The Parable of the Vineyard Workers

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.^{(A) 2} After agreeing with the workers on one denarius,^[a] he sent them into his vineyard for the day. ³ When he went out about nine in the morning,^[b] he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴ He said to them, ‘You also go into my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went. ⁵ About noon and about three,^[c] he went out again and did the same thing. ⁶ Then about five^[d] he went and found others standing around^[e] and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?’

⁷ “‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him.

“‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he told them.^{[f] 8} When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay,^(B) starting with the last and ending with the first.’

⁹ “When those who were hired about five came, they each received one denarius. ¹⁰ So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each. ¹¹ When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner: ¹² ‘These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day’s work and the burning heat.’^(C)

¹³ “He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius?^{(D) 14} Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine? Are you jealous^[g] because I’m generous?’^[h](E)

¹⁶ “So the last will be first, and the first last.”^[i](F)

The Third Prediction of His Death

¹⁷ While going up to Jerusalem,^(G) Jesus took the twelve disciples aside privately and said to them on the way, ¹⁸ “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.^{(H) 19} They will hand him over to the Gentiles^(I) to be mocked, flogged,^[j] and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised.”^[k]

Suffering and Service

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached him with her sons.^(J) She knelt down to ask him for something.^{(K) 21} “What do you want?” he asked her.

“Promise,”^[l] she said to him, “that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right and the other on your left, in your kingdom.”^(L)

²² Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”^[m](M)

“We are able,” they said to him.

²³ He told them, “You will indeed drink my cup,^[n] but to sit at my right and left is not mine to give; instead, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”^(N)

²⁴ When the ten disciples heard this, they became indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵ Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. ²⁶ It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,^{(O) 27} and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,^(P) and to give his life as a ransom for many.”^(Q)

Two Blind Men Healed

²⁹ As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.^{(R) 30} There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” ³¹ The crowd demanded that they keep quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” ^(S)

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

³³ “Lord,” they said to him, “open our eyes.” ³⁴ Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed him.

The Third Prediction of His Death

³² They^(A) were on the road, going up to Jerusalem,^(B) and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were astonished, but those who followed him were afraid.^(C) Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them the things that would happen to him.^{(D) 33} “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man^(E) will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes,^(F) and they will condemn him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles,^{(G) 34} and they will mock him, spit on him, flog^[a] him, and kill him, and he will rise^(H) after three days.”^(I)

Suffering and Service

³⁵ James^(J) and John,^(K) the sons of Zebedee,^(L) approached him and said, “Teacher,^(M) we want you to do whatever we ask you.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them.

³⁷ They answered him, “Allow us to sit at your right and at your left in your glory.”^(N)

³⁸ Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you’re asking.^(O) Are you able to drink the cup^(P) I drink or to be baptized with the baptism^(Q) I am baptized with?”^(R)

³⁹ “We are able,” they told him.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with.^{(S) 40} But to sit at my right or left is not mine to give; instead, it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

⁴¹ When the ten disciples heard this, they began to be indignant with James and John.^{(T) 42} Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over^(U) them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. ⁴³ But it is not so among you.^(V) On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant,^{(W) 44} and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all.^{(X) 45} For even the Son of Man^(Y) did not come to be served, but to serve,^(Z) and to give his life^(AA) as a ransom^(AB) for many.”^[b](AC)

A Blind Man Healed

⁴⁶ They^(AD) came to Jericho.^(AE) And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus), a blind^(AF) beggar,^(AG) was sitting by the road.^{(AH) 47} When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth,^(AI) he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David,^(AJ) have mercy^(AK) on me!” ^{(AL) 48} Many warned him to keep quiet, but he was crying out all the more, “Have mercy on me,^(AM) Son of David!”

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called the blind man and said to him, “Have courage!^(AN) Get up; he’s calling for you.” ⁵⁰ He threw off his coat,^(AO) jumped up, and came to Jesus.

⁵¹ Then Jesus answered him, “What do you want^(AP) me to do for you?”

“Rabboni,”^[c](AQ) the blind man said to him, “I want to see.”

⁵² Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has saved you.”^(AR) Immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road.

The Third Prediction of His Death

³¹ Then^(A) he took the Twelve aside and told them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem.^(B) Everything that is written^(C) through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished.^{(D) 32} For he will be handed over to the Gentiles,^(E) and he will be mocked,^(F) insulted, spit^(G) on; ³³ and after they flog him, they will kill him, and he will rise on the third day.”^(H)

³⁴ They understood none of these things.^(I) The meaning of the saying^[a](J) was hidden^(K) from them, and they did not grasp what was said.