Matthew 26:48

Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he; take him.

Who but Satan could have thought of such a sign as that? To betray with a kiss has come to signify the ultimate in infamy. It was as base as it was gratuitous, the need of any sign at all being contra-indicated. It was not that difficult to tell Christ from his disciples (nor is it now!). The employment of so perfidious a device was grounded in the misassumption that Christ would attempt to conceal his identity. The repulsive betrayal kiss, therefore, was a gratuitous personal insult, conceived in hell, instigated by Satan, and bestowed in blindness. It was effectively designed to augment the shame of the cross to which it would lead.

The impudent audacity of Judas has been a marvel ever since. How could he dare to pollute the face of Christ with such a kiss? Face to face with the Saviour, he did not relent nor feel the sting of conscience, as Peter did when Jesus looked upon him. Caffin said of the kiss:

The Greek word seems to imply that he did it with an affectation of earnestness, with much warmth of manner; perhaps he thought, in his madness and folly, that he might be able to conceal his sin, thus deceiving Christ and his fellow-apostles into thinking that he was coming simply to rejoin them, and that he had no connection with the arresting band that followed.[16]