Matthew 20:28 - Printer Friendly

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

NIV: just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

NASB: just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.'

CSB: just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

NLT: 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.'

KJV: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

NKJV: just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Jesus has told His ambitious disciples a shocking thing. If they would be great, they must become a servant to the others. If they would be first, they must become slaves to each other (Matthew 20:25–27). Is Jesus just spiritualizing the idea of greatness to mean something religious? Who would willingly lead the life of a servant or slave if he really wanted greatness?

Christ points out that this is exactly the life He has been living among them. Using the title He often applied to Himself, He says the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve others. In fact, He came to voluntarily give His own life away as a ransom for many (1 Timothy 2:5–6). Jesus' death on the cross, which will happen quite soon, is the ultimate act of service by the greatest human ever to live (Mark 8:31). In Philippians 2:5–8, Paul explains it this way:

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

This unimaginable act of service to humanity led, in the end, to Jesus becoming the greatest of all for all time:

"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9–11).

Jesus is calling the disciples (and all who are in Christ) to follow the same path to greatness: humble, sacrificial service to each other.

Matthew 20:20–28 follows Jesus' clear description of His impending death with a poorly timed request from James and John, through their mother. Their desire is for the two sons to be given the powerful positions of being seated on Jesus' left and right hand in His kingdom. Jesus makes an obscure reference to His upcoming suffering, asking if they can "drink the cup" ahead of Him. He then notes they will experience their own persecution and suffering, yet greatness in His kingdom won't look like the flaunted authority of the Gentile rulers. The greatest of all will be the one who serves the others as a slave. Jesus, too, has come to serve and not to be served.

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.