And Jesus said unto him,
Friend, why are you come?
Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
Read Chapter 26
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
Non occ.: He says, “Wherefore art thou come?” as much as to say, Thy kiss is asnare for Me; I know wherefore thou art come; thou feignest thyself My friend, being indeed My betrayer.
Serm. de Symb. ad Catech. 6: Exult, Christian, you have gained by this bargain of your enemies; what Judas sold, and what the Jews bought, belongs to you.
And Jesus said unto Him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? If thou comest to betray Me, why givest thou Me this friendly kiss? But if thou comest as a friend, why bringest thou so many enemies against Me? "Thou kissest Me," says S. Augustine, "and layest snares for Me. Thou pretendest to be a friend, though thou art a traitor." Hence Luke adds that Christ said, "Judas, why betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?" And such words, full of majesty and love, ought to have wounded his stony heart, unless he had hardened it like iron.
It was a wondrous instance of Christ"s gentleness and patience, that He tolerated Judas for three years, and deprived him not of his Apostolate, or disclosed to any one his sin. Teaching us to overcome our wrongs by love.
The Saints in this matter imitated Christ, S. Martin especially in his treatment of Brice, one of his clerks, who was constantly calumniating him. And when blamed for it, he said, "Christ bore with Judas the traitor, and should not I bear ...
Non occ.: Having said above that the Lord offered Himself of His own accord toHis pursuers, the Evangelist proceeds to relate how He was seized by them.
As to what he tells Judas, “Do what you have to do,” he authorizes his own betrayal by that very statement. For he who had it within his power to call upon twelve thousand legions of angels against his betrayers would have found it so much easier to oppose the plans and artifices of one man. At length he says to Pilate, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you.” He thus gives power against himself when he says, “Do what you have to do.” In other words, because the crime of what is willed is counterbalanced by what is perpetuated, Judas would accomplish in deed what he had already done in his will.
The apostle cuts off the ear of the slave of the high priest; that is, a disciple of Christ cuts off a disobedient ear from a man in the priesthood. What was once incapable of hearing the truth is now cut off.
But wherefore does He say this? Because often when seized by them He had gone out through the midst, without their knowing it. Nevertheless, then also this would have been done, if it had not been His own will that He should be taken. It was at least with a view to teach them this, that He then blinded their eyes, and Himself asked, Whom do you seek? John 18:4 And they knew Him not, though being with lanterns and torches, and having Judas with them. Afterwards, as they had said, Jesus; He says, I am He whom you seek: and here again, Friend, wherefore are you come?
For after having shown His own strength, then at once He yielded Himself. But John says, that even to the very moment He continued to reprove him, saying, Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? Luke 22:48 Are you not ashamed even of the form of the betrayal? Says He. Nevertheless, forasmuch as not even this checked him, He submitted to be kissed, and gave Himself up willingly; and they laid their hands on Him, an...
Or, because whenever they had hitherto attempted to seize Him, He had escaped them they knew not how; as also He might then have done had He been so minded.
“One of the twelve,” by association of name, not of desert. This shows the monstrous wickedness of the man who from the dignity of the Apostleship became the traitor. To show that it was out of envy that they seized Him, it is added, "A great multitude sent by the Chief Priests and elders of the people.”.
Or, after “Friend, for what thou art come,” that do, is understood. “Then came they, and laid their hands on Jesus, and held him. ”Then,” that is, when He suffered them, forofttimes they would have done it, but were not able.
. Do you see the weapons of the chief priests? Staves and swords! So peaceful were they, and possessed of such a spirit of meekness! The evangelist says, "one of the twelve," marveling that though Judas had been chosen and ranked among the first, yet he gave himself to the devil. So you, too, O man, be fearful though you may be among the most intimate of the Lord’s friends, lest you become careless and lazy and fall away. Judas gave a sign because it was night and they were not able to identify Jesus. For those who came to arrest Him were not from the multitude, but were servants of the high priest, who perhaps did not know Jesus at all. But the disciple reveals the Master to them with a kiss. For Judas knew the Lord’s love for mankind, and hence was emboldened to kiss Him. The Lord was patient even to the last moment, eager to win Judas by His long-suffering. Even so Judas was not brought to reason, whereupon the Lord caused the servants of the high priest to fall, as John says (Jn. 1...
