Matthew 26:49 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him.

NIV: Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, 'Greetings, Rabbi!' and kissed him.

NASB: And immediately Judas went up to Jesus and said, 'Greetings, Rabbi!' and kissed Him.

CSB: So immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi! " and kissed him.

NLT: So Judas came straight to Jesus. 'Greetings, Rabbi!' he exclaimed and gave him the kiss.

KJV: And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.

NKJV: Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

Judas Iscariot earns the name he will carry for all of history. Jesus and Matthew have called him "the betrayer" (Matthew 26:46, 48) and now he carries out the role. This was a moment arranged by Judas (Matthew 26:14–16) for reasons that are not entirely clear. He was paid for his betrayal, but not an outrageous amount. He may have been disillusioned with Christ's refusal to trigger rebellion against Rome. He may have become bitter and doubtful. It might have been a combination of all three: greed, disappointment, and spite. All we know for sure is that Satan tempted Judas, one of Christ's closest companions, to hand Him over to death (John 13:2, 26–27).

The sign used to identify Jesus was arranged beforehand (Matthew 26:48). Jesus was known by name and by reputation, but this was long before photographs or extremely diverse clothes. Judas needed to do more than just tell others where Jesus was; he needed to directly aim the mob at the right person.

This moment multiplies the awful, hateful nature of Judas' choice. This is meant to be an expression of mutual trust and friendship, and the words he uses are meant to show respect. Other gospel writers offer additional details. Luke reports (Luke 22:48) that Jesus asks pointedly, "Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" Jesus didn't want Judas to miss the weight of what he was doing. Not only is he acting as a traitor, but he's also doing it using a vile perversion of pretended love.

Matthew 26:47–56 paints the scene of Jesus' betrayal and arrest in the garden of Gethsemane. Judas arrives leading an armed crowd of soldiers, temple guards, and others. Judas identifies Jesus to the arresting crowd using a friend's kiss. Peter (John 18:10) wildly swings a sword and cuts a man's ear off in a misguided effort to defend Jesus. Jesus tells him to put the sword away. If He wanted saving, He could ask the Father and 12 legions of angels would arrive. He will not resist. The Scriptures of the prophets must be fulfilled. This passage parallels Mark 14:43–50, Luke 22:47–53, and John 18:1–11.

The Jewish religious leaders further their plots to arrest and kill Jesus, finding a willing traitor in Judas Iscariot. A woman anoints Christ with oil during a dinner at Bethany. Next, Jesus and the disciples hold the Passover meal in an upper room where Jesus predicts His arrests and introduces the sacrament of communion. Then Jesus prays in unimaginable agony in the garden of Gethsemane before being betrayed by Judas and captured. The disciples scatter. Before the high priest, Jesus explicitly claims to be divine. They convict Him of blasphemy and sentence Him to death. As this happens, Peter denies knowing Jesus and runs away in shame.

After a long series of teaching (Matthew 24—25), Matthew 26 begins with Jesus saying He will be delivered up for death. Christ is anointed at a dinner in Bethany and Judas agrees to turn Him over to the chief priests. Jesus holds a Passover meal with the disciples, predicts an act of treachery, and introduces the sacrament of communion. He tells the disciples they will run in fear and that Peter will deny Him, which happens just as prophesied. Christ prays in great sorrow in a garden and is then arrested and taken away and unfairly sentenced to death. After this, Jesus will be taken to the Roman governor, where Jewish leadership will press for Him to be executed as an insurgent.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.