“Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?’” —Matthew 26:14–15
In the middle of Holy Week, nestled between the shouts of “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday and the solemnity of Good Friday, lies an often-overlooked day with a haunting name: Spy Wednesday. Traditionally, this day marks the moment Judas Iscariot conspired to betray Jesus—a betrayal that would set in motion the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of the Son of God.
It’s a story that never stops stinging. How could one of Jesus’s closest companions, someone who walked with Him for three years, sell Him out for thirty pieces of silver? And why, of all things, does the story need betrayal at all? Couldn’t Jesus have simply handed Himself over? Why must this final stretch toward the cross begin with treachery?
The Human Condition on Display
The short answer: betrayal is not a detour in the story of redemption—it’s part of the very road itself.
Judas’s betrayal reveals something we’d rather not see: the depth of our sin. Sin is not just an abstract failure or momentary lapse; it is a relational violation, a willful betrayal of love and trust. Like Judas, we have all turned away. We have all, at some point, used Jesus for our own ends—whether for gain, comfort, or control.
And yet—and this is the scandal of grace—Jesus still invites us to the table. Knowing full well what Judas was doing, Jesus broke bread with him anyway. “My betrayer is at hand,” Jesus said. And still, He shared the meal. Still, He walked toward the cross.
The Bigger Battle
This moment also pulls back the curtain on something even larger than Judas’s greed or disappointment with Jesus’s mission. Scripture tells us, “Satan entered into him.” The betrayal of Jesus wasn’t just personal—it was cosmic. Behind Judas’s act was a greater spiritual battle, stretching all the way back to Genesis 3, where the serpent first plotted to undo God’s purposes.
Spy Wednesday reminds us that Jesus didn’t just come to forgive sin—He came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). The cross is a battlefield, and betrayal is one of the weapons aimed at Jesus. But even in that moment, Satan’s greatest scheme becomes God’s greatest victory.
Inaugurated Hope
But perhaps the most practical takeaway of all is this: we live in the middle of the story. Theologians call this inaugurated eschatology—the kingdom of God has come, but it’s not yet fully here. Jesus reigns in our hearts and in the Church, but the world outside still reels under the power of sin and death. Satan is defeated, but still active. That’s why betrayal, brokenness, and spiritual warfare are still very real for us.
But we do not despair.
We’ve been given the Holy Spirit, and through Him we are not only forgiven—we are regenerated. New birth means new desires. New habits. New strength. New hope. We are not just waiting for resurrection—we are beginning to live it now.
Betrayal and the Call to Love
The last—and perhaps most difficult—lesson of Spy Wednesday is this: we are called to love like Jesus, even when we are betrayed. If the love of God is wide enough to include Judas at the table, it must be wide enough for those who have wronged us. That doesn’t mean we ignore injustice or remain silent in the face of harm, but it does mean we posture ourselves toward reconciliation, not revenge.
That’s the challenge—and the glory—of the cross.
So as we move toward Good Friday, let Spy Wednesday stop you in your tracks. Let it expose the depth of human sin and the even deeper mercy of God. Let it remind you that betrayal is not the end of the story. Redemption is.
And that’s the story we’re still living.
