You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.
Matthew 26:2
Wednesday of Passion Week is commonly referred to as ‘Silent Wednesday’ because there is so little written about it. What we do know in scripture is found in Matthew 26:1-16, Mark 14:1-11 and Luke 22:1-6. What is consistent here is that this day is the day Judas Iscariot agrees to betray Jesus and Jesus is anointed for burial.
It’s interesting to know the back story of so many seemingly small events. Yet each one prophetically proclaimed and necessary to be fulfilled in order that His resurrection and our redemption could be achieved.
Matthew 26 begins with Jesus telling his disciples, ‘after two days the Passover is coming and the Son of man will be delivered up to be crucified.’
This shows His understanding of not only seasons, times, and days, but we will soon see coming ‘the hour’ manifested in Jesus’ activities.
Marks Gospel chapter 14:1 tells us it is two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the chief priests and the scribes are seeking to arrest and kill Jesus before the feast. John 11:45-53 gives us insight into their motivation to kill Jesus.
Meanwhile, Jesus is in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper. If John 12:1-8 is the same event we learn that Mary, Martha and Lazarus, with the disciples, are all present for a meal. Mary is the one who pours the oil over Jesus and John records that Judas is indignant over the wasted expense. Jesus’ rebuke explains that this was done to anoint his body for burial. (Commentaries vary their opinion on the event being the same because of the difference in the number of days recorded.) Yet the preparation for his burial is the remarkable occurrence in the anointing and begs to consider how this was one woman, in the midst of all these individuals, was the one who clearly believed what Jesus was saying, “I will be crucified in two days.”
What we must also consider is that something motivated Judas to betray Jesus. Whether it was as John wrote, “he was a thief and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it,’ signalling greed, or whether it was the sting of the rebuke, something allowed Satan to enter into Judas.
“Then Satan entered into Judas… He [Judas] went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.” Luke 22:3-4
“…What will you give me if I deliver him over to you? And they paid him thirty pieces of silver..”. Matthew 16:15
Even for a “Silent Wednesday” there is much to consider.