While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.

“Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” Judas took advantage of the close relationship he had with Jesus and used it to betray him. Friendships always leave us open to being taken advantage of, yet knowing what was going to happen to him ahead of time, Jesus still embraced Judas as a disciple.

It’s tempting to witness instances of betrayal like this and think that openness and vulnerability are simply not worth it. How does Jesus’ embrace of this relational tension challenge you as you journey with him toward the cross today?