Matthew 20:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

NIV: and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!'

NASB: and they will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and flog and crucify, and on the third day He will be raised up.'

CSB: They will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised."

NLT: Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.'

KJV: And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

NKJV: and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”

Jesus is telling the disciples, clearly and plainly and for the third time in this gospel, exactly what will happen to Him when they reach Jerusalem (Matthew 16:21; 17:22–23). He has said that He will be delivered over to the Jewish religious leaders (with the word "delivered" perhaps referring to Judas' betrayal). They will condemn Him to death.

Now He adds that, once condemned, the Jewish leadership will hand Him over to the Gentiles: the Romans. This is because the Jewish religious leaders do not have the authority to execute one of their own prisoners. The Romans will mock, flog, and then crucify Jesus on a cross. Finally, Jesus insists that He will be raised on the third day.

Once again, Jesus shows that nothing that happened to Him in Jerusalem was a surprise. He embraced it as the central part of His mission on earth. His refusal to turn back or to thwart what was coming is enormous evidence of His commitment to demonstrate God's love to the world and God's power over sin and death.

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 5/1/2024 11:39:37 PM