The Betrayal

A Prearranged Kiss

“And Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went into the Chief Priests, to betray Him unto them” (Mark 14:10).

There are arguments on both sides as to whether Judas was initially saved and forfeited what could have been, or was never saved. Whether Judas was saved initially or not, the fact remains that Judas did betray the Lord. He betrayed him to the religious leadership of Israel and they crucified our Lord. This deed has to go down as the most heinous act in the history of the world. He betrayed the Lord of Glory for “30 pieces of silver.” He betrayed Him with a kiss.

“And he (Judas) who betrayed Him (Jesus) had given them a token (sign), saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He; take Him, and lead Him away safely. And as soon as he (Judas) was come, he went straightway to Him, and said, Master, Master; and kissed Him” (Mark 14:44,45).

Why did he do it? Some say he did it for the money. I believe that that did enter into his decision to betray the One he had spent the previous three years with seeing miracle after miracle and teachings that had never been heard before. Others say that he expected the coming Messiah to free Israel from the rule of Rome. I’m sure that the Lord talking about His death to the Apostles, and having the hope of the Lord freeing Israel from Rome dashed, was something that may have influenced his decision to betray the Lord. I believe that these were part of the reason that he did what he did, but I think we need to look at the base reason. I believe he took his eyes off of the Master and onto other things, worldly things, and lost his way. The final result was the betrayal of the Lord.

I believe that the foundational reason (my opinion) that he betrayed the Lord was that he did not want the spiritual promise of the Kingdom that Jesus was offering. His desires were all about the here and now. He was a thief, stealing from the purse the Lord and Apostles depended on for daily living. His desire was for this life and what he wanted it to bring him. His betrayal, I believe, was a direct result of the path he started down by seeking worldly gain in stealing the funds he was entrusted with. It cost him greatly to have his eyes on the temporal and not the eternal.

Our physical needs can cause us to miss out on all we could have had in the Lord. The Lord has promised to provide for our needs and we must trust Him to do just that. But, our eyes must be lifted up to see that the eternal is where we are headed and the temporal will pass away. If our eyes are on the physical, our conduct will reflect that and our lives will not please the Lord. Many have begun well in serving the Lord only to lose their way, and their soul. The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-20) addresses this very thing.

In John Chapter 15, the Lord told His Disciples that He was the “True Vine” and that they were to continue abide in Him. He goes on to say that those that do not continue to abide in “the Vine” will be cast forth. We must remember that He was addressing the Apostles who were saved and had walked with him during His earthly ministry. We must heed this warning from the Lord. Straying from the Lord can start with a small indiscretion, but if not corrected and one continues down this path, it can result in the loss of the soul. We must live out our spiritual life through faith, daily, in Christ and Him crucified through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Judas lost His way and ended up in Hell. He was called by the Lord and was one of the Twelve Apostles. He gave up all the Lord had promised the Twelve because he had his eyes on this life and not on the Master. His life and betrayal are a warning to all those that read the account. We must turn our focus away from the temporal and fix our eyes on Jesus and the eternal truths we find in God’s Word.

“Set your minds on things above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2 ESV).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2026