The day when Judas betrayed Christ is a special day.  Not long ago I was invited to give a lecture about plot twists in literature. I was talking about the key points that change the whole further chain of events. The story (and history!) is made not by large-scale battles and fatal clashes between Good and Evil, but by very small actions or even just words. Juda's betrayal is an example of just such a thing.

Judas was just an ordinary guy.  Just a guy who just said something.  He didn't do anything terrible or monstrous. What's all the fuss about? Authorities asked, and he answered. The day before he had called Christ his Teacher, but then he had decided to earn a little extra cash. Good money, not much to do. So, what's the big deal?

It turned out that the deal was the biggest one possible.  There really was no worse thing ever done in the world.

It seems that we all know this very well. Even non-believers know that story, and at least once a year they remember it during Holy Week. And when you start thinking about the latest news or some historical fateful moments, you find a lot of motives similar to Sacred History.

Like every biblical word, this day and this "simple action" must teach us something. What? Probably, you will now say "do not betray", "do not rat people out" and finally, "love God, your Teacher".  That's all true, but to me the most important thing here is that we must all learn to think. Think very carefully over what you choose to do. Think forward to the consequences of your next step, of the things you say, the things you ask of others, the orders you give them. Because every little thing has consequences. There are no "just saying something" in our lives.

The seemingly unimportant things that we say or do without thinking - they are this random and unpredictable force that upheavals world order, turns relationship into train wrecks, rips people's souls apart. Chekhov, generally known for his humour, managed to grasp and important thing very accurately - one rude word can cause a lot of "tears invisible to the world". And a rash act can cause a drama for a long time, if not indefinitely.

That would also be something for us to think about during Holy Week. Even though two thousand years have passed, nothing really changes.