Matthew 20:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them,

NIV: Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them,

NASB: As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the road He said to them,

CSB: While going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve disciples aside privately and said to them on the way,

NLT: As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him.

KJV: And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,

NKJV: Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them,

Matthew now reminds us that Jesus is continuing to move toward Jerusalem. He has left behind His life and ministry in the region of Galilee. In voluntarily moving toward Jerusalem, the seat of both Roman and Jewish power in Israel, Jesus has initiated the final steps toward the completion of His mission. This is more than a change of scenery; this also implies Jesus is heading towards His enemies, and eventual execution (Mark 8:31). For the third time, He will once again describe exactly what will happen to Him when they reach Jerusalem.

There can be no doubt. Jesus fully understood who He was and why He had come to earth in the first place. He was, in truth, "the Christ, the Son of the living God," just as Peter had described Him (Matthew 16:16). What that meant, though, Peter did not understand. Jesus had not come to overthrow and rule and judge on earth at this time. He had come to die, as the Son of God, for the sins of humanity and to be raised, by the power of God, from the dead. He had come to make a way out of sin and death once and for all.

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.

Accessed 5/4/2024 10:07:33 AM