What does the Bible say about Holy Wednesday?

Holy Wednesday commemorates one of the most dramatic moments of Holy Week: the betrayal of Judas Iscariot. That day, according to the Gospels, Judas decided to hand Jesus over to the religious authorities in Jerusalem.

After the triumphant entry into Jerusalem and his preaching in the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people were looking for a way to arrest Jesus without provoking an uprising among the people who followed him.

It was then that Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles, went to them to offer his help. The Gospel of Matthew recounts the moment in these words:

“What will you give me, and I will hand him over to you?”
And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.

From that moment on, Judas looked for an opportunity to hand him over (Mt 26:14–16).

That is why Christian tradition calls this day “Wednesday of Betrayal”. The liturgy invites us to reflect on:

• the fragility of the human heart
• the danger of turning away from Christ for personal interests
• the mercy of God, who, even in the face of betrayal, continues to offer love and forgiveness.

This day serves as a dramatic threshold within Holy Week: after the conspiracy, events rush toward Holy Thursday, when Jesus will celebrate the Last Supper with his disciples before his Passion.

Bible Readings for Holy Wednesday

1. First Reading: Isaiah 50:4–9

The Lord God has given me a disciple’s tongue, to know how to encourage the weary with a word that rouses. Morning after morning, he rouses my ear to listen like a disciple.

The Lord God has opened my ear; I have not rebelled, I have not turned back.

I offered my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who tore out my beard. I did not hide my face from insults and spittle.

The Lord God helps me; therefore I am not ashamed. Therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know I shall not be put to shame.

He who vindicates me is near; who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me.

Look: the Lord God helps me—who will condemn me? All of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will devour them.

2. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 69:8–10, 21–22, 31, 33–34

For your sake I have borne reproach,
shame has covered my face.

I have become a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my mother’s children.

For zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

Reproach has broken my heart; I am faint.
I looked for pity, but there was none; for comforters, but I found none.

They gave me gall for food,
and when I was thirsty they gave me vinegar to drink.

I will praise the name of God with a song,
and proclaim his greatness with thanksgiving,

Let the poor see it and rejoice.
You who seek God, take heart.

For the Lord hears the needy,
and does not despise his captives.

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3. Gospel: Matthew 26:14–25

Then one of the twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said:
—What will you give me if I hand him over to you? They offered him thirty pieces of silver.

From then on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

On the first day of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said:
—Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?

Jesus replied:
—Go into the city, to a certain man’s house, and tell him: ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near; I will celebrate the Passover at your house with my disciples.”’

The disciples did as Jesus had instructed them, and they prepared the Passover.

When evening came, he reclined at table with the twelve.

And while they were eating, he said:
—Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.

Deeply saddened, they began to say to him one by one:
—Surely not I, Lord?

But he answered:
—The one who has dipped his hand into the dish with me will betray me.

The Son of Man will go as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.

Then Judas, who was going to betray him, said:
—Surely not I, Rabbi? —You have said so, he replied.

Holy Wednesday: A Reflection by Saint Augustine

The Lord, dearly beloved brothers, wished to make very clear what that fullness of love by which we must love one another consists in, when he said: No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. As a consequence, the same evangelist John tells us in his letter: Christ laid down his life for us; we too ought to lay down our lives for our brothers, loving one another as he loved us, who laid down his life for us.

This is the same idea we find in the book of Proverbs: If you sit down to eat at a ruler’s table, pay close attention to what is set before you, and put your hand to it, knowing that afterward you will have to prepare something similar. This ruler’s table is none other than the one from which we receive the body and blood of him who laid down his life for us. To sit at it means to approach it with humility. To look carefully at what is set before us is to become aware of the greatness of this gift. And to put your hand to it, knowing that afterward you will have to prepare something similar, means what I said before: that just as Christ laid down his life for us, so we too ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

As the apostle Peter says: Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example so that we might follow in his footsteps. This means preparing something similar. This is what the martyrs did, driven by burning love; if we do not want to celebrate their memory in vain, and if we approach the Lord’s table to share in the banquet that satisfied them, it is necessary that, just as they did, we afterward prepare something similar ourselves.

