Matthew 20:16–27

¹⁶“So those who are last will be first. And those who are first will be last.”

Jesus Again Tells About His Coming Death

¹⁷Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the 12 disciples to one side to talk to them.

¹⁸“We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said. “The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will sentence him to death. ¹⁹Then they will turn him over to people who are not Jews. The people will make fun of him and whip him. They will nail him to a cross. On the third day, he will rise from the dead!”

A Mother Asks a Favor of Jesus

²⁰The mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus. Her sons came with her. Getting on her knees, she asked a favor of him.

²¹“What do you want?” Jesus asked.

She said, “Promise me that one of my two sons may sit at your right hand in your kingdom. Promise that the other one may sit at your left hand.”

²²“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup of suffering I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

²³Jesus said to them, “You will certainly drink from my cup. But it is not for me to say who will sit at my right or left hand. These places belong to those my Father has prepared them for.”

²⁴The other ten disciples heard about this. They became angry at the two brothers.

²⁵Jesus called them together. He said, “You know about the rulers of the nations. They hold power over their people. Their high officials order them around. ²⁶Don’t be like that. Instead, anyone who wants to be important among you must be your servant. ²⁷And anyone who wants to be first must be your slave.