Matthew 26:47-56 NKJV

And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.

48Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” 49Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?”

Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. 51And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.

52But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”

55In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. 56But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

Jesus Christ had 12 male disciples who traveled with him and who worked alongside him in ministry during his three years of ministry prior to his death on a cross. But right before Jesus and his disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, Jesus announced that one of them was going to betray him, and that one was Judas. And now Judas had arrived at Gethsemane with a great multitude, and Judas then betrayed Jesus with a kiss. And the multitude laid hands on Jesus and took him, which was to fulfill Scripture.

Do you know what it is like to be betrayed with a kiss? And it doesn’t have to be a literal kiss, but can be any form of kindness and affection that has the outward sign of friendship but which is a lie disguised as truth. Someone close to you acts as though they are your friend, that they care about you, even that they are on your side and in agreement with you. But behind your back it is a different story. Behind your back they speak evil against you to others so that they turn others against you who believe their lies about you.

But this doesn’t have to be anyone you know personally and that you are in a friendship relationship with. These can be people of power, influence, and prominence within the “church” or within the governments of nations, or they can be “Christian” actors or musicians or sports figures or pastors or teachers who give an outward appearance of godliness and of moral purity and as people who can be trusted to tell us the truth. But they are all lying to the people who have put their trust in them. They cannot be trusted.

Now Jesus, being who he was, was fully aware that he was being betrayed by his former disciple, Judas, so he was not surprised by this. He was prepared for it. But many people in this world have placed their trust in other human beings, and they have put their hope in them, as well, and so they have given them their loyalty, support, and devotion, believing that they are the “good guys” of the world who are working for our good. But sadly many of them are Judases who are really plotting our demise, instead.

And this is one of the reasons why the Scriptures teach that we are not to put our trust in other humans. We are not to follow other humans blindly, believing everything they tell us, that it is the truth. But we are to test the spirits to see which ones are of God and which ones are not. And we must face the reality that not everyone is who they claim to be, and we should prepare our own hearts for the reality that anyone can turn out to be a Judas, even the most trusted figures among us, no matter who they are.

But two main things here are of critical importance. We should never make “gods” out of other humans. We should not put our trust and hope in them as though they are the ones to save us and to protect us. But our trust needs to be solely in God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – and we must follow him in obedience to his commands. And secondly, we must face the reality of the times in which we live and of the prophesies of Scripture and realize that prophesy of Scripture is being currently fulfilled before our eyes. So we must be spiritually prepared for the inevitable.

Jesus was prepared. This didn’t mean that Judas’ betrayal did not hurt him. He was human. He had human emotions. He loved Judas. And I am certain that it broke his heart that Judas would reject our Lord and that he would turn against him, which then meant that Judas would spend eternity in hell and not in heaven. Yet Jesus still treated Judas with love. And we need to treat our enemies with love. But be prepared for betrayal, not to fear it, but so that it does not destroy you. And then love and pray for your persecutors.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Romans 5:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 3:7-11; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12-17; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5; James 1:2-4; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Hebrews 12:3-12; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Recording Via Gerry Peters, music producer and arranger

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

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Do You Know Betrayal?
An Original Work / May 7, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love