The moment had arrived.  In the darkness Judas Iscariot appeared, leading a group of religious officials and temple security men.  But how were they to recognise Jesus among the disciples?  Judas had the answer and was ready to betray his Master, and did so with a kiss.  That kind of greeting was a normal mark of respect between students and their teachers, but with Judas the sign had lost its meaning.  It was simply a pre-arranged signal (Matthew 26:48), a premeditated trick totally devoid of love.
 
The kiss was a cynical method of identifying the Son of God, after which Judas could claim the agreed thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16).  Affection and respect had disappeared from Judas' heart.  Satan knew his greedy heart (John 12:6) and entered it (Luke 22:3) to manipulate him to focus only on what he could get.  Judas was well on his way to gaining the whole world and losing his own soul (Matthew 16:26).  The only love involved with that kiss was Judas' selfish love of himself.
 
But Jesus was so very different.  After Peter's clumsy attempt to kill the high priest's servant (John 18:10) resulting only in the excision of his right ear, Jesus intervened by touching the wound and restoring the ear; completely healing the wound.  Although Jesus was being unjustly hounded, His heart was not full of hatred or anger towards His attackers, but full of love (Luke 23:34) - rebuking His misguided and prayerless disciple and restoring the injured man.
 
Satan's trademark of deception painlessly soaks into our human characters.  It is easy to pretend to love others when we are really seeking to satisfy ourselves.  We may do this to gain advantage in business, to win a relationship, or to hide our lovelessness.  Jesus played none of those games.  He was full of grace and truth (John 1:14).  It is not easy to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us, but the example of Jesus shows that it is not only possible but necessary (Matthew 5:43-45).  Stephen followed Jesus’ example when being stoned to death (Acts 7:59-60) while the unconverted Saul watched (Acts 8:1) – an early pricking of his conscience (Acts 26:14).  It is healthy for Christians to reassess their true motives, repent of the pretend love and deceptive niceness which are really the tools of Satan's trade.  At the same time, we need God's help so that each life we touch, whether a friend or an enemy, will be blessed because of our encounter with them.