Psalm 23 study, part 1 is here.
Here are some NT passages related to images in Psalm 23:
“The Lord is my shepherd” (Ps 23:1):
John 10:11-18 (Jesus the good shepherd)
Luke 15:1-7 & Matthew 18:10-14 (Parable of Lost Sheep)
John 21:15-19 (Jesus to Peter: “feed my sheep”)
1 Peter 2:24-25 (Like stray sheep returning to the shepherd)
1 Peter 5:1-4 (Elders: Tend to the flock of God…)
“You are with me” (Ps 23:4):
John 1:14-18 (Word became flesh and lived among us)
Matthew 1:18-23 (Emmanuel, “God with us”)
“You prepare a table before me” (Ps 23:5, 6):
Matthew 26:20-30, Mark 14:17-26, Luke 22: 14-23 (Lord’s Supper)
I wonder how the disciples would have experienced these events and how the first readers of the Gospels and NT letters would have heard these passages with Psalm 23 in the back of their mind. To what degree did they understand more about these passages because of their background with Psalm 23? Did they recognize the Gospel events as relating to the Psalm? What thoughts and feelings might that have evoked?
Though it’s likely just an accident of compilation, it might be worthwhile to consider Psalm 22 & 23 together.
Hmm, interesting connection. Psalm 23 is our most quoted/referenced psalm, while I think Psalm 22 is the most referenced in the NT, not to mention Jesus’ words from the cross.