Spy Wednesday, Good Wednesday, Holy Wednesday, or Great and Holy Wednesday, Illustrated with Scriptures and Commentary
By James Tissot and Dom Guéranger
This is one of a series of posts with illustrations of many of the events of Holy Week with scriptures and commentary by French painter James Tissot and with additional commentary by Dom Prosper Guéranger.
On this page:
+ Judas Bargains with the Chief Priests to Betray Jesus
+ Jerusalem, Jerusalem
+ The Widow's Mite
+ The Disciples Admire the Buildings of the Temple
+ Jesus Foretells the Destruction of the Temple
+ The Meal in the House of the Pharisee and the Alabaster Box
From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year:
“The chief priests and the ancients of the people have met to-day in one of the rooms adjoining the temple, for the purpose of deliberating on the best means of putting Jesus to death. Several plans are discussed. Would it be prudent to lay hands upon Him at this season of the feast of the Pasch, when the city is filled with strangers, who have received a favourable impression of Jesus from the solemn ovation given to Him three days back? Then, too, are there not a great number of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who took part in that triumph, and whose enthusiastic admiration of Jesus might excite them to rise up in His defence? These considerations persuade them not to have recourse to any violent measure, at least for the present, as a sedition among the people might be the consequence, and its promoters, even were they to escape being ill-treated by the people, would be brought before the tribunal of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. They therefore come to the resolution of letting the feast pass quietly over, before apprehending Jesus. . . .
“But how are Jesus’ enemies to get possession of their divine Victim, so as to avoid a disturbance in the city? There is only one plan that could succeed, and they have not thought of it: it is treachery. Just at the close of their deliberations, they are told that one of Jesus’ disciples seeks admission. They admit him, and he says to them: 'What will you give me, and I will deliver Him unto you?’ They are delighted at this proposition: and yet, how is it that they, doctors of the law, forget that this infamous bargain between themselves and Judas has all been foretold by David, in Psalm 108? They know the Scriptures from beginning to end: how comes it that they forget the words of the Prophet, who even mentions the sum of thirty pieces of silver? Judas asks them what they will give him; and they give him thirty pieces of silver! All is arranged; tomorrow, Jesus will be in Jerusalem, eating the Pasch with His disciples. In the evening He will go, as usual, to the garden on Mount Olivet. But how shall they, who are sent to seize Him, be able to distinguish Him from His disciples? Judas will lead the way; he will show them which is Jesus, by going up to Him and kissing Him!
Judas
Spy Wednesday gets its name because on this day Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin. The gospels all include an account of the betrayal—Matthew 26:12-14, Mark 14:10-12, Luke 22:3-6.
This is how the Gospel of Mark recounts the events as quoted in Tissot’s commentary from the Douay Bible:
Mark 14:10-12: “And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests, to betray him to them.
“Who hearing it were glad; and they promised him they would give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.”
Jerusalem, Jerusalem
Matthew 23:37-39: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
The Widow's Mite
Mark 12:41-44: "Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on.'"
The Disciples Admire the Buildings of the Temple
Jesus Foretells the Destruction of the Temple
Mark 13:1-2: "As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, 'Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!'"'Do you see all these great buildings?' replied Jesus. 'Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.'"
The Meal in the House of the Pharisee and the Alabaster Box
Mark 14:3-9 (also Luke 7:36-50): "While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, 'Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor.' And they rebuked her harshly."'Leave her alone,' said Jesus. 'Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.'"
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Overview:
After his conversion back to the faith of his childhood, James Jacques Tissot, famous and wealthy French realist painter of worldly scenes, took three arduous trips to the Holy Land to seek out and record authentic details about the people, the landscape, the architecture, and the way of life. On his return he created a series of goache (opaque watercolor) illustrations of the life of Christ.
In 1896, the illustrations went on a trans-Atlantic tour to be displayed in London, New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago, and they attracted throngs, many of whom were moved to intense devotion wherever the illustrations were shown. In 1900, the illustrations along with Tissot's preliminary drawings and notes were purchased from the artist on the advice of John Singer Sargent to be the centerpiece collection of the newly formed Brooklyn Museum of Art—with the help of thousands of subscriptions from average citizens.
For a more-complete introduction to the amazing unclassifiable works of the complex and unique artist James Tissot, you might want to read this article Contrasting Visions Of Painter James Tissot, The Secular And Sometime Mystical Realist.
The images in this series are downloaded from the Brooklyn Museum. "RIGHTS STATEMENT: No known copyright restrictions."
In this busy church week, I decided to stay home the evening of spy Wednesday as a rest from wearying crowds. And I wanted in the quiet to see what you had on offer.
Three cheers for what I found. One cheer is for the Substack piece/ Holy Week series. I’m woefully unschooled in the visual arts, so it is delightful to be educated on a figure who is often overlooked by those more in the know than I am. Since it is unlikely I will ever see a Tissot Bible, viewing the images relevant to this day, with his commentary, added a new, unfamiliar visual and visionary dimension to the week’s observance.
The second cheer is for the Religion Unplugged article. I was fascinated by the story of Tissot the man and his art, his influences, loves, and contradictions, his technique. And I loved the leisurely pace of the writing, as if from an earlier time, which allows for a thorough treatment, and invites your readers into a different mode of quiet attention during a sacred season.
The third cheer is for the religious, specifically Catholic point of view in both pieces. I’m a newcomer not only in visual art but also in trying to grow into a Catholic point of view. In my new convert’s enthusiasm I sometimes find myself struggling to do what the long article does, and does well: you do justice to the subject under discussion with the right measure of firmness in the truth, and cautious generosity in the presence of human frailty.
Blessings also to you this Holy Week!
Please forgive any missed typos.