And Jesus said to him: Friend, whereto art thou come? Then they came up, and laid hands on Jesus, and held him.

But Jesus said to him, My friend, for what purpose art thou come? Then coming up they laid hands upon Jesus and seized him.

and Jesus said to him, 'Comrade, for what art thou present?' Then having come near, they laid hands on Jesus, and took hold on him.

"Friend," said Jesus, "carry out your intention." Then they came and laid their hands on Jesus and seized Him firmly.

And Jesus said to him, "Friend, for what purpose have you come?" Then they approached, and they put their hands on Jesus, and they held him.

at which Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you have come for." The men went up, seized Jesus, and arrested him.

Friend, for what purpose comest thou? Luke expresses it more fully: Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? except that there is greater force in this reproof, that the benevolence of his Master, and the very high honor conferred on him, are wickedly abused for the purpose of the basest treachery. For Christ does not employ an ironical address when he calls him friend, but charges him with ingratitude, that, from being an intimate friend, who sat at his table, he had become a traitor, as had been predicted in the psalm: If a stranger had done this, I could have endured it; but now my private and familiar friend, with whom I took food pleasantly, who accompanied me to the temple of the Lord, hath prepared snares against me. [1] This shows clearly--what I hinted a little ago--that, whatever may be the artifices by which hypocrites conceal themselves, and whatever may be the pretenses which they hold out, when they come into the presence of the Lord, their crimes become manifest; and it even becomes the ground of a severer sentence against them, that, having been admitted into the bosom of Christ, they treacherously rise up against him. For the word friend, as we have stated, contains within itself a sharp sting. Let us know that this evil, which Christ once sustained in his own person, is an evil to which the Church will always be exposed--that of cherishing traitors in her bosom; and, therefore, it was said a little before, The traitor approached, who was one of the twelve, that we may not be immediately distressed by such instances; for the Lord intends to try our faith in both ways, when, without, Satan opposes us and the Church by open enemies, and, within, he attempts secret destruction by means of hypocrites. We are taught, at the same time, that we who are his disciples ought to worship God with sincerity; for the apostasies, which we see every day, excite us to fear, and to the cultivation of true godliness, as Paul says, Let every one that calleth on the name of God depart from iniquity, (2-Timothy 2:19.) We are all commanded to kiss the Son of God, (Psalm 2:12;) and we ought, therefore, to see that no one give him a traitor's kiss, otherwise it will cost us dear to have been elevated to so great an honor.

Footnotes

1 - Our Author, quoting from memory, has blended two passages of a kindred spirit: Psalm 41:10, and Psalm 55:12, 13, 14. -- Ed.

And Jesus said unto him, Friend - It seems strange to us that Jesus should give the endeared name "friend" to a man that he knew was his enemy, and that was about to betray him.
It should be remarked, however, that this is the fault of our language, not of the original. In the Greek there are two words which our translators have rendered "friend" - one implying "affection and regard," the other not. One is properly rendered "friend;" the other expresses more nearly what we mean by "companion." It is this "latter" word which is given to the disaffected laborer in the vineyard: "'Friend,' I do thee no wrong" Matthew 20:13; to the guest which had not on the wedding-garment, in the parable of the marriage feast Matthew 22:12; and to "Judas" in this place.
Wherefore art thou come? - This was said, not because he was ignorant why he had come, but probably to fill the mind of Judas with the consciousness of his crime, and by a striking question to compel him to think of what he was doing.

Jesus said - Friend - Rather, companion, εταιρε, (not Friend), wherefore, rather, against whom (εφ' ὃ, the reading of all the best MSS.) art thou come? How must these words have cut his very soul, if he had any sensibility left! Surely, thou, who hast so long been my companion, art not come against me, thy Lord, Teacher and Friend! What is the human heart not capable of, when abandoned by God, and influenced by Satan and the love of money!
Laid hands on Jesus - But not before they had felt that proof of his sovereign power by which they had all been struck down to the earth, John 18:6. It is strange that, after this, they should dare to approach him; but the Scriptures must be fulfilled.

(13) And Jesus said unto him, (x) Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
(13) Christ is taken, that we might be delivered.
(x) Christ reprehends Judas tauntingly, and rebukes him sharply, for he knew well enough why he came.

And Jesus said unto him, friend,.... Not in an ironical and sarcastic way, but because he pretended to be his friend, by saluting and kissing him, in the manner he had done; or rather, because Christ had always used him as his friend, his familiar friend, who had been of his councils, and had ate at his table; and therefore this carried in it something very cutting, had Judas had any conscience, or sense of gratitude:
wherefore art thou come? The Ethiopic version reads, "my friend, art thou not come?" that is, art thou come as my friend? is thy coming as a friend, or as an enemy? if as a friend, what means this company with swords and staves? if as an enemy, why this salutation and kiss? or what is thine end in coming at this time of night? what is thy business here? thou hast left my company, and my disciples, what dost thou do here? The Syriac version reads it,
"to that";
and the Arabic,
"to this art thou come?"
to kiss me, and by a kiss to deliver me into the hands of my enemies? to which agrees what is said in Luke,
"Judas, betrayest thou the son of man with a kiss?"
Luke 22:48. This he said, to let him know he knew him, and therefore he calls him by name; and that he knew his design in kissing him, and that what he was doing was against light and knowledge; he, at the same time, knowing that he was the son of man, the true Messiah,
Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him; that is, the multitude, the Roman band, the captains and officers of the Jews, when Judas had given the sign; though not till Christ had given them a specimen of his power, in striking them to the ground; to let them know, that Judas could never have put him into their hands, nor could they have laid hold on him, had he not thought fit to surrender himself to them. The seizing and apprehending him is related by Luke and John as after the following circumstance; though the Ethiopic version here reads, "they lift up their hands, and did not lay hold on the Lord Jesus".

They laid hands on Jesus. And bound him (John 18:12).

The heroic behaviour of the blessed Jesus, in the whole period of his sufferings, will be observed by every attentive eye, and felt by every pious heart: although the sacred historians, according to their usual but wonderful simplicity, make no encomiums upon it. With what composure does he go forth to meet the traitor! With what calmness receive that malignant kiss! With what dignity does he deliver himself into the hands of his enemies! Yet plainly showing his superiority over them, and even then leading as it were captivity captive!