New Testament in a Year

¹⁷ Jesus Predicts His Passion a Third Time.^[a] As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves and said to them, ¹⁸ “Behold, we are now going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death. ¹⁹ Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised to life.”

²⁰ The Son of Man Has Come To Serve.^[b] Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons and made a request of him after kneeling before him. ²¹ “What do you wish?” he asked her. She said to him, “Promise that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” ²² Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup^[c] I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.”

²³ He then said to them, “You shall indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not in my power to grant. Those places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

²⁴ When the other ten disciples heard this, they were indignant at the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. ²⁶ This must not be so with you. Instead, whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your servant. ²⁸ In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served but rather to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”^[d]

²⁹ Two Blind Men Receive Sight.^[e] As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus. ³⁰ Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they learned that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, take pity on us.” ³¹ The crowd rebuked them and told them to be silent, but they only shouted even more loudly, “Lord, Son of David, take pity on us.”

³² Jesus stopped and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?” ³³ They said to him, “Lord, grant that our eyes may be opened.” ³⁴ Jesus, moved with compassion, touched their eyes. Immediately, they received their sight and followed him.