And they laid hands on him, and took him. ] After Christ had said to Judas, "friend, wherefore art thou come?" as in Matthew; and also, "Judas, betrayest thou the son of man with a kiss?" as in ( Luke 22:48 ) ; (See Gill on Matthew 26:50).
44
The betrayer had worked out a signal with them: "The one I kiss, that's the one - seize him. Make sure he doesn't get away."
45
He went straight to Jesus and said, "Rabbi!" and kissed him.
46
The others then grabbed him and roughed him up.
47
One of the men standing there unsheathed his sword, swung, and came down on the Chief Priest's servant, lopping off the man's ear.
48
Jesus said to them, "What is this, coming after me with swords and clubs as if I were a dangerous criminal?
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.