Therefore, when we gather at the Lord’s table, we do not remember them in the same way as the others who rest in peace, to pray for them; rather, we remember them so that they may pray for us, that we may follow their example, since they put into practice that love of which the Lord says there is none greater. They showed their brothers how to prepare something similar to what they too had received from the Lord’s table.

What we have said must not be understood as though we could equal the Lord, even if we should reach, through him, the witness of our blood. He was free to lay down his life and free to take it up again; we do not live as long as we want, and we die even if we do not want to. He, at the moment of dying, killed death within himself; we are delivered from death by his death. His flesh did not experience corruption; ours must pass through corruption, until at the end of this world we are clothed by him with incorruptibility. He did not need us to save us; without him we can do nothing. He gave himself to us, his branches, as the vine; separated from him, we cannot have life.

Finally, although brothers may die for their brothers, no martyr sheds his blood for the forgiveness of his brothers’ sins as he did for us; in this he did not give us an example to imitate, but a reason to rejoice. The martyrs, in shedding their blood for their brothers, did nothing more than show what they had received from the Lord’s table. Let us love one another, then, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.

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What are the lessons of Holy Wednesday?

The betrayal of Judas Iscariot on Holy Wednesday is one of the most painful episodes of the Passion of Jesus Christ, as told in the Gospels.

Here are some lessons to reflect on this day:

1. Being close to Christ does not guarantee faithfulness:

Judas was one of the twelve apostles; he lived with Jesus, listened to his teachings, and witnessed his miracles. Yet he ended up betraying him. This reminds us that faith is not just outward closeness (practices, words, belonging), but a real conversion of the heart.

Let us ask ourselves: Is my relationship with Christ just habit, or does it come from true love?

2. Mortal sin is often the result of small acts of unfaithfulness:

The Gospel suggests that Judas already had prior weaknesses (for example, attachment to money, theft, and greed). Betrayal does not appear out of nowhere: it is the result of an inner process, of vices that have not been fought. The spiritual life teaches that small concessions to sin end up weakening the heart and leading to greater falls.

Let us think: What venial sins am I committing frequently and not fighting?

3. The danger of putting self-interest above God’s will:

Judas handed Jesus over for thirty pieces of silver, a symbol of how material or personal interest can come to dominate the human heart. He believed the Savior was a human Messiah who would come to free the chosen people from the Roman Empire. When he realized it was not so, he became disillusioned. Perhaps in revenge, he sold him. The episode shows the tragedy of preferring what is passing to what is eternal.

Let us reflect: What earthly goods am I clinging to that are drawing me away from God?

4. Betrayal can also happen today:

Just as Judas, one of the twelve, betrayed Christ, it should not scandalize us that members of the Church also betray him through their sins and scandals. And this should not be a reason to walk away.

Let us consider: How do I cope with scandals in Mother Church? Do I pray and do penance for the sinners who cause so much harm within her, or do I limit myself to criticizing?

5. The difference between Judas and Peter: despair vs. repentance

Both Saint Peter and Judas failed: one denied Christ and the other betrayed him. The difference was in their response to sin: Peter wept and returned to Christ repentant. Judas fell into despair and took his own life. The lesson is clear: God’s mercy is always open to the one who repents.

Let us meditate: When I fall, do I trust in God’s mercy, or do I shut myself up in guilt and not seek his forgiveness?

In summary: the betrayal of Judas is a call to vigilance of the heart. Any of us can betray the Lord at some point in our lives if we neglect the spiritual life, prayer, and the fight against sin.

Do you want to live Holy Week with devotion? Here are some articles that may help you do so:

• Holy Week Celebrations Guide: Discover what Holy Week is, what is celebrated each day, and how to live the Paschal Triduum according to the Catholic Church. Clear and complete guide.
  
• The 3 Pillars of Palm Sunday: What is the Palm Sunday liturgy like? Explore its 3 pillars: the blessing of palms, the procession, and the Passion narrative.