Matthew 20

The Parable of the Vineyard Workers

20“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ⁱ²After agreeing with the workers on one ^•denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³When he went out about nine in the morning, ^jhe saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴To those men he said, ‘You also go to my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went. ⁵About noon and at three, ^khe went out again and did the same thing. ⁶Then about five ^lhe went and found others standing around, ^mand said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?’

⁷“ ‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him.

“ ‘You also go to my vineyard,’ he told them. ⁿ⁸When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay, ^ostarting with the last and ending with the first.’ ^p

⁹“When those who were hired about five ^qcame, they each received one denarius. ¹⁰So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each. ¹¹When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner: ¹²‘These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the burning heat!’ ^r

¹³“He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius? ^s14Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. ¹⁵Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my business? ^tAre you jealous ^ubecause I’m generous?’ ^vw

¹⁶“So the last will be first, and the first last.” ^xy

The Third Prediction of His Death

¹⁷While going up to Jerusalem, ^zJesus took the 12 disciples aside privately and said to them on the way: ¹⁸“Listen! 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. ^a19Then they will hand Him over to the Gentiles ^bto be mocked, flogged, ^cand crucified, and He will be resurrected ^don the third day.”

Suffering and Service

²⁰Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached Him with her sons. ^eShe knelt down to ask Him for something. ^f21“What do you want?” He asked her.

“Promise,” ^gshe said to Him, “that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and the other on Your left, in Your kingdom.” ^h

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

“We are able,” they said to Him.

²³He told them, “You will indeed drink My cup. ^lBut to sit at My right and left is not Mine to give; instead, it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” ^{m 24}When the 10 disciples heard this, they became indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵But Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and the men of high position exercise power over them. ²⁶It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁿ²⁷and 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, ^oand to give His life—a ransom for many.” ^p

Two Blind Men Healed

²⁹As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. ^q30There 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 told them to 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.