Word to the Wise
Wednesday, March 28, 2018 - Holy Week - Wed
[Isa 50:4-9a and Matt 26:14-25]WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2018 WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK [Isaiah 50:4-9a and Matthew 26:14-25] One of the Twelve, wo was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over. [Matthew] Our gospel scripture today shifts from John to Matthew, presumably to call attention to the thirty pieces of silver, since we have already had a scene from the Last Supper yesterday that spoke of the betrayal by Judas. Matthew is always anxious to show prophetic connections with the life of Jesus. In this case, the prophet Zechariah (11:12-13) speaks of thirty pieces of silver that were paid to him which he throws back at the temple priests. Supposedly that is what the temple priests thought his word from God was worth. It is a stark image This tawdry and cynical plotting is placed against the prophecy of Isaiah who depicts a determined prophetic figure whom tradition calls “the Suffering Servant.” This person goes straight forward to his task and destiny. In Jesus’ case, he knows he has been betrayed and he still moves forward instead of fleeing from Jerusalem. St. Thomas Aquinas, O.P., tells us that God could have found some other way to save us, but what happens is the fulfillment of the prophets and is an act of supreme love. Jesus is, indeed a “suffering servant” and on Good Friday, with the last of the “suffering servant” poems we will experience an almost eerie description of what will happen to Jesus. For the moment, we move ahead with him to the Upper Room. AMEN
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