Mark 14:45

As soon as Judas came, he went up to Jesus at once, and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him.


it is difficult
to keep a gleam
out of your eye
when finally completing
a premeditated
act of betrayal

to pull off
what another knew
was coming
and couldn’t counter
adds to the glee quotient
extending a peck on the cheek
to a long rapacious kiss

there is no need to hurry
the trap is well laid
the quarry worn down
the defense shield asleep
just steadily walk
with a widening grin
and insulting honorific


In English, the word “kiss” is found in this and the previous verse. In Greek, there is a distinction being made between the phileō of verse 44 and kataphileō here. The something more in this verse is an extra degree of fervency.

Mann596 describes an intent behind the shift:

The change in the verb, with its emphatic prefixed kata, may indicate a more than usually affectionate greeting designed to ensure that the arrest take place as quickly as possible, with no room for error.

In some translations, the title, “Rabbi”, becomes “Master”. This is to emphasize the degree of betrayal by Judas of someone different than a “teacher” or filling a recognized position. They focus on the relationship between Judas and Jesus.

Waetjen149 sees the use of “Rabbi” as a way of distinguishing the prime betrayers in Mark’s story from the rest of the disciples:

In Mark’s story world only the two disciples who renounce Jesus, Peter and Judas, address Jesus as “rabbi.” See 11:21; 14:45. Other disciples and the ruling elite of Jerusalem use “teacher.”

We are now a long way from the beginning of this Judas thread and his introduction back in 3:19 as the disciple “who betrayed Jesus”. Eleven event-filled chapters later we follow an unnamed woman’s anointing of Jesus with expensive perfume and the subsequent decision of Judas to hand Jesus over in 14:10. When (euthys) suddenly there is no evading a cascade of events leading back to Galilee, where Mark began.

If nothing else, it must be noted that Mark is a master storyteller.