Matthew 20:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "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

NIV: "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death

NASB: Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death,

CSB: "See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death.

NLT: Listen,' he said, 'we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die.

KJV: 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,

NKJV: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death,

Matthew has reminded us that, despite frequent detours for teaching and healing, Jesus is still headed "up" to Jerusalem. Because of its elevation, Jerusalem was generally said to be "up" from anywhere in Israel. Jesus is not yet there, however. He has more to do before finally arriving to meet the events He describes in this and the following verse.

Jesus says this even more clearly and plainly to the disciples than He has the previous two times (Matthew 16:21; 17:22–23). He wants them to understand exactly what is coming and that He is moving toward it of His own free will. He wants them to remember this.

When they reach Jerusalem, the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to be executed. Jesus often refers to Himself as the Son of Man (Matthew 8:20; 9:6; 17:9). He reveals once more that He will be delivered to the Jewish religious leaders. The fact that He will be condemned means His death won't be a sudden stoning or push from a cliff in the heat of the moment. Jesus knows He will face a legal proceeding. A deliberated judgment of death will be rendered in response to a charge against Him.

The fact that Jesus knew all of this was coming tells us at least two things. First, His commitment, His resolve, to carry out the will of His Father and demonstrate God's love for the world (John 3:16) was absolute. He would not just show up and hope for the best. He knew what was coming and kept going toward it. Second, Jesus has demonstrated that He contained all the power needed to keep from being arrested, convicted, and condemned to death. The fact that He knows what is coming shows that He was not overcome.

Matthew 20:17–19 is this gospel's third instance (Matthew 16:21; 17:22–23) of Jesus describing what will happen to Him when He and His disciples reach Jerusalem. The Son of Man, meaning Christ, will be betrayed to His enemies among the Jewish religious leaders. They will condemn Him to death and hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified. Then, Jesus adds, the Son of Man will be raised on the third day. Jesus clearly knows exactly what was coming, and He continues to head toward Jerusalem to fulfill it.

Jesus illustrates His earlier comments about how some of the "first will be last, and the last first" (Matthew 19:30) with a parable about hired workers. He then clearly tells His disciples about His impending death and resurrection. The mother of James and John asks Jesus to make her sons number two and three in His kingdom. Jesus tells the disciples that true greatness won't come by flaunting authority as the Gentile leaders do. Instead, they will become great by serving each other, even as a slave does, as Jesus Himself has done. He then heals two blind men immediately before entering Jerusalem.

Matthew 20 begins with a parable that illustrates Jesus' statement at the end of Matthew 19: In His kingdom, some of the first will be last and the last first. Still on their way to Jerusalem, Jesus tells the disciples for the third time that He will be killed and then raised on the third day. When asked, Jesus explains that it is not up to Him to grant the seats on His right and left hand in the kingdom and that His disciples will not become great in the way of Gentiles. Instead, they will find greatness by serving each other. A healing of two blind men leads into the triumphal entry, the first event in the last earthly week of Jesus' ministry.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.