The Workers in the Vineyard

20 “The kingdom from^[a] heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² After agreeing to pay the workers one denarius^[b] a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ When he went out about nine o’clock,^[c] he saw others standing in the marketplace without work. ⁴ He told them, ‘You go into the vineyard, too, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So off they went. He went out again about noon^[d] and about three o’clock^[e] and did the same thing. ⁶ About five o’clock^[f] he went out and found some others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why are you standing here all day long without work?’ ⁷ They told him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He told them, ‘You go into the vineyard as well.’

⁸ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his manager, ‘Call the workers and give them their wages, beginning with the last and ending with^[g] the first.’ ⁹ Those who were hired at five o’clock^[h] came, and each received a denarius.

¹⁰ “When the first came, they thought they would receive more, but each received a denarius as well. ¹¹ When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner, ¹² ‘These last fellows worked only one hour, but you paid them the same as us, and we’ve been working all day,^[i] enduring the scorching heat!’

¹³ “But he told one of them, ‘Friend, I’m not treating you unfairly. You did agree with me for a denarius, didn’t you? ¹⁴ Take what is yours and go. I want to give this last man as much as I gave you.^{[j] 15} I am allowed to do what I want with my own money,^[k] am I not? Or are you envious^[l] because I’m generous?’

¹⁶ “In the same way, the last will be first, and the first will be last, because many are called, but few are chosen.”^[m]

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time^(A)

¹⁷ When Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples^[n] aside and told them as they were walking along, ¹⁸ “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. ¹⁹ Then they will hand him over to unbelievers^[o] to be mocked, whipped, and crucified, but on the third day he will be raised.”

The Request of James and John^(B)

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus^[p] with her sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor. ²¹ He asked her, “What do you want?”

She told him, “Promise^[q] that in your kingdom these two sons of mine will sit on your right and on your left.”

²² Jesus replied, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink from the cup that I’m going to drink from?”^[r]

They told him, “We can.”

²³ He told them, “You will indeed drink from my cup. But it’s not up to me to grant you a seat at my right hand or at my left. These positions have already been prepared for others by my Father.”

²⁴ When the ten heard this, they became furious with the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus called the disciples^[s] and said, “You know that the rulers of the unbelievers^[t] lord it over them and their superiors act like tyrants over them. ²⁶ That’s not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. ²⁸ That’s the way it is with the Son of Man. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men^(C)

²⁹ As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus.^{[u] 30} When two blind men who were sitting by the roadside heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Have mercy on us, Lord,^[v] Son of David!” ³¹ When the crowd told them harshly to be silent, they shouted even louder, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

³² Jesus stopped and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?”

³³ They told him, “Lord, we want to be able to see!”^{[w] 34} Then Jesus, deeply moved with compassion, touched their eyes, and at once they could see again. So they followed him.