NOTES for Mat 20:17-28
17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, |
18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, |
19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again. |
20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. |
21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. |
22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. |
23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. |
24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. |
25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. |
26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; |
27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: |
28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. |
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It gives the strong impression that the disciples have suddenly gone deaf. Jesus speaks clearly and plainly: soon I will be killed. The disciples do not react at all - but then a loving mother appears, eager to secure the future of her sons, and these sons do not stop her or say: Mother, He is preparing for something terrible, this is not the time...
Jesus answers not her, but James and John themselves. And He does not reject them, even though they truly understand nothing. He did not say, "What are you doing? They want to kill Me, and you are dividing up places!" He said, "Yes, you will be with Me, but you cannot even imagine what that will mean for you."
And when they briskly agree to drink the cup that Jesus will drink, He does not tell them that they will fall asleep while He is asking the Father for this cup to pass from Him, or that they will run away when He is handed over to death, though He knows perfectly well that this is exactly what will happen. He says, "Yes, you will drink My cup," because He knows that after His Resurrection the Holy Spirit will give them strength to bear witness to Him, to carry the Good News throughout the whole earth, and to accept persecution and death in His name.
Readings for 13 May 2025
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