A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew (26:14-25)
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.
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
the disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Where do you want us to prepare
for you to eat the Passover?”
He said,
“Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,
‘The teacher says, “My appointed time draws near;
in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.””‘
The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered,
and prepared the Passover.
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.”
REFLECTION: Today there are many people who claim to be a believer in Jesus, while their words and behavior indicates otherwise. These persons are recognizable by the disagreement they cause in the Body of Christ. They deny the literal meaning of the scriptures and twist them for their own purposes. In public forums they ridicule other Christians and refer to them by painful names not fitting for a true follower of Jesus.
I came to a knowledge and truly believe of who Jesus is, in the late forties of my life. October of 2004, while attending a three-day retreat. It was there, that for the first time in my life I began a relationship with my Lord and Savior, like I never knew or had before. It was then, that I began to search for something more fulfilling. I had never seen a person like Jesus, in the world that I was living. I had never heard anyone speak the words of love and kindness to people, like I was discovering in the Holy Scriptures. It was His unconditional love, kindness, mercy and compassion, which I was beginning to discover, that attracted me to truly follow Jesus Christ.
By no means do I “walk the talk” every day now. Some days I fail Him. I trip and fall but I get up, I repent, and I ask Him to forgive me and help me go another day.
Today, Wednesday of Holy Week is also known as “Spy Wednesday”, the Sacred scriptures teach us again, of Judas Iscariot, who acted as a spy for the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the supreme court of ancient Israel, a council who served as judges and made decisions on matters of Jewish law.
Judas Iscariot claimed to be a believer and follower of Jesus and yet he betrayed Jesus. This can lead one to see that there are true believers in Jesus and there are false believers.
Judas was called by Jesus to follow Him and become a part of His ministry. Judas was an Apostle chosen by God to witness all that Jesus said and did (Mark 3:13-19). It is certain that Jesus had given Judas the power to heal the sick in order to prove that Jesus was the true Messiah (Matthew 10:1-4, Matthew 7:21-29). Although Judas walked with Jesus and saw all that He did, he was not a true believer. This is evidence for us today that there may be many people who claim to be true followers of Jesus; saying the right things; doing the right things; but lacking a true heart to love Jesus and obey Him. Sadly, just as with Judas, evidence does not compel one to believe in Jesus, it is the heart, the real motivator for all things in human life that will do it.
We cannot know what the heart of Judas was like, but we can judge the many opportunities he had, to stop what he was planning and not betray Jesus. Judas was given every opportunity by Jesus to change his mind. Though Jesus knew the fate of Judas ahead of time, He still sat Judas at the place of honor, during the Last Supper. At Jesus’ right hand, Judas could hear every word that He said when Jesus described His crucifixion the next day and how He would die for the sins of the world.
Judas’ life is a warning to every pretend believer, that the heart is a dangerous part of our lives that can easily deceive us and be captured by Satan to do his evil will and place us on the path to ruin.
ACTION FOR THE DAY: As you journey through this Holy Week, do something from the heart for a stranger. Be real, be genuine, by being a true believer and follower of Jesus Christ, and God willing, receive His grace to respond with a compassionate, loving and forgiving heart to others, especially for those who have wronged you.
AUDIO REFLECTION:
