Dost thou betray the Son of man with a kiss?

St Luke Chapter XXII : Verses 47-53

Contents

• Luke xxii. Verses 47-53.  Douay-Rheims (Challoner) text & Latin text (Vulgate)
• Douay-Rheims 1582 text
• Annotations based on the Catena Aurea of St Thomas

Luke xxii. Verses 47-53.

Judas, dost thou betray the Son of man with a kiss?  
J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

47 As he was yet speaking, behold a multitude; and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near to Jesus, for to kiss him.

Adhuc eo loquente, ecce turba : et qui vocabatur Judas, unus de duodecim, antecedebat eos, et appropinquavit Jesu ut oscularetur eum.

48 And Jesus said to him: Judas, dost thou betray the Son of man with a kiss?

Jesus autem dixit illi : Juda, osculo Filium hominis tradis?

49 And they that were about him, seeing what would follow, said to him: Lord, shall we strike with the sword?

Videntes autem hi qui circa ipsum erant, quod futurum erat, dixerunt ei : Domine, si percutimus in gladio?

50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.

Et percussit unus ex illis servum principis sacerdotum, et amputavit auriculam ejus dexteram.

51 But Jesus answering, said: Suffer ye thus far. And when he had touched his ear, he healed him.

Respondens autem Jesus, ait : Sinite usque huc. Et cum tetigisset auriculam ejus, sanavit eum.

52 And Jesus said to the chief priests, and magistrates of the temple, and the ancients, that were come unto him: Are ye come out, as it were against a thief, with swords and clubs?

Dixit autem Jesus ad eos qui venerant ad se principes sacerdotum, et magistratus templi, et seniores : Quasi ad latronem existis cum gladiis et fustibus?

53 When I was daily with you in the temple, you did not stretch forth your hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

Cum quotidie vobiscum fuerim in templo, non extendistis manus in me : sed haec est hora vestra, et potestas tenebrarum.

Douay-Rheims : 1582 text

47. As he was yet ſpeaking, behold a multitude: and he that was called Iudas, one of the Twelue, he went before them, and approched to IESVS, for to kiſſe him.

48. And IESVS ſaid to him: Iudas with a kiſſe doeſt thou betray the Sonne of man?

49. And they that were about him, ſeeing what would be, ſaid to him: Lord, ſhal we ſtrike with the ſword?
50. And one the them ſmote the ſeruant of the high Prieſt: and cut off his right eare.
51. But IESVS anſwering, ſaid: Suffer ye thus farre. And when he had touched his eare, he healed him.
52. And IESVS ſaid to them that were come vnto him, the cheefe Prieſts, and Magiſtrates of the Temple, & Ancients: As it were to a theefe are you come forth with ſwordes and clubs?
53. When I was daily with you in the Temple, you did not lay handes vpon me, but this is your houre, and the power of darkeneſſe.

 

Annotations

    47. As he was yet speaking, behold a multitude; and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. He says, he that was called Judas, holding his name as it were in abhorrence; but adds, one of the twelve, to signify the enormity of the traitor. For he who had been honoured as an apostle became the cause of the murder of Christ.

    and drew near to Jesus, for to kiss him. CHRYSOSTOM. For just as incurable wounds yield neither to severe nor soothing remedies, so the soul when once it is taken captive, and has sold itself to any particular sin, will reap no benefit from admonition. And so it was with Judas, who desisted not from His betrayal, though deterred by Christ by every manner of warning. Hence it follows, And drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. 

    CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. Unmindful of the glory of Christ, he thought to be able to act secretly, daring to make an especial token of love the instrument of his treachery.

    CHRYSOSTOM. (Conc. 1. de Laz.) Now we must not depart from admonishing our brethren, albeit nothing comes of our words. For even the streams though no one drink therefrom still flow on, and him whom thou hast not persuaded to-day, peradventure thou mayest to-morrow. For the fisherman after drawing empty nets the whole day, when it was now late takes a fish. And thus our Lord, though He knew that Judas was not to be converted, yet ceased not to do such things as had reference to him.

    48. And Jesus said to him: Judas, dost thou betray the Son of man with a kiss? AMBROSE. It must be used I think by way of question, as if he arrests the traitor with a lover’s affection.

    CHRYSOSTOM. And He gives him his proper name, which was rather like one lamenting and recalling him, than one provoked to anger.

    AMBROSE. He says, dost thou betray the Son of man with a kiss? that is, dost thou inflict a wound with the pledge of love? with the instruments of peace dost thou impose death? a slave, dost thou betray thy Lord; a disciple, thy master; one chosen, Him who chose thee?

