Daily Devotional For Thursday, March 12, 2026
Good day Southside. Yesterday we left off with Jesus going away 3 times to pray only to return to find his closest friends, Peter, James and John, fast asleep. As He awakens them the third time, Judas, the betrayer, arrives. Today, we pick up with Matthew 26:47-56:
“ While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. (48) Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, ‘Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.’ (49) Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, ‘Hail, Rabbi!’ and kissed Him. (50) And Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, do what you have come for.’ Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. (51) And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. (52) Then Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. (53) Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? (54) How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?’ (55) At that time Jesus said to the crowds, ‘Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. (56) But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.’ Then all the disciples left Him and fled” (NASB).
As we are fast approaching Easter, this passage is all too familiar to us. As a result, we are going to take several days to work our way through it. Judas approaches with this large, heavily armed crowd. This had to take the other disciples by surprise and put them off guard. Did you notice what Matthew called Judas in verse 47 – “one of the twelve.” This is Matthew’s way of highlighting the irony and the tragedy of this treacherous betrayal.
Judas arrived prepared for a fight – armed soldiers. For crowd (vs. 47), Matthew uses the Greek New Testament word [ὄχλος; ochlos]. John’s Gospel in John 18:2, tells us that Judas knew where Jesus would be and that he came with a “band” (John 18:3) of soldiers. John is more specific in giving us how big this “band” of soldiers were. The Greek New Testament word is [σπεῖρα; speira]. This refers to an accompaniment of soldiers in numbers from 600-1,000.
We are told why Judas felt he had to personally identify which one was Jesus. Maybe because it was at night and it would be hard for these 600-1,000 soldiers to single out Jesus. It seems a little “overkill” here doesn’t it? Possibly it was because maybe Jesus’s appearance was so similar to the disciples, Judas felt he had to single out Jesus. It is possible that in the Garden of Gethsemane, with so many pilgrims in Jerusalem for the Passover, some were in the Garden at night also.
Judas acts as if he is giving Jesus some kind of honor in kissing Jesus. In the Middle East men who were extremely close would greet each other with a kiss on the right cheek and then one on the left cheek. The text implies Judas repeatedly kissed Jesus as if he was showing respect and honor to Him. Some still do this to this day. In other cultures today, this is common. Judas said “Hail,” or “greetings.” This is the Greek New Testament word [χαίρω; chairō]. This is a military word that was the cry of the victor in battle. It signified. “We have won. We have conquered. Rejoice because the victory in battle has been won.” What a strange way to greet Jesus, don’t you think? Some have suggested that this was Judas’ way of pushing Jesus to use His supernatural power to start the revolution against Rome, slaughtering Rome before they even saw it coming.
Some have suggested that Judas approached Jesus this way so that none of the other disciples would be suspicious and come after him. Notice, Judas called Jesus “Rabbi” or “teacher,” not Lord. Jesus let Judas know why he had come – “Friend, do what you have come for.” You could translate this to read, “Friend, I know why you have come.” This showed that Jesus, not Judas, was in control.
Jesus called Judas “friend.” This is not the traditional Greek word used for close friends. It refers to distant acquaintances. The word is [ἑταῖρος; hetairos] and the best translation is “comrade, or fellow.” Jesus had offered Himself to be Judas’ friend, and more than that, to be his eternal Savior. But the opportunity for salvation for Judas had passed, and in light of Judas’ shocking treachery, even the words “fellow or comrade” were a gracious form of address. For 3 years, Judas kept his distance from Jesus. Oh, he was part of the original disciples, but he had never dived into a personal relationship with Christ. We know he was a thief and stole from the general treasury (John 12:6). He embezzled from Jesus and His ministry to profit himself. Money was his god.
Reflection Assignment: Based on what you have read so far, what is God saying to you through this devotional? Do you like to sing the hymn, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus,” but you are not really His friend? What gets your attention more than the Lord? What do you betray Jesus with today in your own life? What is like a magnet that draws you to it and away from the Lord? Confess it and repent.
Scripture To Meditate On: Luke 22:48, “But Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?’” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, help me with those times I am vulnerable to betray You with anything. You know what mine is and I cannot hide it from you. No matter how others see me, You know through and through. I do not want to be guilty as James 3:10 states. I not only want You to be my friend, but I want to be Your friend also. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly