They promised to give him thirty pieces of silver;
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said
to him, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?” Jesus answered,
“Go into the city, to the house of a certain man, and tell him, ‘The Master says: My hour is
near, and I will celebrate the Passover with my disciples in your house.’”
When it was evening, Jesus sat at table with the Twelve. While they were eating, Jesus said,
“Truly I say to you: one of you will betray me.” They were deeply distressed, and they asked
him, one after the other, “You do not mean me, do you, Lord?”
He answered, “The one who dips his bread with me will betray me. The Son of Man is going
as the Scriptures say he will. But alas for that one who betrays the Son of Man: better for him
not to have been born.” Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “You do not mean
me, Master, do you?” Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
Reflect
We don’t know why Judas betrayed Jesus. Did he do it for the money? After years of living on
the move, surviving on the charity of others, thirty pieces of silver must have seemed like a
fortune.
Was Judas disappointed that Jesus wasn’t the sort of Messiah that he expected? Many people
of the time expected that the Messiah would be a great political and military leader who would
overthrow the Roman occupation and restore Israel to its former glory. The humble servant
Jesus certainly defied that expectation.
Perhaps Judas was afraid that Jesus saw him too clearly. John’s Gospel tells us that Judas was
a thief. Perhaps Judas was afraid of being called to account for his crimes.
What keeps me from being faithful to Jesus? Is my love for him crowded out by my love
of money, power, or status? Am I willing to deny myself in humility, loving my brothers and
sisters? Do I cling to my sin instead of embracing the mercy that Jesus offers? May God
grant me the grace to turn away from Judas’ path.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023