Holy Week: Wednesday

April 1, 2026

“After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night. When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.” John 13:21-32

Have you ever felt betrayed? Have you ever trusted someone who has let you down? I bet for most of us, the answer is, “More than once!” Maybe it was a parent who let you down, or a spouse, or a close friend. It hurts to be betrayed, and the more it happens, the harder we find it to trust others. When you have felt betrayed, how did you respond? 

Jesus knows He is going to be betrayed. Can you imagine? Someone you’ve mentored; someone you’ve shared countless meals with, walked many miles with, sat around campfires with; someone who has shared life with you for three years—and in the end, they sell you out. What would you do?

Jesus knew, yet He continued in ministry with Judas. And during this final week, Jesus stripped off His outer clothing, got down on His knees, and He washed Judas’s feet.  After Jesus did this, He sat at the table and shared His final meal with Judas.

John often makes contrasts between light and dark in his gospel account. Light is connected with Jesus and with goodness while dark is connected with evil. Perhaps it should come as no surprise to us, then, that John makes a point of noting, “As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.” Judas stepped out of the light of Jesus and into the darkness of betrayal—even after all that Jesus had done for Him and all that Jesus had taught him. 

We shake our heads and wonder how Judas could have been so blind, but the truth is we often do the same. Every time we choose ourselves over Jesus, we’re stepping into darkness. Every time we choose disobedience, we’re stepping into darkness. Every time we do what we know to be wrong, we’re stepping into darkness. Every sin is a betrayal of Jesus.

There is a lot going on here that we might consider. Not least is that even what Satan intended for evil, God Almighty used for good. The betrayal carried out by Judas ultimately led Jesus to the cross and then to the resurrection—exactly where Jesus intended to go. We might also consider that Jesus did not stop Judas, allowing Judas to make his choice. We might further consider that when Judas led the soldiers and officials to where Jesus was praying, Jesus (according to Matthew) calls Judas “friend.” 

What Jesus is doing He does because of His great love for humanity—for you and for me. He knows that every person for whom He goes to the cross is a sinner, and He goes anyway. That is why He came, after all. 

As Jesus draws closer and closer to the cross, and as we follow along with Him, we might ask ourselves this: If Jesus loves us this much, how do we respond to that love?

Grace and peace,
Brandon