As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve [disciples] aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, 19 and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. 21 He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” 23 He replied, “My cup you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left [, this] is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. 26 But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; 27 whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. 28 Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
As Jesus goes up to Jerusalem, he takes the Twelve aside “on the way” and speaks plainly about what awaits him. The language of going “up” to Jerusalem echoes the Old Testament language of pilgrimage, especially in the Psalms of ascent (for example, Ps 122:1). Yet Jerusalem in Matthew has also been a place of opposition. Now, on the road that leads there, Jesus gives his third and most detailed prediction of his Passion.
He announces a twofold “handing over.” The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, who will condemn him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles. The reference is to Pilate and the Roman authorities. Matthew specifies the degrading manner of his death: he will be mocked and scourged and crucified. Unlike Mark’s more general “put him to death,” Matthew names crucifixion directly. The pattern is clear and deliberate. The Messiah foresees the collaboration of Jewish leaders and Roman power in bringing about his death. Yet this prediction ends, as the earlier ones did, with divine vindication: “he will be raised on the third day,” a time reference that recalls the scriptural pattern of restoration (Hos 6:2).
Immediately after this solemn prediction comes a misunderstanding. The mother of the sons of Zebedee approaches Jesus with her sons and asks that they sit at his right and left in his kingdom. Matthew places the request in the mouth of the mother, perhaps softening the portrayal of the two disciples, but the ambition is theirs. The request echoes royal court language. To sit at a king’s right and left is to share in his rule and honor. In the Old Testament, Bathsheba once made a similar appeal to David on behalf of Solomon (1 Kgs 1:11-21). Here, however, the request stands in sharp contrast to what Jesus has just foretold.
Jesus answers the sons directly: “You do not know what you are asking.” The issue is not status but participation in his fate. “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” In the Old Testament, the cup is often a symbol of suffering, even of divine judgment (Ps 75:8; Is 51:17; Jer 25:15). In Matthew’s Gospel, the cup will reappear in Gethsemane (26:39). It signifies the Passion he is about to endure. When they reply, “We can,” Jesus tells them that they will indeed drink his cup. Tradition later sees this fulfilled in James’s martyrdom (Acts 12:2) and in John’s own share in suffering. Yet the granting of places of honor belongs to the Father. The path of suffering is theirs to share; the distribution of glory rests with God.
The indignation of the other ten reveals that ambition is not limited to two brothers. Jesus uses the moment to redefine greatness. He contrasts the rulers of the Gentiles, who “lord it over” others and make their authority felt, with the standard that must prevail among his disciples. “It shall not be so among you.” In the kingdom, greatness is measured differently. Whoever wishes to be great must be a servant; whoever wishes to be first must be a slave.
The terms are concrete. A “servant” is one who waits on others at table, not one who occupies a place of honor. A “slave” stands at the opposite end of the social scale from a “lord.” Authority in the community of Jesus does not mirror political domination. It takes the form of self-giving service.
The final verse provides the decisive interpretation: “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The word “ransom” evokes the idea of liberation at a cost, as in the freeing of slaves or prisoners. In the Scriptures of Israel, similar language is used for God’s deliverance of his people from Egypt and from exile (Ex 6:6; Is 43:1). Here it refers to the costly death of Jesus himself. The cost is borne by him; his life is given.
The phrase “for many” should not be understood as limiting the scope of salvation. In Semitic usage, “many” can designate the multitude, the whole. The language also recalls the Suffering Servant of Isaiah, who “bears” the sins of many (Is 53:10-12). From the beginning of this Gospel, Jesus’ mission has been defined as saving his people from their sins (1:21). His service reaches its climax in the gift of his life.
Thus the passage binds together suffering, service, and greatness. The road to Jerusalem is both the literal path to the city and the metaphorical path of discipleship. To seek greatness in the kingdom apart from the cup of suffering is to misunderstand it. The Son of Man himself walks this road first. His followers are invited to walk it after him.
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Sources and References
- Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, New Testament, commentary on Matt 20:17-28, p. 43.
- Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., ed., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990), 663, paras. 121-122.
- The Navarre Bible: St. Matthew (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2001), 116-117.
- John J. Collins et al., eds., The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century, 3rd fully revised ed. (London: T&T Clark, 2020), 1213-1214.
- The Paulist Biblical Commentary, commentary on Matt 20:17-28, 949-950.
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