How does John 6:70 connect with Old Testament prophecies about betrayal? The Setting in John 6:70 Jesus has just delivered the Bread of Life discourse. Many disciples are grumbling, yet the Twelve remain. Into that moment He says, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (John 6:70). With that single sentence, the Lord ties His present ministry to centuries-old prophetic threads about betrayal. Psalm 41:9 – Betrayal at the Table “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate My bread, has lifted up his heel against Me.” • The psalm pictures King David wounded by a trusted companion. • Jesus will cite this very verse at the Last Supper (John 13:18), showing it points directly to Judas. • John 6:70 pre-announces that the treachery foretold in Psalm 41 already resides in the circle of the Twelve. Psalm 55:12-14 – Wound from Within “For it is not an enemy who insults me… but it is you, a man like myself, my companion and close friend.” • David laments betrayal by an intimate ally, echoing the emotional pain Jesus will face. • John 6:70 affirms that the future betrayer is not an outsider; he sits in the closest fellowship with Christ. • The parallel underlines the prophetic pattern: Messiah, like David, will be betrayed from within. Zechariah 11:12-13 – The Thirty Pieces of Silver “So they weighed out my wages—thirty pieces of silver… throw it to the potter.” • Zechariah foretells the exact price Judas will receive (Matthew 27:9-10). • By calling Judas “a devil” in John 6:70, Jesus signals that Zechariah’s prophecy is set in motion years before the actual transaction. David and Ahithophel – A Living Foreshadow (2 Samuel 15–17) • Ahithophel, David’s adviser, defects to Absalom; his treachery almost costs David his life. • Psalm 41 and Psalm 55 grow out of that episode. • Judas mirrors Ahithophel: a trusted insider whose counsel turns deadly, fulfilling Scripture’s typological pattern. Why Jesus Speaks Up So Early • To assure the disciples that the impending betrayal is no accident but part of God’s sovereign plan (Acts 2:23). • To underscore Scripture’s reliability—the Word declared it, and Christ openly affirms it long before it happens. • To show that His choice of Judas was deliberate, ensuring every prophetic detail comes to pass. Theological Threads Woven Together • Divine Sovereignty & Human Responsibility – God foretells; Judas freely chooses; both truths stand (Luke 22:22). • The Seed Promise of Genesis 3:15 – “He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.” The “heel” theme resurfaces in Psalm 41:9 and culminates in Judas’s betrayal, Satan’s strike against Christ. • Suffering Servant Pattern – Isaiah 53:3, “He was despised and rejected by men,” finds concrete expression in the betrayal by one of His own. Takeaways for Today’s Believer • Scripture’s prophecies are exact and reliable; every line will be fulfilled (Matthew 5:18). • Christ knows the hearts of all and still accomplishes His redemptive plan (John 13:21-27). • Betrayal does not thwart God’s purposes; it advances them, proving that even evil is constrained to serve His glory. |
    |