Week 2: Are you betraying the Son with a kiss?

The Ballad of Reading Gaol - Oscar Wilde

I never saw a man who looked

With such a wistful eye

Upon that little tent of blue

Which prisoners call the sky,

And at every drifting cloud that went

With sails of silver by.

I walked, with other souls in pain,

Within another ring,

And was wondering if the man had done

A great or little thing,

When a voice behind me whispered low,

"That fellow's got to swing."

Dear Christ! The very prison walls

Suddenly seemed to reel,

And the sky above my head became

Like a casque of scorching steel;

And, though I was a soul in pain,

My pain I could not feel.

I only knew what hunted thought

Quickened his step, and why

He looked upon the garish day

With such a wistful eye;

The man had killed the thing he loved,

And so he had to die.

Yet each man kills the thing he loves,

By each let this be heard,

Some do it with a bitter look,

Some with a flattering word,

The coward does it with a kiss,

The brave man with a sword!

Some kill their love when they are young,

And some when they are old;

Some strangle with the hands of Lust,

Some with the hands of Gold:

The kindest use a knife, because

The dead so soon grow cold.

Some love too little, some too long,

Some sell, and others buy;

Some do the deed with many tears,

And some without a sigh:

For each man kills the thing he loves,

Yet each man does not die.

The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching. The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction.

Then Satan entered Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples,4 and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.

… But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the 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?”

-Luke 22:1-6, 47-48 (NIV)

During Lent, the figure of Judas Iscariot emerges. His tragic betrayal of Jesus invites me to confront the complexity of human frailty, moral choices, and the profound tension between grace and sin. Judas’ story serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of my fallibility and the transforming power of God’s redeeming love as I journey to the cross.

Right after Jesus articulates his surrender to his Father, the surprising event of betrayal follows: a kiss - the greeting of one member of a family to another, a symbol of love and trust and acceptance. With that kiss, Judas confirmed his lack of trust and acceptance of Jesus. This event shows the two opposite poles of our humanity. Beloved sinners. Jesus reveals the love, and Judas the depths of humanity’s brokenness.

Judas is not just a villain, but a broken person with emotions, desires, and fears, like any of us. Human weakness and pride are forms of betrayal that steal our friendship with God. But, thank God, betrayal does not have the last word on the human condition. God’s love and grace are the last word that speaks louder than every human infidelity and betrayal. And that is the good news of these moments that we share with Jesus in his suffering.

Reflection: I am invited to examine my own life – my vulnerability, moral choices, and the dynamic interplay between grace and brokenness. Through Judas’ story, I am invited to deepen my love for Jesus, renew my commitment to Him, and receive the boundless grace of the Lord’s love.

Prayer: I ask for the grace to become aware of my shortcomings and receive Your forgiveness for them.