The Gospel Reading for Holy Wednesday (Matthew 26:14-25) has three parts: Judas betrays Jesus to serve as a spy for the chief priests to catch Jesus: vv. 14-16, Preparation for Passover Seder Dinner (Lord’s Supper):vv. 17-19, Jesus speaks about his betrayer at the supper: vv. 20-25. In fact, the Gospel Reading for Holy Wednesday (Matthew 26:14-25) is contained in the Gospel Reading for Palm Sunday Mass on Cycle A (Matthew 26:14—27:66). Since this year is on Cycle B, the Gospel Reading for Palm Sunday Mass is Mark 14:1-15:47.
Wednesday of Holy Week (Holy Wednesday) is also
known as Spy Wednesday, as this day before Holy Thursday, which commemorates
Lord’s Supper, is when Judas Iscariot served as a spy for the chief priests,
who wanted have Jesus killed (Matthew 26:14-16). Then, as the Lord’s Supper
began, before instituting the Sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus foretold about
the betrayer and foretold again about his death (Matthew 26:20-25). When he
told about his death for the last time during the supper, Jesus indicated that
he will go as written about him (Matthew 26:24), referring to the suffering
servant songs, especially the fourth song, Isaiah 53.
The two main issues to reflect on Spy Wednesday is
that Judas became a paid spy for the chief priests as he was to betray Jesus (Matthew
26:14-16) and Jesus spoke of his betrayer at Last Supper and spoke of his death
(Matthew 26:20-25). And, these two issues are also reflected in the Gospel
Readings for Palm Sunday Mass and Holy Tuesday, as found in the below table:
|
|
Palm
Sunday Gospel Reading |
Holy
Tuesday Gospel Reading |
Holy
Wednesday Gospel Reading |
|
Judas
agrees to be paid to serve the chief priests as their spy |
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the
Twelve, went off to the chief priests to hand him over to them. When they
heard him they were pleased and promised to pay him money. Then he looked for
an opportunity to hand him over (Mark 14:10-11). |
|
Then one of the Twelve, who was called
Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to
give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and
from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over (Matthew
26:14-16). |
|
Jesus
speaks of his betrayer at the Supper |
When it was evening, he came with the
Twelve. And as they reclined at table and were eating, Jesus said, “Amen, I
say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” They began
to be distressed and to say to him, one by one, “Surely it is not I?” He said
to them, “One of the Twelve, the one who dips with me into the dish. For the
Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom
the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never
been born
(Mark 14:17-21). |
Jesus was deeply troubled and
testified, “Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another,
at a loss as to whom he meant. One of his disciples, the one whom
Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ side. So Simon Peter nodded to him to
find out whom he meant. He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him,
“Master, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom
I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.” So he dipped the morsel and [took
it and] handed it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. After he took the
morsel, Satan entered him. So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do,
do quickly.” Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this
to him. Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him,
“Buy what we need for the feast,” or to give something to the poor. So he
took the morsel and left at once. And it was night (John
13:21-30). |
When it was evening, he reclined at
table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Amen, I say to
you, one of you will betray me.” Deeply distressed at this, they began
to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord?” He said in
reply, “He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will
betray me. The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to
that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man
if he had never been born.” Then Judas, his betrayer, said in
reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” He answered, “You have said so”(Matthew
26:20-25). |
At Last Supper, Jesus told that the one who is to betray was the one who will dip his hand with him (Matthew 26:23//Mark 14:20). In John’s version, read on Holy Tuesday, Jesus said that his betrayer is the one whom Jesus gives a dipped piece of bread (John 13:26). And this reflects these words of David:
Even my trusted friend, who ate my bread,
has raised his heel against me (Psalm 41:10).
All twelve ate Passover bread with Jesus. But, among
them, the one to betray Jesus, the one who had begun working on betraying Jesus
to sell him for the chief priests, is one close enough to receive a piece of
dipped bread. And, it was Judas.
In terms of Judas, Jesus said that it would be
rather better if he had never been born (Matthew 26:24//Mark 14:21). This statement
sure sounds so harsh, and the tone of this statement reflect the distress of
Jesus.
Why Jesus was so troubled about Judas to be his
betrayer? It was because he was close enough to him to share his dipped bread.
Being betrayed by someone so close really hurts. Yet, Jesus still cared about
Judas, already sensing that he would suffer the consequence of betraying Jesus,
leading to self-destruction (Matthew 27:3-10).
Nevertheless, Jesus also knew that this betrayal
leads to his glorification. Perhaps, the below words of Paul help us make sense
out of Jesus’ harsh words of woe on Judas:
You
will say to me then, “Why then does he still find fault? For who can oppose his
will?” But who indeed are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Will what is
made say to its maker, “Why have you created me so?”
Or
does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make out of the same lump
one vessel for a noble purpose and another for an ignoble one?
What
if God, wishing to show his wrath and make known his power, has endured with
much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction?
This
was to make known the riches of his glory to the vessels of mercy, which he has
prepared previously for glory, namely, us whom he has called, not only from the
Jews but also from the Gentiles. Romans
9:19-24
Though Judas has been demonized for what he did to Jesus, on Spy Wednesday, it is important that we rather reflect the significance of Judas to the glorification of Jesus and our salvation, Judas was caught was torn between Jesus' suffering servant mission for our salvation and Satan.
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