'Spy Wednesday' Holy Wednesday, 16th April, by Fr Jack

Today is traditionally called Spy Wednesday, after Temple Tuesday yesterday and Fig Monday. They take their names from the Gospel in the medieval lectionary, preserved in the Book of Common Prayer, for each of these days. The fig tree cursed because it doesn’t bear fruit. Jesus turning tables in the Temple. And today, Judas the spy, the betrayer.

It is that Gospel reading, too, in the modern lectionary we follow, for today. And Simon Peter is there, faithful and true. St John, who writes these words, is there, literally leaning on Jesus’ heart. And Judas so easily becomes a ‘panto’ villain. But this won’t do. Judas is too easily distanced and condemned, if we treat him like a panto villain, because we are all capable of being Judas.

And it is today’s woman of the passion who shows us that. She’s not in today’s Gospel. She won’t come ‘on stage’ until tomorrow night. But it is she who makes this point for us. She is today’s ‘Woman of the Passion’ (our theme for this year’s HW sermons). The servant girl who will ask St Peter: ‘You were with Jesus, the Galilean?’ (S. Matt. 26.69) ) And St Peter makes the first of three denials. 

Judas may have betrayed Him. But the servant girl’s question leads to St Peter abandoning Jesus when He needed Him most.

But what was that servant girl’s life like? Was she funny or clever? What tasks filled her day? Who did she love? What did she most enjoy about life? We will never know. But there she is at the heart of history. Sadly nameless, and faceless, yes. But Jesus loves her too. He has come to be her saviour… does she know?

Her life is lost amongst the shouting men of this night - St Peter’s shouts, soldiers, chief priests, and crowds. 

History is almost always written by and about so-called ‘great men’, but this girl, this (quote, unquote) ’small’ life is here caught up in the events that will change everything, forever. Truly historic events, quite above battles and empires, elections and the rest. 

Even if the servant girl’s life was the only life ever to have been, if she was the sum total of humanity, Jesus would gladly give His life for her. Even if you or I were the only person ever to have been, Jesus would give His life.

We bring our lives, whether they feel big or small into this week.

This servant girl was quite possibly more bothered about water that needed fetching, fires tending, food cooking, difficult customers handling.

We bring our confusion and distractedness. Our busyness, and every part of ourselves into this week. It may not be conformable or convenient. It may not seem to fit.

We even bring our denials and betrayals. The times we have not spoken up for Jesus, when we have chosen the easier, less truthful, less real path. The times when we have worshipped other, lesser things.

And we bring all these things, and still Jesus loves us, and still He gives His life for us. 

There is only once difference between Judas and St Peter when you get down to it. Judas hangs himself in despair. St Peter, on the other hand, waits long enough for Jesus - risen - to come to Him and ask Him, three times (one for each denial) ‘Do you love me?’. And Peter responds, and Jesus uses Peter to change the world. One despairs, the other lives long enough for Jesus to get at him, and changing him, change the world.

I wonder if the servant girl ever found out what happened next?