The Kiss of Death

Mark 14:43-52

Introduction

Our daughter Anabelle has been going through a phase lately where she tries to make Bethany jealous. If Bethany and I are sitting together Anabelle will come sit on my lap, make sure her mom is looking, and then she’ll say, “I’m married to dad, so,” and she’ll give me a kiss. It is as sweet and absurd as it sounds. I have a lot of sweet memories accompanied by kisses. Bethany is not only the only girl I ever dated, she is also the only woman I’ve ever kissed. I vividly remember our first kiss, which she initiated by the way. My woman can get aggressive. I remember standing in this spot on May 16, 2009 when the preacher said, “You may now kiss your bride.” Some of the happiest moments of my life are accompanied by kisses.

There’s no doubt right now that many of you are reminiscing about beautiful moments in your life that were accompanied by kisses. For some of you though not all of those moments are sweet. Maybe you experienced some abuse that included kisses. Maybe your own sin and regret were accompanied by kisses. Kisses can bring pleasure and they can also bring pain.

Like us, Jesus would have received many kisses throughout his life. His mother and father would have kissed him as he grew up. Kissing was a regular form for greeting in the first century and so Jesus would have kissed and been kissed by friends and loved ones as they met and parted. These kisses would have been doubtlessly sweet.

But the last kiss that Jesus Christ received before his death was not sweet. It was sinister. It was literally the kiss of death. In fact, that phrase was born out of this text. As we continue our sermon series through the Gospel of Mark this morning we come to the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot. It’s been several weeks since we’ve been in Mark because we’ve celebrated Ascension, Pentecost, and Trinity, so let’s remind ourselves of the setting.

I was reminded of the Gospel of Mark while Bethany and I were at Universal Studios a couple of weeks ago because there is a train ride at Universal that is a replica of the London train station, King’s Cross. Tim Keller says that the term King’s Cross is a helpful way to divide Mark’s gospel. The first eight chapters of Mark are announcing that Jesus of Nazareth is the King. He is the fulfillment of YHWH’s covenant with David. He is the long awaited Messiah  -the king of Israel and the true King of the world.

The last eight chapters of Mark’s gospel are about how the King is going to the cross. Since Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mark 8.27-30), Jesus has been steadfastly moving toward Good Friday. The setting of this scene is Maundy Thursday of Holy Week and Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane. This text, like every other text in the sacred Scripture is about the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so as we dive in we must ask ourselves, “why did Jesus have to die and resurrect for this text to be true?”

John Calvin begins his timeless Institutes by saying, “Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.”[1] Another way of saying that is wisdom is found at the intersection of theology and anthropology. We cannot know God without understanding ourselves, and we cannot understand ourselves without knowing God. What does this passage teach us about Jesus and what does it teach us about ourselves? Let us analyze the attitude and actions of sinful humans in this passage and contrast that with the attitude and actions of Jesus Christ.

The Sin of Humanity

This pericope gives us three pictures of sinful people: (1) Judas; (2) the eleven disciples; and (3) the young man. Let’s start with Judas. Notice verse 43 begins and immediately. We’ve noted throughout Mark’s Gospel that Mark loves that term immediately. It’s the Greek word εὐθὺς, which is used again in verse 45 translated at once. This is the thirty-third and thirty-fourth times Mark uses the word in his book.

Mark’s vocabulary reminds us of the urgency of the mission of Jesus Christ. The book of Mark reads like an Aaron Sorkin script or like an Ocean’s 11 movie. It’s fast paced. Jesus was born and lived for a purpose. His life wasn’t random. From the moment he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary he was on mission toward his death and resurrection. We cannot disconnect any narrative in Mark, or the rest of the Bible for that matter, from the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for us and our salvation.

All of the details surrounding the arrival of Judas are damning. Judas’ betrayal of Jesus was personal. Mark reminds us that he is one of the twelve. Judas was not a stranger to Jesus, or even one of his opponents that we’ve encountered throughout the narrative. Judas was one of the twelve. He had been with Jesus for all of the sermons, all of the miracles, all of the feedings, healings, and exorcisms. Judas traveled with Jesus, he ate with Jesus. He was one of Jesus’ twelve best friends.

And Judas came with a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. RT France notes, “The full listing of the constituent groups of the Sanhedrin emphasizes that this is not a random mob but an officially sanctioned arresting party.”[2] The nation of Israel has officially sanctioned the unlawful arrest and murder of the Son of God. Not only is the betrayal personal, it is premeditated. Verse 44 is a parenthetical that reveals that Judas and the crowd had devised a sign so they would know whom to arrest. Since this scene would have been dark and crowded, it was imperative that they arrest the correct man.

When Judas arrives he calls Jesus, “Rabbi,” and kisses him. This would not have been the first time Judas would have greeted Jesus by calling him, “Rabbi,” and kissing him. In the first century it was very common for disciples to kiss their Rabbi, with his permission, as they said, “hello,” and “goodbye.” Jesus was Rabbi to the 12 disciples. So Judas would have greeted Jesus in this way several times before. But this time was different. This would be the last time.

Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss. A kiss has been a timeless sign of affection. But this isn’t a kiss of friendship. This is a kiss of betrayal. The irony is poetic. The very greeting that would have meant salvation for Judas – friendship with the friend of sinners – is what seals his damnation.

But Judas and the Jewish officials aren’t the only cowards we encounter. The other eleven disciples are guilty as well. Verse 47 says that one of them drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Mark’s description is terse. We know from other Gospel accounts that it was Peter and that Jesus rebuked him.

