Wednesday of Holy Week
(Isaiah 50:4-9a; Matthew 26:14-25)
As implausible as it may seem, some scholars have defended
Judas. They write excuses like he arranged
Jesus’ arrest because he wanted the kingdom to be inaugurated. Another hypothesis is that Peter went to the chief
priests on Jesus’ orders so that the paschal mystery could begin. Of course, all such ideas contrast with all
that the gospels say about Judas.
In today’s gospel Matthew indicates that Judas handed over
Jesus to the Jews for a sizeable amount of money. The Gospels of Luke and John give another
motive that may be coordinated with greed.
They say that the devil entered into him. Whether for greed or for pure hatred, Judas’ sin
is compounded. He not only delivers an
innocent man for execution; he also betrays a companion, indeed a venerated
leader.
Nevertheless, we should move beyond contempt for Judas. We might see in Judas’ motivation some of our
own sinfulness. Evil may enter our
hearts so that we act against those whom we do not like or for whom we feel envy. We might even pray to God for mercy on him as
well as ourselves.
