Please read the Scripture passage before the homily.
This is the Wednesday before Easter, and we are reflecting on Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus. Judas is a variation of the name Judah or Jude. It is the name of the ancestor, Judah, whose name eventually became Jew or Jewish.
The patriarch Judah was the brother of Joseph. He suggested selling his brother Joseph for twenty silver pieces to some Ishmaelites instead of killing him outright (Genesis 37:25-30). The price paid prevented shedding the blood of Joseph, and Joseph was saved to become the savior of his people.
The apostle Judas arranged to hand Jesus over (betray) for thirty pieces of silver. The price paid would not prevent the shedding of blood, but would rather ensure it, because by the blood of Jesus we are saved.
Jesus’ public life began after John the Baptist had been handed over, (Matthew 4:12) and arrested. Jesus’ mission reached its climactic point when Jesus was handed over in betrayal.
Matthew used the story of Joseph of Egypt to shed light on the story of Jesus. We understand more fully the meaning of Christ’s life, death and resurrection by means of the Scripture’s stories and prophetic words.
It is also worth noting that when the other disciples reacted to the news that one of them would betray Jesus, they addressed Jesus as Lord. Judas, however, called him rabbi. Rabbis are human; the Lord is divine.
Joseph of Egypt was a savior to his people, including the brothers who had sold him into slavery. Jesus is the savior of all peoples, presumably, therefore, also of Judas who handed him over in betrayal. So, then, we who have sinned have good hopes of being saved.