¹⁸ “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’

Jew Testament use of the Old Testament at times challenges the interpreter of Scripture. Here Jesus Himself quotes from Psalm 41:9 and says that Judas’ treachery was prophesied well ahead of time, more than 1,000 years before. Yet in that same Psalm, the writer says, “O Lord, be gracious to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You” (Ps 41:4). But we know that Jesus, “…has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. (Heb 4:15). So Jesus quotes from a psalm about David who acknowledged his sin, but says one of the verses there applies to Himself, that is, to Jesus.

Books have been written about understanding the various ways the NT writers use the OT Scriptures, whether quotations, allusions, or simply references. Psalm 110, for example, is quoted in the NT as having primary fulfillment in Christ, but that did not seem to make sense in its original context. “The LORD says to my Lord, sit at my right hand …” (Psalm 110:1). Jesus plays up that difficulty in His dialogue with the Pharisees (Matt 22:41-16)—How can David say “The LORD says to my Lord”? It simply cannot be understood apart from the knowledge that the Messiah Himself was God. Sometimes, as in Isaiah 7:14, there is a near fulfillment that applied to the time of writing in the OT, but has a greater fulfillment in the life of Christ. Then there is Palm 22, which Jesus quoted on the cross, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46). He used typical Rabbinic methodology in quoting the first verse to refer to the entire psalm, which describes His dying experience followed by resurrection.

Here in John 13:18, we have a case where Jesus takes a single verse and applies it to His situation of betrayal, and uses the word “fulfilled” without inferring that any of the rest of the Psalm applies to Him (especially not the verse about sinning). He sees in David’s experience of betrayal at the hand of, scholars suggest, Ahithophel, David’s one time friend (2 Sam 15:31), a parallel with His own betrayal by Judas. In fact, it would be someone who was at that very Passover meal in the Upper Room “breaking bread” with Christ. Jesus was not referring to the entire Psalm, but pointing out a verse all Jewish people would have been quite familiar with, and flagging His warning to the disciples with it. The atmosphere in the room began to darken.

Lord, even though adversity is known well ahead of time, and though my life may seem dark, I am encouraged that You are still in control of all things.