to write some pretty awful verses on the cards like, ‘Roses are red, violets are blue, you are so pretty and so I love you.’ I didn’t have much imagination or romance! If my memory serves me correctly, there was generally something written on the back of the envelope of all valentine’s cards. In big letters were the letters ‘S. W. A. L. K.’ I’ve no idea if this is still used today, so for anyone under the age of about 50, those letters stand for ‘Sealed With A Loving Kiss’. The idea of course is that everything written on the card is true and that every word is now ‘Sealed’ by a loving kiss. Occasionally, there would be lipstick on the envelope showing that it had indeed been kissed.
What we read of in our verses today is perhaps one of the most well-known occasions in all of Scripture. This act of betrayal has been discussed and written about in so many books and films. The phrase ‘Betrayed with a kiss’ is part of our language and even though people would have heard the phrase, many would be completely unaware of its origin.
A kiss is definitely a symbol of friendship and affection and at Oasis Community Church, you are likely to be kissed on the cheek many, many times both before the service starts and after it has finished. There are those who believe that Judas was merely following the custom of the day that involved greeting a rabbi with a kiss and we know that the New Testament exhorts us to ‘greet one another with a holy kiss’. (2 Corinthians 13:11). However, to really understand what’s going on here, we have to hear what Jesus says in response to the kiss. Mark’s Gospel tells us that the kiss was a pre-arranged signal indicating that whoever Judas kissed was to be led away under guard. Surely, all Judas needed to do was to walk to Jesus and tell the soldiers that this was the man to be arrested. Betrayal is one thing but to seal that betrayal with a kiss is all the more painful.
I’m reminded of another occasion where Jesus was kissed. Earlier in Luke’s gospel, we read of a woman who seemingly continually kissed the feet of Jesus. She anointed His feet and kissed them lovingly. We have a choice as to how we approach Jesus. May we never offer ‘false affection’ to the Saviour, but my prayer is that we always have a heart of gratitude and love for the Lord who has forgiven all of our sin. He is worthy of our praise and worship.
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