Texts in Conversation
John’s story of Judas' betrayal follows patterns found in the Hebrew Bible, such as Psalm 41, which describes an individual who is betrayed by a close friend after sharing a meal. John uses these traditions to shape the narrative around Jesus' last meal and his betrayal by Judas.
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Psalm 41:9
Hebrew Bible
7 All who hate me whisper insults about me to one another; they plan ways to harm me. 8 They say, ‘An awful disease overwhelms him, and now that he is bedridden he will never recover.’ 9 Even my close friend whom I trusted, he who shared meals with me, has turned against me. 10 As for you, O Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up, so I can pay them back!” 11 By this I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me.
Date: 6th-3rd Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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John 13:18
New Testament
16 I tell you the solemn truth, the slave is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent as a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you understand these things, you will be blessed if you do them. 18 “What I am saying does not refer to all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who eats my bread has turned against me.’ 19 I am telling you this now, before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I am he. 20 I tell you the solemn truth, whoever accepts the one I send accepts me, and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
Date: 90-110 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Here Jesus cites Psalm 41:9, a psalm of a righteous sufferer; lifting up one’s heel to another was an act of disdain (compare Mark 6:11). Betrayal by a friend sometimes happened, but was counted the most heinous form of betrayal. To eat at table with another formed a permanent covenant of peace (sometimes ideally extending even to descendants), so to betray one’s host at a meal was especially treacherous. (To give one example of the covenant bond: two warriors about to engage each other in battle relinquished the fight after learning that one’s father had hosted the other’s at table a generation earlier.) ..."
Keener, Craig S.
The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament
(p. 289) InterVarsity Press, 2014
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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