A Man with Two Faces “Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: ‘The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.’ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, ‘Rabbi!’ and kissed him. The men seized Jesus and arrested him.” (Mark 14:44–46, NIV) As I reflect on this passage, I seek to receive the lessons it offers: (1) Why did Judas Iscariot, who was planning to betray and hand Jesus over, prearrange a signal? One possible reason is that, at that time, photography did not exist, and the dark night amid the dense olive trees would have made it quite difficult to identify a particular person. Therefore, Judas likely arranged a signal with the crowd beforehand so that Jesus could be quickly and easily identified and arrested once they arrived at the location (Hokhma). (2) Why was the signal, of all things, a kiss? Among the Jews of that era, a kiss was a common greeting that expressed respect and affection (2 Samuel 20:9). However, when this ordinary form of ...