As soon as they arrived, Judas walked up to Jesus. “Rabbi!” he exclaimed, and gave him the kiss.
Parallel translations
- WEB When he had come, immediately he came to him, and said, “Rabbi! Rabbi!” and kissed him.
- KJV And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him.
- BSB Going directly to Jesus, he said, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
- NKJV As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
- NASB And after coming, Judas immediately went to Him and *said, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Judas greets Jesus as Rabbi and kisses him, completing the betrayal. The empty title masks his treachery.
Overview
Calling Jesus 'Rabbi' while handing him over reveals the hollowness of mere outward honor. The kiss, meant to express devotion, seals the betrayal. The contrast between Judas' words and his deeds warns against a religion of appearance without a faithful heart.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Mark 12:14When they had come, they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and don’t defer to anyone; for you aren’t partial to anyone, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?
- Matt 23:7–10the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by men.
- Isa 1:3The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master’s crib; but Israel doesn’t know, my people don’t consider.”
- John 13:13–14You call me, ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord.’ You say so correctly, for so I am.
- John 20:16Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him, “Rabboni!” which is to say, “Teacher!”
- Mal 1:6“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, then where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is the respect due me? Says Yahweh of Armies to you, priests, who despise my name. You say, ‘How have we despised your name?’
- Luke 6:46“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 14:45 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.