The Day of Betrayal

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. (Matthew 26:14-26 ESV).

Wednesday of Passion Week is relatively quiet. We don’t have any references of Jesus’ activity on that day. However, the stage is being set for the final drama of the Cross. Judas has gone to the chief priests to make a deal for handing Jesus over to them. This term ‘handing over’ is like a refrain all through the Gospel and reaches a climax here. John the Baptist was handed over. Now we see Jesus being handed over. The term occurs three times in today’s passage. Later, the followers of Jesus will also be handed over into the hands of those who want to put an end to their mission. Judas sells his master, hands him over, for 30 pieces of silver. Only Matthew mentions the actual sum given to Judas. The sum derives from a passage in Zechariah (11:11-13), where it is the wages paid to the shepherd (Zechariah himself) rejected by the people. He is then told by God to throw the money into the Temple treasury as a sign of God’s rejecting those who reject him. Judas will also throw back the money to the priests after realizing what he has done. Money is certainly a motivator! And, we must admit that Judas is not alone. What he did happens every day. On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Jesus’ disciples ask him where he wants to celebrate the Passover. Little do they know the significance of this Passover. During the meal Jesus drops the bombshell: “One of you is about to betray me (in the Greek, ‘hand me over’). It is revealing that none of them points a finger at someone else. Each one realizes that he is a potential betrayer of Jesus. And, in fact, in the midst of the crisis they will all abandon him. The whole approaching drama is now set in motion. We should use the remainder of the week to examine ourselves not just as spectators but as participants. All too often we have betrayed Jesus. We too have so often broken bread with Jesus and perhaps have sold him for money, position, or recognition. It might have been out of ambition, or greed, or anger, or hatred, or revenge, or even violence for our own personal gain. Tragically, whatever the motivation, the results are the same. We betray the One who gave everything for us. There is an answer. We can, like Judas, either abandon him in despair or, like Peter, come back to him with tears of repentance. Which will it be for you this year?