Holy Wednesday - The Cost of Betrayal
Today, we continue our journey through Holy Week and reflect on Holy Wednesday, and Judas' thoughts of betraying Jesus. Midweek, the tone of Holy Week shifts. The Gospel tells us: “Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I betray him?’” (Matthew 26:14–15) This is a quiet but devastating moment. The tension in the story begins to build as one of Jesus' own handpicked disciples decides to betray him. No crowds. No confrontation. Just a decision. Judas’ betrayal did not happen all at once. It emerged from somewhere—disappointment, misunderstanding, perhaps even disillusionment. Many scholars believe that Judas may have been trying to force Jesus' hand to start a revolution. Others believe that he alllowed bitterness to drive him to do the unthinkable. Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us that “sin demands to have a man by himself.” Isolation often precedes betrayal...