Betrayed by Affection

 Artwork by Lauren Anderson

Yesterday I was thinking about the kiss Judas gave Jesus. A kiss is something we don't give away to just anyone. It reflects a certain level of love. There are many friends I love dearly, but I don't know them well enough to give them a kiss on the cheek. Sure, I'd give them a hug and tell them I love them, but to give a friend a kiss on the cheek says there's a certain level of closeness to that relationship. Yet, Judas chose to betray Jesus with a symbol of intimate friendship.

If you and I would have been onlookers that dreaded night in the garden, we would have likely surmised by that kiss that Judas loved Jesus with all his heart.  Would our eyes have shifted to the soldiers standing amongst the multitudes who entered the garden with Judas? Would we have seen that Judas had a plan all along? Would we have recognized that the affection Judas showed to Jesus was a false affection meant to make others believe he loved the Lord? Would we have diverted our attention in the right direction to see the whole thing was a set up, meant to lead them to Him? 

As I thought about Judas and the way he betrayed Jesus with a kiss, my mind sifted through events in my own life that I've watched. I've seen Judas out and about, betraying people with a hug and a kiss. I'm sure you have as well. 

As I meditated on the passage of scripture the Lord placed on my heart yesterday about Judas's kiss, I asked Him what the lesson was He wanted me to learn. Immediately in my mind flashed a meme I had recently seen. It was a picture of two people hugging, and one had arrows in his back. It was the "friend" hugging him who had pierced him. It read, "The most dangerous creature on earth is a fake friend." Judas was supposed to be Jesus's close friend, yet he betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Not all of the people who come into our lives will truly be our friends. Some people are used by the enemy to turn us over to be crucified. I could go on about that, but I'll save it for tomorrow. 

Lord, I pray you give me discernment to know those who are in my life because they truly love me and those who are a Judas. I pray you help me as an onlooker to see when someone is being a Judas towards others. Give me eyes to see the true nature of people.