The Symbolic Treasure Behind Holy Week (Part II)
Symbolism of Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday, and Holy Thursday.
We continue exploring the symbolism behind Holy Week, even though we cannot interpret it all, since every verse of the Bible contains deep symbolism.
Holy Tuesday: The Tuesday of Controversy
This name is given by the Catholic Church as it is the day when Jesus reveals that one of the disciples will betray him and that Simon Peter will deny him three times. It is told like this:
“Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, ‘I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!’ The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean. The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table. Simon Peter motioned to him to ask, ‘Who’s he talking about?’ So that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, who is it?’
Jesus responded, ‘It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl.’ And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, ‘Hurry and do what you’re going to do.’” (John 13:21–27)
This episode, full of drama, pain, and revelation, is a key moment in the path of individuation and in the unfolding of the archetypal drama of the Passion. Let us remember this scene takes place during the Last Supper—a ritual meal filled with sacred meaning. From a Jungian perspective, it is an image of the psyche gathered together: all aspects of the self, the archetypes, functions, complexes, and their potentials are seated at the table.
Jesus expresses a deep existential anguish. It is not neurotic anguish, but a conscious suffering, an anticipatory experience of the psychic pain that is coming.
According to Jung, the Self often calls the ego to sacrifice, to go through a process of death and transformation. This anguish is a sign that the soul is about to enter the dark night of the soul—but consciously.
Meanwhile, Judas represents the archetype of the treacherous shadow—not merely as a "villain," but as a part of the psyche that operates beneath the threshold of consciousness, often serving a greater purpose.
In this way, Judas, by betraying Jesus, accelerates the Passion—that is, the process of death and resurrection of a condition of the Self. In psychological terms: it activates individuation, because it forces the ego to descend, to die, and to be reborn.
Judas represents what lies behind our thwarted personal growth. He is that moment when the individual feels they are self-sabotaging their path, their dreams—unaware that something deeper is at play.
In deep meditation, this “Judas” can be experienced as sensations in the neck, solar plexus, and belly that pull us off our path. But by observing them closely, we may eventually discover that they are, in fact, trying to lead us toward “higher states of consciousness.”
Holy Wednesday: Judas Betrays and Hands Over Jesus
Continuing with the Jungian symbolic analysis of Holy Week, we arrive at Holy Wednesday—the day Judas hands over Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. This moment marks a point of no return in the psyche’s inner drama:
“While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: ‘The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.’ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ and kissed him. Jesus replied, ‘Friend, do what you came for.’ Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.” (Matthew 26:47–50)
Let us remember that Judas is the shadow par excellence—not a base or senselessly evil shadow, but a part of the psyche that has been rejected, projected, and repressed, and thus acts from the dark. He is not “the external enemy”; he is an inner function that, when ignored, becomes destructive.
The kiss of betrayal shows us that the shadow does not act externally, but from within. It betrays us precisely in what we love, value, and trust. The shadow is intimate.
Let us also note that Jesus (the Self) does not reject the shadow. He calls him friend. He recognizes him as part of the drama. Jesus does not curse Judas. He speaks to him as one who sees beyond the act. This is one of Jung’s key insights: we cannot integrate what we completely reject. The Self does not oppose the shadow—it looks upon it with compassion, even when it turns against consciousness.
We can say this is a possession by the shadow, and in deep meditation, one may feel the presence of something that possesses—a feeling, a sensation, an idea, or a thought. With persistent practice, we can see that “this thing” is not clearly part of us, and we begin to disidentify from it. Later, through sufficient contemplation, we can begin to integrate these elements in incredibly productive ways.
Holy Thursday: The Last Supper
Although we mentioned the Last Supper on Holy Tuesday, in the Catholic tradition, it is actually commemorated on Holy Thursday:
“On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?’
He replied, ‘Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, “The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.”’ So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve.”
Let us first recall that the Jewish Passover is a ritual of liberation from slavery (Exodus), and in Jungian language, it represents the psyche’s release from the bondage of unconscious complexes. Jesus chooses this moment as his conscious transition into death. The Self guides the ego toward transformation.
Jesus sitting at the table with the twelve disciples is more than just a scene—it is the gathering of the psyche’s archetypes, a kind of sacred inner circle. Each disciple represents an aspect of the self, with its light and shadow.
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’” (Matthew 26:26–29)
From the Jungian perspective, Jesus as the symbol of the Self is offering the ego not only spiritual guidance, but his entire embodied wholeness: matter (body) and spirit (blood). It is not a partial offering, but an act of total integration, in which the Self fragments itself so the ego can assimilate its essence. This is an inner transubstantiation.
The bread symbolizes the tangible form of spirit—the Self made manifest in life. By saying “this is my body,” Jesus is offering the psyche the archetypal model of the complete Self. To partake of the bread is to assimilate that wholeness: the soul begins to nourish itself not just from ideas, but from an incarnated spiritual reality.
In meditation, this equates to a deep unity with your body and instincts, feeling as if each cell is alive with consciousness. Some also experience a sacred density: the body is no longer a burden, but a chalice that holds the spirit. Some people feel a warm energy in the chest or abdomen.
Remember: I’ve committed myself to deeply studying all of Jung’s work and also to freely sharing what I learn, so my content will always be free. But if you’d like to support my project, I’d gladly accept a coffee:
Also read the following articles in this series: