How does Psalm 109:23 connect with Jesus' suffering in the New Testament?

Opening Snapshot of Psalm 109:23

“I am fading away like a lengthening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.”

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Layers of Meaning Behind David’s Line

• “Fading away like a lengthening shadow” – life ebbing at day’s end, weakness overtaking strength

• “Shaken off like a locust” – treated as a nuisance, brushed aside with contempt

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Direct Links to Jesus’ Passion

• Physical exhaustion

– Mark 15:21 ‒ Simon of Cyrene compelled because Jesus can no longer bear the crossbeam

– John 19:28 ‒ “Jesus, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, said, ‘I thirst.’”

• Public scorn and dismissal

– Isaiah 53:3 ‒ “He was despised and rejected by men” (prophetic backdrop)

– Luke 23:18 ‒ Crowd demands Barabbas, casting Jesus aside “like a locust”

• Approaching sunset of His earthly life

– Luke 23:44–46 ‒ Darkness from the sixth to the ninth hour as the “shadow” lengthens and He yields His spirit

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Psalm 109 as a Whole and Judas’ Role

• Verse 8 ‒ “May another take his office” applied to Judas in Acts 1:20

• Because the psalm already anticipates the betrayal, verse 23 naturally reflects the Messiah’s subsequent suffering

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Physical Weakness Foretold

• Psalm 22:14–15 parallels: bones out of joint, strength dried up

• Matthew 26:38 ‒ “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”

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Rejection Carried Out

• Mark 15:29–32 – mockers hurl insults, treating Him as insignificant

• John 1:11 – “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”

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Why the Verse Matters for Us

• Confirms that David’s lament foreshadows the Messiah’s ordeal with striking precision

• Shows that Jesus willingly entered the place of utter weakness so He could be our perfect, sympathetic High Priest (Hebrews 4:15)