Holy Wednesday of Easter Week
- Eljoh Hartzer, MTh
- Feb 11
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 20
While the other days on the Easter timeline are filled with elaborate events, described in great detail across the Gospels, there's a quiet hush surrounding Wednesday. Sometimes called 'Holy Wednesday' - this day on the Easter calendar is shrouded in mystery, as we await the arrest of Jesus on Thursday. But there must be more to Wednesday? In this article, we'll contemplate the meaning of a day of waiting and discover what else happened on this day.
Hint: At the very end of this article is a free worksheet for you to personally and prayerfully engage deeper
This series of articles will cover the key events of Easter in the order that they're celebrated in in the Christian tradition.
Click the following titles to read about the true meaning of Easter and each day of Holy Week:
What happened on Easter Wednesday
In the broader story of the Easter timeline, this is right after the Olivet Discourse and debates of Tuesday and before Jesus' arrest on Thursday. As briefly mentioned earlier, the Gospels are suspiciously quiet about what happened on Wednesday. We don't know what Jesus and His disciples did on this important day.
What we do know is that they were staying outside Jerusalem, most probably with Jesus' friends, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. (It is this Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead; this Mary who sat at His feet; this Martha who hurried around) Wednesday of Easter week was essentially Jesus' very last free day and He chose to spend it with those nearest to Him.
The Gospels of Matthew and Mark puts Jesus' anointing by Mary of Bethany around this time as well. (This is known as the Alabaster Jar annointing) Read this in MATTHEW 26:6-13
There is one thing that we do know about Wednesday - while Jesus and His disciples were lying low, one of the disciples was on a different mission. Judas Iscariot made the deal to betray Jesus on Wednesday. This day is sometimes called 'Spy Wednesday' too.
Luke 22:3-5 (NIV) "3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. 5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6 He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present."
Jesus knew that Jesus would be the one to betray Him. The other disciples knew that Judas had a love for money and he sometimes took money from their shared funds for himself when he thought no one was looking.
Journaling Prompts about Holy Wednesday
Judas betrayed Jesus for money, showing where his heart lay. Is there a way that you are also putting money or financial gain ahead of Jesus in your own life?
One of Jesus' most critical teachings was when He said: You cannot serve both God and money. What do you think this means?
What would you want to do with your last day on Earth? Compare with how Jesus chose to spend His.
While all this deception was happening, we don't know what Jesus and His disciples got up to. Have you noticed a time in your own life when things seem super slow while big things happen at the same time?
If these journaling prompts helped you connect to the Bible, consider using my faith journaling guide to develop the habit of journaling more often:
This day in the Gospels
Matthew 26:14-16 (NIV)
14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
Mark 14:10-11 (NIV)
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
Luke 22 (NIV)
(given above) (Read the full chapter here)
John (NIV)
(does not specifically give events for Wednesday, and rather puts Judas' betrayal on Thursday)
Understanding this Easter day in the Old Testament
The Bible tells one beautiful story: God's big story. It is a story of love, rejection, and redemption. Again and again in the Scriptures, we see the same thematic elements repeat like the chorus of a song. Therefore, there are minute details of the story that also repeat many times.
Three of these elements are evident on Holy Wednesday:
Betrayal
Rest
Waiting
A brief word on each one:
1: Betrayal
Judas Iscariot's love of money led him to betray his Rabbi with a kiss (we will discover that more in tomorrow's article - linked at the beginning and end of this one for your convenience). For now, let's just notice that people turning their backs on God is a recurring theme in the Scriptures.
Adam and Eve in the Garden, picking the forbidden fruit.
Moses coming down from the mountain in the wilderness - holding the 10 Commandments - only to find the Israelites had made a gold calf that they were now worshipping instead of Yahweh.
In the end, each of Jesus' disciples deserted Him at His arrest. Not one stood by His side.
2: Rest Since Wednesday was the day before the Last Supper and Jesus' arrest, it was the calm before the storm. Resting before things pick up is another thread woven throughout the Bible.
On the seventh day, after creating everything, the Maker rested.
In the wilderness, God teaches His people to keep the sabbath - a day of rest occuring every week.
Jesus often withdrew to quiet places to pray and had his disciples do the same when they returned from sharing the Gospel.
3: Waiting Most of us can familiarize with feelings like anticipation, suspense, and waiting. This too, is a tension found on most of the pages of the Bible.
Abraham waited many years before God fulfilled His promise that Abraham could bear a child with Sarah.
The Israelites waited for God to free them from Egypt's oppression; then they waited some more in the wilderness before reaching the Promised Land.
Jesus waited 30+ years before starting His public ministry; and was first led into the desert to be tempted a final time.
"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." - Psalm 37:7
If you've been wanting to dive deeper into the Bible yourself, I want to invite you to consider the following encounter tool:
A Prayer on Holy Wednesday
Dear Jesus, You knew what it felt like to see a massive day on the horizon and wait for it to come. Please teach me the ways of sabbath, rest, and waiting. May I always keep abiding in the Lord, even while people turn against me and great evil seems to prevail. I put my hope in You and trust in You alone. Amen.
Next up: The following day in Holy Week
After all of this holy quiet of Wednesday, the pace of Easter picks up very quickly on Thursday. Tomorrow, we will discover the Last Supper, Jesus praying in the Garden, and eventually His arrest.
Explore other events in the Easter story:
Below is a free printable worksheet PDF to go deeper with today's topic on the Easter timeline:
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