It is common to see the psalmist publicly thanking God for healing from illness. The psalm seems to start with this expression, but verse 4 brings us back to the distress, which has now ended. In this context, we find familiar words from John’s Gospel (13:18). To help the Jews accept the concept of a suffering Messiah, the evangelists seek to show, drawing on the Old Testament, that such suffering was expected. If Israel’s revered prophets could be persecuted and betrayed, why wouldn’t the Messiah himself face the same? Our Lord had called Judas his friend (Mt 26:50). Judas had ‘eaten his bread’ with him (Mt 26:23) but ultimately turned against him. The enemies of Jesus, like those in this psalm, believed that the name of Jesus could be forgotten (Acts 4:18). But they were mistaken. The beatitude of the merciful (Mt 5:7) nearly repeats the psalm’s beatitude.
We can pray with this psalm to strengthen our compassion for others, to walk toward our hope, and to find relief from our sorrows. The one who is sick, ridiculed, and betrayed prays this prayer. Perhaps we recognize him, and he is beside us, waiting for our support.