    CHRYSOSTOM. But He said not, “Betrayest thou thy Master, thy Lord, thy Benefactor,” but the Son of man, that is, the humble and meek, who though He were not thy Master and Lord, forasmuch as He has borne himself so gently toward thee, should have never been betrayed by thee.

    AMBROSE. O great manifestation of Divine power, great discipline of virtue! Both the design of thy traitor is detected, and yet forbearance is not withheld. He shews whom it is Judas betrays, by manifesting things hidden; He declares whom he delivers up, by saying, the Son of man, for the human flesh, not the Divine nature, is seized. That however which most confounds the ungrateful, is the thought that he had delivered up Him, who though He was the Son of God, yet for our sakes wished to be the Son of man; as if He said, “For thee did I undertake, O ungrateful man, that which thou betrayest in hypocrisy.

    AUGUSTINE. The Lord when He was betrayed first said this which Luke mentions, dost thou betray the Son of man with a kiss? next, what Matthew says, Friend, whereto art thou come?  and lastly, what John records, Whom seek ye?

    49. And they that were about him, seeing what would follow, said to him: Lord, shall we strike with the sword? THEOPHYLACT. The disciples are inflamed with zeal, and unsheath their swords. But whence have they swords? Because they had slain the lamb, and had departed from the feast. Now the other disciples ask whether they should strike; 

    50. And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.  But Peter, always fervent in defence of his Master, waits not for permission, but straightway strikes the servant of the High Priest.

    AUGUSTINE. He who struck, according to John, was Peter, but he whom he struck was called Malchus.

    AMBROSE. For Peter being well versed in the law, and full of ardent affection, knowing that it was counted righteousness in Phineas that he had killed the sacrilegious persons, struck the High Priest’s servant.

Phineas: And behold one of the children of Israel went in before his brethren to a harlot of Madian, in the sight of Moses, and of all the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle.   And when Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest saw it, he rose up from the midst; of the multitude, and taking a dagger,   Went in after the Israelite into the brothel house, and thrust both of them through together, to wit, the man and the woman in the genital parts. And the scourge ceased from the children of Israel:  And there were slain four and twenty thousand men. [Numbers xxv. 6-9]

    51. But Jesus answering, said: Suffer ye thus far. AUGUSTINE. (de Con. Ev. lib. iii. c. 5.)  Nor will it move you as contrary thereto, that Luke says here that our Lord answered, Suffer ye thus far, as if He had so spoken after the blow to shew that what was done had pleased Him so far, but He did not wish it to proceed farther, seeing that in these words which Matthew has given, it may rather be implied that the whole circumstance in which Peter used the sword was displeasing to our Lord. For the truth is, that upon their asking, Lord, shall we strike with the sword? He then answered, Suffer ye thus far, that is, be not troubled with what is about to happen. They must be permitted to advance so far, that is, to take Me, and so to fulfil the things which were written of Me. For he would not say, And Jesus answering, unless He answered this question, not Peter’s deed. But between the delay of their words of question to our Lord and His answer, Peter in the eagerness of defence struck the blow. And two things cannot be said, though one may be said and another may be done, at the same time. 

    And when he had touched his ear, he healed him. BEDE. For the Lord is never forgetful of His lovingkindness. While they are bringing death upon the righteous, He heals the wounds of His persecutors.

    52. And Jesus said to the chief priests, and magistrates of the temple, and the ancients, that were come unto him: Are ye come out, as it were against a thief, with swords and clubs? CHRYSOSTOM. For they had come at night fearing an outbreak of the multitude, therefore He says, “What need was there of these arms against one who was always with you?” as it follows, When I was daily with you.

    53. When I was daily with you in the temple, you did not stretch forth your hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.     CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. Whereby He does not blame the chiefs of the Jews that they had not sooner prepared their murderous designs against Him, but convicts them of having presumptuously supposed they had attacked Him against His will; as if He says, “Ye did not take Me then, because I willed it not, but neither could ye now, did I not of My own accord surrender Myself into your hands.” Hence it follows, But this is your hour, that is, a short time is permitted you to exercise your vengeance against Me, but the Father’s will agrees with Mine. He also says, that this power is given to darkness, i.e. the Devil and the Jews, of rising in rebellion against Christ. 

    BEDE. As if He says, Therefore are ye assembled against Me in darkness, because your power, wherewith ye are thus armed against the light of the world, is in darkness. But it is asked, how Jesus is said to be addressing the chief priests, the officers of the temple, and the elders, who came to Him, whereas they are reported not to have gone of themselves, but to have sent their servants while they waited in the hall of Caiaphas? The answer then to this contradiction is, that they came not by themselves, but by those whom they sent to take Christ in the power of their command.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.