Jesus rebuked him because while drawing the sword appeared brave it was actually an act of cowardice. In Matthew 26 Jesus responds,

“Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” (Matt 26.52-54)

We read the Gospel of John for our church Bible reading challenge this week. In John 18 Jesus says to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me (John 18.11)?” Jesus had told them over and over again that he was going to die. Peter didn’t trust him. He didn’t trust in the sovereignty of Christ. Jesus says, “If I needed help, my Father could send legions of angels. I don’t need you, Peter.” Peter, certainly unwittingly, was trying to thwart the gospel. He was trying to usher in the Kingdom apart from the death and resurrection of Christ. That’s what Satan offered when he tempted Jesus (Matt 4.9). And that’s why Jesus said to Peter before, “Get behind me, Satan (Mark 8.33).”

The Kingdom of Christ is not ushered in through force. It is ushered in through death and resurrection, through repentance and faith. The weapons of the Kingdom are not guns, swords, or bombs. They are the Word and Spirit; they are water, bread, and wine. Christians have always struggled to understand this. Hence the crusades, the 30 years war, the Salem witch trials. Jesus did not call us to create converts through force, but to make disciples by baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, by teaching them all that Jesus commanded (Matt 28.18-20). We must have faith that what Jesus commanded is to do is enough.

The cowardice of the disciples doesn’t end there, though. Verse 50 tells us they all left him and fled. The disciples, who all 19 verses ago told Jesus that they would die with him, they ran. It wasn’t premeditated, like Judas, but in this moment, they are all as guilty as Judas. They all betrayed Jesus.

And Mark zooms in and gives us a personification of all of the disciples in verses 51-52. A young man wearing nothing but a linen cloth was following them. The old Tyndale translation says, he was clothed in linen upon the bare. He, like the 11, ran, and the officials grabbed his cloth, and he ran away naked. We’ve all had that nightmare, haven’t we? The one where you’re at school or work or somewhere public and you realize you’re naked. Well, this guy lived it.

Some scholars believe this may have been Mark himself. Others say that’s unlikely because there is almost universal witness in the early church that Mark didn’t follow Jesus until after his resurrection. Either way there is a deeper theological point here. This young man was a real person but he is also a personification of the guilt, cowardice and shame of the disciples. Like Adam in the garden when he realized that he was naked and felt shame for the first time, this man runs away from Christ naked and ashamed.

This theme continues in the Old Testament prophets. Speaking of the Day of Judgment, Amos 2.16 says, “he who is stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day,” declares the Lord. And it becomes clear to us that Mark doesn’t give this young man’s name because we are he. We are the ones who run from Christ in guilt, cowardice and shame. In Adam we have all sinned. We all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3.10). We are totally depraved and in need of God’s grace. Apart from Christ our good works are like filthy rags (Isa 64.6). We must be stripped naked in our repentance and we need to be clothed in the righteousness of another.

The Sovereignty of Jesus Christ

Thanks be to God that he offers us righteous garments through his Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice now how Jesus responds to the betrayal; notice the sovereignty of Christ. The betrayal didn’t surprise Jesus. In fact, he’s been predicting this the entire time. He does not try to resist his arrest. He rebukes Peter for fighting and heals one of his arresting officers.

Jesus calls out the absurdity of the mob’s sin. In verse 49 he says, “I was teaching in the temple day after day and you didn’t arrest me.” Now they’re arresting him as if he’s a robber. There’s more irony here. The word robber is the Greek word λῃστὴν. It’s the same word Jesus used to describe the Sanhedrin in the temple (Mark 11.17). It’s the same word used in Mark 15 describing the two crucified on either side of Christ (Mark 15.27).

And the irony is that Jesus is the only human who ever lived who is not a λῃστὴν, a robber. He’s the only man who never broke the 8th commandment in thought, word, or deed. And yet he will be crucified in the place of the robbers. And he says it clear as day in verse 49, “let the Scriptures be fulfilled.”

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Every book, every passage, every verse of the Old Testament is about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And unlike the disciples Jesus has complete trust in the Word of God. Jesus is sovereignly in control of this situation and he is willing laying his life down. Jesus will not spill his blood; he will pour it out. Spilling implies an accident. Jesus is willing dying for his people.

And because we are all guilty, shameful cowards, our only hope is in the one who sovereignly lived, died, and resurrected for us. Regardless of whether you consider yourself a Christian or not, the application of this sermon is the same. We need Jesus. He is our only hope in life and death. Jesus lived without sin. He died in the place of sinners, bearing the wrath of God. And he resurrected on the third day.

We must repent of our sin. We must be stripped of our filthy garments and experience the naked shame of our guilt. We must acknowledge that we are guilty, shameful cowards. And we must trust in Christ alone to save us. Those who trust in Christ prove the Father has given them his Spirit. And it is only then that we can experience the forgiveness of sins and the hope of resurrection. It is only then that he clothes us in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

We have all kissed Jesus in betrayal through our sin. But unlike Judas, the kiss of death doesn’t have to be our last kiss. Psalm 2 invites us to a kiss of life. Speaking of Jesus Christ the Son of God the Holy Spirit says: Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him (Ps 2.12). As I stand a few steps away from the spot where I kissed Bethany for the first time that she was Mrs. Loginow I can’t help but think of the hope we have in the book of Revelation.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Rev 21.1-5).

When Jesus Christ returns he will raise the dead, judge the world, and make all things new. He will have his bride, the church. We will celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb forever (Rev 19.6-10). That’s what we’re about to anticipate at the Eucharist. Holy Communion is our weekly rehearsal dinner for the day when Jesus will break bread and drink wine with us in his eternal kingdom. On that day sin, Satan, and death will be abolished forever. And the Father will say to the Son, “You may kiss your bride.”

[1]John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 35.

[2]France, The Gospel of Mark: a commentary on the Greek text  592.