Matthew 20:20-28

A Mother's Request

20 ¹Then ²the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and ³kneeling before him she asked him for something.

21 And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine ⁴are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, ⁵in your kingdom."

22 Jesus answered, ⁶"You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ⁷to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able."

23 He said to them, ⁸"You will drink ⁹my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, ¹⁰but it is for those for whom it has been ¹¹prepared by my Father."

24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.

25 But Jesus called them to him and said, ¹²"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles ¹³lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

26 ¹⁴It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,^[a]

27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,^[b]

28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but ¹⁵to serve, and ¹⁶to give his life as a ransom for ¹⁷many."

Matthew 20:20-28 In-Context

18 "See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death

19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day."

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something.

21 And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom."

22 Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able."

23 He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."

24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.

25 But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,

27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,

28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him.

30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"

Cross References

• 1. For ver. 20-28, see Mark 10:35-45
• 2. Matthew 4:21; Matthew 27:56
• 3. See Matthew 8:2
• 4. [Matthew 19:28]
• 5. Matthew 16:28; Matthew 25:31, 34; Luke 23:42
• 6. [Luke 9:33; Luke 23:34]
• 7. Matthew 26:29, 42; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42; John 18:11; [Isaiah 51:22]
• 8. [Romans 8:17; Philippians 3:10]
• 9. Acts 12:2; Revelation 1:9
• 10. [Matthew 19:11]
• 11. Matthew 25:34
• 12. For ver. 25-28, [Matthew 18:1-4; Luke 22:25-27]
• 13. 1 Peter 5:3
• 14. Matthew 23:11; [Luke 9:48]
• 15. John 13:4, 13-15; Philippians 2:7; [2 Corinthians 8:9]
• 16. Isaiah 53:10; Daniel 9:26; John 10:15; John 11:51, 52; Romans 4:25; Galatians 1:4; Galatians 2:20; 1 Timothy 2:6; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:18, 19
• 17. Matthew 26:28; Isaiah 53:11, 12; Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 9:28; [Romans 5:15; Revelation 5:9]

Footnotes

• [a]. Greek diakonos
• [b]. Greek bondservant (doulos)