Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.
All Commentaries on Matthew 26:48 Go To Matthew 26
John Chrysostom
AD 407
For having shown his own strength, at once he yielded himself. But the other Evangelist says that even at that very moment he continued to reprove him, saying, “Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?” Are you not ashamed even of the form of your betrayal? Nonetheless he submitted to be kissed and did not even resist this shameless act. He gave himself up willingly. They laid their hands on him. They seized him that night on which they ate the Passover. To such a degree did they boil with rage and madness. They, however, would have had no strength against him unless he had permitted it. Yet this did not deliver Judas from unspeakable punishment. He even more exceedingly condemns himself by the manner of his betrayal, by the Lord’s meekness and leniency and gentleness. He became fiercer than any wild beast. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily
