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    Matthew 20:20-34  Lesson 40

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:  
     
    Jesus on true greatness.
     
    Jesus died to save sinners (20:28).  ​​

    One of God's truths:
     
    To be great, you must serve others (20:26). ​
    Who was...
        
    Salome -
    Salome was the mother of the disciples James and John (Mark 10:35), the Virgin Mary's     sister (Jesus' aunt) and Zebedee's' wife.  Salome was a devoted follower of Christ, while most of the disciples fled when Jesus was crucified Salome not only went to Calvary to witness the crucifixion, she stayed until the agonizing end (Matthew 27:54-56; Mark 15:40; John 19:25).  Three days later, she went to Jesus' tomb to anoint His body with spices but found it empty (Mark 16:1-8). 

    The Gospel According to St. Matthew

    The King James Bible    ​

    Matthew 20:20-34
    Jesus came to serve

    20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedees 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.

    29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.

    30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.

    31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.

    32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?

    33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.

    34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.     ​                        ​​
    ​
    ​    Margin notes: 
     
    "The mother of Zebedee's children." (20:20) -This is Salome.

    "Worshipping him." (20:20) - Means, "Kneeling before Him." 

    "Desiring a certain thing." (20:20) - "Wanting a certain favor." 

    "Grant that these my two sons may sit....". (20:21) - "Promise that my two sons...."  Salome is referring to Jesus' promise in verse 19:28 that His disciples would sit on thrones of glory.  She wanted her boys to have the most prominent positions next to Jesus. 

    "Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of?" (20:22) - Jesus is referring to His upcoming martyrdom.  The cup represents the suffering Jesus must endure.  Jesus then tells James and John, "Ye shall drink indeed of my cup" (20:23).  Without them knowing it, Jesus is prophetically telling them that they will suffer for their faith.  Soon James will die at the hand of Herod (Acts 12:2), and John will endure persecution and be exiled to the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:9). 

    "To sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give." (20:23) - That will be decided by God the Father. 

    "When the ten heard it." (20:24) - "When the other ten disciples heard it." 

    "Against the two brethren." (20:24) - "Against the two brothers." 

    "Princes of the Gentiles." (20:25) - "Rulers of the Gentiles." 

    "They that are great exercise authority upon them." (20:25) - In this world, leaders have authority over others. 

    "Let him be your minister." (20:26) - "Let him be your servant."  Jesus will repeat this in verse 23:11. 

    "Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant." (20:27) - "Whoever wants to be first among you must be your servant."  Jesus is repeating this message from verse 18:4. 

    "Give his life a ransom for many." (20:28) - To "ransom" someone is to pay a price to secure their release from bondage or rescue them from harm.  To atone for our sins, Jesus substituted His life for ours.  In other words, He ransomed us (1 Timothy 2:5-6; 1 Peter 1:18-19) by taking our punishment on Himself as prophesied in Isaiah 53:4-5 and 53:10.  This is God's gift of salvation.  All we need to do is accept this gift.
     
    "Immediately their eyes received sight." (20:34) - This was not the first time Jesus gave sight to the blind (Matthew 9:27-31).
    ​​

                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Matthew 20:20-34        
    Jesus Teaches about Serving Others
     
    20 Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. 21 "What is your request?" he asked.
     
      She replied, "In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left."
     
    22 But Jesus answered by saying to them, "You don't know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?"
     
      "Oh yes," they replied, "we are able!"
     
    23 Jesus told them, "You will indeed drink from my bitter cup. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. My Father has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen."
     
    24 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 25 But Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many."
     
    Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
     
    29 As Jesus and the disciples left the town of Jericho, a large crowd followed behind. 30 Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"
     
    31 "Be quiet!" the crowd yelled at them.
     
      But they only shouted louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"
     
    32 When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, "What do you want me to do for you?"
     
    33 "Lord," they said, "we want to see!" 34 Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him. 

    This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's questions:
     
    1. What did Salome want for her sons James and John? (20:20-21) 

    ​2. Why was Jesus called the Son of David? (20:30)                                                                           

    Feel free to email these lessons to others.  If you know anyone who would enjoy receiving them directly, let me know.  ​

    Answers:  (Do you agree?) ​
    ​
    1. Salome wanted her two sons to have positions of honor in Jesus' kingdom (20:21).  This upset the other disciples (20:24).  You can read more in Mark 10:35-45.

    2. Jews commonly referred to the promised Messiah as the "Son of David" because it was prophesized that Christ would be a descendant of King David (Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6).  The opening verses of Matthew give Christ's genealogy (Matthew 1:1-17) to show that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy (Matthew 1:6).  How ironic that these two blind men were able to see what others could not.  They might have been physically blind, but their hearts had perfect vision.
    Thought for the day:
     
    Jesus' question to the blind men, "What will ye that I shall do unto you" (20:32), can be asked of us today.  Are there areas in your life that could use Jesus' touch?      ​
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible."  All were critical in putting these lesson together.
    ​    © 2020 evolke ​