Wednesday of Holy Week – Gospel

Commentary on Matthew 26:14-25

The stage is being set for the final drama of Jesus’ mission. Judas has gone to the chief priests to make a deal for handing Jesus over to them—to betray him. The term, ‘betray’ (or in the Greek, ‘hand over’), is like a refrain all through the Gospels and reaches a climax here. John the Baptist was handed over. Now, we see Jesus being handed over—the term ‘betray’ occurs six times in today’s passage alone. Later, the followers of Jesus will also be handed over, betrayed into the hands of those who want to put an end to their mission.

Judas sells his master, betrays him, 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, too, will throw back the money to the priests after realising what he has done.

What people will do for money! Judas is not alone. What he did is happening every day. Perhaps I, too, have betrayed and handed over Jesus more than once.

On the first day of the Feasts of Unleavened Bread, Jesus’ disciples ask him where he wants to celebrate the Passover. Little do they know the significance of this Passover for Jesus—and for them. 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover are closely linked, but there is a distinction between them. The Passover was the commemoration of the Israelites being liberated from slavery in Egypt, their escape through the Red Sea (perhaps the Sea of Reeds?), and the beginning of their long trek to the Promised Land. The feast began at sunset after the Passover lamb had been sacrificed in the Temple, on the afternoon of the 14th day of the month Nisan.

Associated with this, on the same evening, was the eating of unleavened bread—the bread that Jesus would use when he said over it: “This is my Body”. The eating of this bread continued for a whole week (to Nisan 21) as a reminder of the sufferings the Israelites underwent, and the hastiness of their departure. It was a celebration of thanks to God for the past, and of hope for the future.

Jesus tells the disciples they are to contact a man who will provide all that they need for a Passover meal.

During the meal Jesus drops the bombshell:

One of you is about to betray me [Greek, ‘hand me over’].

It is revealing that none of them points a finger at someone else. They ask, “Is it I, Lord?” Each one realises that he is a potential betrayer of Jesus. And, in fact, in the midst of the crisis, they will all abandon him.

Nor is it one of his many enemies who will betray Jesus. No, it is one of the Twelve; it is someone who has dipped his hand into the same dish with Jesus, a sign of friendship and solidarity.

All of this has been foretold in the Scriptures, but how sad it is for the person who has to take this role, even though it is a role he has deliberately chosen. There is a certain cynicism when Judas asks with an air of injured innocence:

Surely not I, Rabbi?

Jesus’ brief reply to him is:

You have said so.

The whole approaching drama is now set in motion.

Let us watch it carefully during the coming three days, not just as spectators, but as participants. We too have so often betrayed Jesus, we too have so often broken bread with Jesus and perhaps have sold him for money, out of ambition, out of greed, out of anger, hatred, revenge or even violence for our own personal gain. We can, like Judas, either abandon him in despair or, like Peter, come back to him with tears of repentance.

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Wednesday of Holy Week – First Reading

Commentary on Isaiah 50:4-9

Today’s reading presents the third Song of the Servant of Yahweh. The fourth and last Song will be read during the liturgy of Good Friday.

This ‘Servant’ passage from Isaiah also speaks very graphically of what Jesus will go through in his passion. God provides his Servant with the words he needs to speak, especially for those who need encouragement. And Jesus will speak words of encouragement to his disciples before his passion. He will speak to the women who sympathise with him on the way to Calvary. 

The Lord God has given me
a trained tongue,
that I may know how to sustain
the weary with a word.

Jesus is the Word of God, communicating God’s love and encouragement. Later, Jesus will say:

Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matt 11:28-29)

The Servant says:

Morning by morning he wakens,
wakens my ear
to listen as those who are taught.
The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious;
I did not turn backward.

This is a way of describing the total submission of Jesus to his Father:

Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered… (Heb 5:8)

and

[He] emptied himself, taking the form of a slave… (Phil 2:7)

In these actions, Jesus’ behavior is a contrast to that of a rebellious Israel. In the Gospel, he frequently tells his disciples to listen; in other words, to submit totally to the Way of life to which he is calling them.

The Servant continues:

…I was not rebellious;
I did not turn backward.

This will be described in greater detail in the fourth Song (on Good Friday). The Servant willingly submits to insults and beatings and will not return in kind. To do so would be to bring himself down to the level of his attackers. Plucking the beard was a great insult. He offers his back for a beating, something given only to criminals. This, of course, will happen during the scourging, and similarly for the mocking and spitting. It requires great inner strength not to respond in kind to such provocation. But when it is undergone with dignity, it is the attacker who seems small.

The Servant makes no resistance to his attackers. He will not meet violence with violence. He will not resist when he is beaten, when his beard is plucked, when he is struck and spat upon. However, it must be made very clear that this is not weakness, but a sign of great inner strength and peace, and:

The Lord God helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame…

God comes to help so that he is not “disgraced”—he is untouched by the insults. This is the sign of the inner security and strength that comes from trusting in God. Insults and violence cannot change the inner reality of the person. And ultimately the Lord is on his side. Insults are either true or false. If they are true, they are not really insults, but simply a statement of fact. If they are false, they can be ignored. In either case, to respond with violence is to show weakness and insecurity.

The Servant meets insults and physical attacks with firmness. He will not be turned away from the way that the Father is asking him to go. He knows that the ultimate outcome will not be shame, but vindication and glory because:

It is the Lord God who helps me…

Towards the end of his public life, we are told that Jesus:

…set his face to go to Jerusalem. (Luke 9:51)

Today’s passage ends with the Servant saying:

Who will contend with me?
Let us stand in court together.
Who are my adversaries?
Let them confront me.
It is the Lord God who helps me;
who will declare me guilty?

Jesus is perfectly innocent of all the charges thrown against him. He has no fear of court proceedings, even when they are corrupt. Final vindication will be his.

We could reflect today on how we respond to criticisms or statements about us we regard as unfair or untrue. Are we prone to violence—physical or verbal? And, even if we do not respond externally, do we allow statements and events to turn us into cauldrons of anger, hatred, anxiety and tension? The Way of Jesus is the way to peace.

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