Holy Week: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Days In-BetweenSample

Wednesday

When you read the account of Holy Week in the Gospels, there’s not much known about Wednesday. Unlike the other days, we don’t have clear date stamps like “the next morning” or “the following day” to tell us what’s going on. Still, there are some clues we can pick up on about what possibly happened that day.

Sometimes called Spy Wednesday, this may be the day that Judas betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders. It may also be the day we find Jesus resting in Bethany where he was anointed with expensive perfume by a woman in the home of Simon the Leper.

For Jesus, it is a quiet day. After three exhausting days in Jerusalem, it may have been a day to rest before the climactic challenge of Thursday and Friday. A day of goodbyes with close friends in Bethany. A day to prepare. Wednesday is the calm before the storm.

We’ve seen that Bethany is where Jesus has been staying since he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Even before Palm Sunday, it was in Bethany that Jesus revealed to his disciples and the world his authority over death; it’s where he raised Lazarus from the dead. These were his friends, the people he loved, and the people who loved him.

Maybe there’s something to learn from Jesus on this day. We’ll face big challenges. We’ll come through ordeals. We’ll find ourselves depleted after wading through various temptations, demands, and going head-to-head. Who are the people important to you? Take time to rest. To connect with those closest to you. To recoup. To prepare for what lies ahead.