The Kiss

Luke 22:47–48
While Jesus was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?”

Judas steps forward.
The garden is quiet.
A kiss breaks the silence.
“Friend, do what you are here to do.”
Betrayal does not begin with distance.
It begins with nearness.
With fear disguised as wisdom.
With self-protection disguised as necessity.

Reflect
      • When have I stayed near to Jesus but drifted from his way?
      • Where have I chosen comfort over courage?
      • Where have I convinced myself that compromise was harmless?

Hold your stone.
If something rises in you — regret, unease, recognition —
imagine it being absorbed by the stone.

Let the stone begin to carry what you see.

Jesus does not step back.
He receives the kiss.
Stay a moment.
When you are ready, move on.