Are You Willing to Kiss Judas?
In the Synoptic Gospels there's a poignant scene where Judas greets Jesus with a kiss. To be more precise, he betrays Jesus with a kiss. The narrative spawned the term Judas Kiss, an act of betrayal disguised as a gesture of friendship. There's a lesson there for those in ministry. The kiss of betrayal probably wasn't their first. In the culture of the ancient Near East, it would not have been uncommon for two compatriots who shared affection and life to kiss thus. Jesus embraced Judas as a trusted disciple. He ate with him, traveled with him, and empowered him for ministry ( Matthew 10:1-4 ). And in the end, he died for him ( 1 John 2:2) . So the question for those who follow Christ into ministry becomes: Are you willing to kiss Judas? In other words, are you willing to take a chance on another flawed human being? To trust them and partner with them in ministry knowing that it's possible you're kissing Judas? It's not an easy question to answer. We trus...