²⁷ and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,^{[a] 28} even as the Son of Man came not to be served but ^(A)to serve, and ^(B)to give his life as a ransom for ^(C)many.”

³⁰ But ^(A)many who are ^(B)first will be last, and the last first.

Laborers in the Vineyard

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius^[a] a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, ⁴ and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ ⁵ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. ⁶ And ^(C)about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ ⁷ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ ⁸ And ^(D)when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his ^(E)foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ ⁹ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. ¹⁰ Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, ¹² saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and ^(F)the scorching heat.’ ¹³ But he replied to one of them, ^(G)‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take ^(H)what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. ^15 (I)Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or ^(J)do you begrudge my generosity?’^{[b] 16} So ^(K)the last will be first, and the first last.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

^17 (A)And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, ¹⁸ “See, ^(B)we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will ^(C)condemn him to death ¹⁹ and ^(D)deliver him over to the Gentiles ^(E)to be mocked and flogged and ^(F)crucified, and he will be raised on ^(G)the third day.”

A Mother's Request

^20 (H)Then ^(I)the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and ^(J)kneeling before him she asked him for something. ²¹ And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine ^(K)are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, ^(L)in your kingdom.” ²² Jesus answered, ^(M)“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ^(N)to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” ²³ He said to them, ^(O)“You will drink ^(P)my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, ^(Q)but it is for those for whom it has been ^(R)prepared by my Father.” ²⁴ And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus called them to him and said, ^(S)“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles ^(T)lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ^26 (U)It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,^{[a] 27} and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,^{[b] 28} even as the Son of Man came not to be served but ^(V)to serve, and ^(W)to give his life as a ransom for ^(X)many.”

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

^29 (Y)And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. ³⁰ And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord,^[c] have mercy on us, ^(Z)Son of David!” ³¹ The crowd ^(AA)rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” ³² And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” ³³ They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” ³⁴ And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

Sit at My Right Hand

A Psalm of David.

²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world,^{[a] (A)}when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me ^(B)will also sit on twelve thrones, ^(C)judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ^29 (D)And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold^[b] and will ^(E)inherit eternal life.

The Triumphal Entry

21 ^(A)Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to ^(B)the Mount of Olives, then Jesus ^(C)sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” ⁴ This took place ^(D)to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. ⁸ Most of the crowd ^(G)spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, ^(H)“Hosanna to ^(I)the Son of David! ^(J)Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna ^(K)in the highest!” ¹⁰ And ^(L)when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹ And the crowds said, “This is ^(M)the prophet Jesus, ^(N)from Nazareth of Galilee.”

The Coming King of Zion

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

^12 (A)And Jesus entered the temple^[a] and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of ^(B)the money-changers and the seats of those who sold ^(C)pigeons. ¹³ He said to them, “It is written, ^(D)‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but ^(E)you make it a den of robbers.”

^14 (F)And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. ^15 (G)But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, ^(H)“Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, ¹⁶ and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; ^(I)have you never read,

¹⁷ And ^(L)leaving them, he ^(M)went out of the city to ^(N)Bethany and lodged there.