What a sad and sick scene! Jesus, who was prepared to die for the sins of the world, was confronted by pompous religious leaders and a mob.  A pathetically unprepared group of disciples stood there limply in the darkness, while their treasurer (Judas Iscariot) feigned a loyal greeting.  As the kiss was planted the trap sprung shut.  Love had been betrayed, religious authority was unmasked as being ungodly, law had been violated ... everything true has been turned on its head.  Death was now in the air.

But none of that surprised Jesus.  Mark 14:42 quotes Jesus as saying, “Let us go. Here comes my betrayer”.  He was fully prepared: but nobody else was prepared for the eternity-defining events of the next few days.  The betrayer would lose his own life in hopeless remorse (Matthew 27:5), the religious leaders would have to face the impact of a living Jesus.  Every expectation was turned on its head.  The worst would become the best, pride would turn to tears, death would be defeated.  The Gethsemane prayer battle ensured Jesus' endurance through the ordeal, until God's final victory came.  Everybody else would be guilty of Divine treason, the willing or careless accomplices of the Satanic strategy.

This event is unique: there is no modern parallel.  But it shows the sordidness of religion without truth, and signs of love without its reality: both are demonic trademarks.  Much as we may criticise the villains of this drama, Jesus died for them too ... but only those who repented and acknowledged Him as Lord were saved (1 Corinthians 15:1-2).  Judas lost his life, never to see Jesus again except as his accuser on the Last Day (Acts 1:25).  Some of the religious leaders were saved, not because they obeyed their religious rules, but because they believed in Jesus (Acts 6:7); the others will be condemned (Matthew 3:7).  The eleven disciples eventually believed, becoming the leaders of the church (Acts 4:20).  The national religious leaders never eliminated faith in Christ; eventually their precious temple, sacrifices, priesthood and power over the people were swept away when Jerusalem was sacked in AD70, just as Jesus predicted (Luke 19:44).   

What is most astonishing in the about-turns from that Passover to Pentecost, is that God chose to take what was weak to glorify Himself and bless those who would believe (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).  The cruel pain Jesus endured, came from friends and foes, false love and lies - that so easily take root in all our weak hearts. That is why we should be both grateful to Jesus and be careful that we do not grieve Him by offending in the same way again (Ephesians 4:30).  It is also a reminder that anybody, from apparently bad criminals to apparently good priests can be saved, but only if they trust in Jesus (John 8:21, 24).  The challenge for us all is to allow Jesus to turn our lives and values upside down so that we might become repentant, grateful, worshipful and obedient believers (1 Peter 2:24) … and then have the courage of our convictions to tell others how to welcome Jesus as Saviour and Lord (Romans 10:8-11).