Wednesday of Holy Week: A Quiet Betrayal

 “Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.” (Matthew 26:14-16)

Wednesday of Holy Week is sometimes called Spy Wednesday, which sounds really cool until you realize the context. Because Wednesday was the day Judas Iscariot made a decision that would change the course of history. He agreed to betray Jesus.

The Bible doesn’t specifically say what Judas’ motive was. It might have been simple greed. Thirty pieces of silver might has been as much as four months’ salary in Jesus’ day.

Some scholars think it was disillusionment—Judas may have been disappointed that Jesus was not the insurrectionist against Rome he believed He would be.

Still others think Judas may have thought he was forcing Jesus’ hand—putting Him in a situation where He would show His power against the authorities. The Bible is quiet on this point. 

In fact, the Bible is quiet about this day altogether. Unlike the dramatic entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, or the sorrow of the cross on Good Friday, this day is eerily silent in the Gospel narratives. It is a day of plotting, of secret meetings, of back room dealing, of the calm before the storm. While Jesus continued to teach and prepare His disciples for what was to come, Judas slipped away into the shadows. 

Turning away from Christ doesn’t always happen with loud rebellion. It can come in silence, in secret compromises, in small steps away from truth. Judas had walked with Jesus, witnessed miracles, and shared meals with Him. Yet in a moment of greed or disillusionment, he sold out his Savior. 

Spy Wednesday calls us to self-examination. Are there ways we have betrayed Jesus in our own hearts? Have we exchanged His presence for the silver coins of convenience, approval, or sin? 

Even in this moment of darkness, hope flickers. Jesus knew Judas’s heart, and still He will wash his feet tomorrow. The love of Jesus did not falter, even for the one who would betray Him. That love extends to us today. So no matter how you betrayed Jesus in the past, run to his unfailing love. Let us remember what he did in the coming day.

Jonworth