Holy Wednesday is celebrated today as the middle of the Holy Week comes. Each day of the Holy Week comes with a celebration or an event where the life and death of Jesus lead to the savior of all.
According to the Bible, it says that Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' twelve disciples, have reported to the chief priests and was then offered to betray Jesus in exchange for some bribe money. God already knew this and made Jesus realize that he would be betrayed, and this act of betrayal set the motion leading up to the crucifixion and death of the Lord.
Understanding Holy Wednesday
According to an article shared in MSN, Judas' actions of betraying Jesus led him to the idea of taking his own life by hanging himself on a tree because of tremendous guilt. Realizing the gravity of what Judas has done, he attempted to return the bribe to the chief priests, but it was rejected. He took his own life thinking that he had lost the battle against temptation and given up the life of his Lord. This happened after he saw the heed of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to crucify Jesus.
The account of Judas's death is being told in the Gospel of St. Matthew (27:1-10) . According to Bible Gateway, the nation's elders and the chief priests planned to have Jesus put to death early that morning. Jesus was taken into custody and given to the governor, Pilate.
When Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, realized that he was being executed, he felt guilty. In exchange for the elders' and chief priests' forgiveness for his guilt of betraying innocent blood, he returned the thirty pieces of silver to them. But they refused to accept blame for his sin. Judas dropped the cash into the temple before departing. He left and committed suicide by hanging himself after giving in to an intense sense of regret.
Also Read: Good Friday 2023: Understanding, Looking Back at the Rich History of Holy Week
Why is it called 'Spy Wednesday?'
The Holy Wednesday is also referred to as "Spy Wednesday." The article in Catholic News Agency discusses the origin of the term "Spy Wednesday," wherein it is believed that Judas was considered a "spy" of the chief priests, in which he had worked with them to capture Jesus and lead him to his demise.
Some followers employ the event that happened on this holy day, reflecting on how someone very close to Jesus could do such a thing. They use it as a reference wherein they put themselves in Judas' position and imagine if they can do this thing to get every wealth, material thing, and desire in life.
The late Pope Benedict XVI said that God used Judas' betrayal as a part of humanity's salvation path. Benedict stressed on the conclusion that the word "betray" is derived from a Greek word that means "to commit," and sometimes even God was the object of such consignment, as when he consigned Jesus to the cross for the sake of the world's redemption. Benedict made the inference from this that, despite the presence of unworthy and treacherous believers in the Church, it is each of our obligations to counteract their evil with a strong proclamation of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Related Article: Holy Week Traditions and Practices Around the World
