Matthew 20:17–34

THE THIRD PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH

¹⁷While going up to Jerusalem,^f Jesus took the twelve disciples aside privately and said to them on the way, ¹⁸“See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death.^{g 19}They will hand him over to the Gentiles^h to be mocked, flogged,^D and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised.”^E

SUFFERING AND SERVICE

²⁰Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached him with her sons.ⁱ She knelt down to ask him for something.^{j 21}“What do you want?” he asked her.

“Promise,”^F she said to him, “that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right and the other on your left, in your kingdom.”^k

²²Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”^Gl

“We are able,” they said to him.

²³He told them, “You will indeed drink my cup,^H but to sit at my right and left is not mine to give; instead, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”^m

²⁴When the ten disciples heard this, they became indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. ²⁶It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,^{n 27}and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; ²⁸just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,^o and to give his life as a ransom for many.”^p

TWO BLIND MEN HEALED

²⁹As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.^{q 30}There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” ³¹The crowd demanded that they keep quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”^r

³²Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”

³³“Lord,” they said to him, “open our eyes.” ³⁴Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed him.