Matthew 20:17-34

Easy-to-Read Version

Jesus Talks Again About His Death^(A)

¹⁷ Jesus was going to Jerusalem. His twelve followers were with him. While they were walking, he gathered the followers together and spoke to them privately. He said to them, ¹⁸ “We are going to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the leading priests and the teachers of the law, and they will say he must die. ¹⁹ They will hand him over to the foreigners, who will laugh at him and beat him with whips, and then they will kill him on a cross. But on the third day after his death, he will be raised to life again.”

A Mother Asks a Special Favor^(B)

²⁰ Then Zebedee’s wife came to Jesus and brought her sons. She bowed before Jesus and asked him to do something for her.

²¹ Jesus said, “What do you want?”

She said, “Promise that one of my sons will sit at your right side in your kingdom and the other at your left.”

²² So Jesus said to the sons, “You don’t understand what you are asking. Can you drink from the cup^[a] that I must drink from?”

The sons answered, “Yes, we can!”

²³ Jesus said to them, “It is true that you will drink from the cup that I drink from. But it is not for me to say who will sit at my right or my left. My Father has decided who will do that. He has prepared those places for them.”

²⁴ The other ten followers heard this and were angry with the two brothers. ²⁵ So Jesus called the followers together. He said, “You know that the rulers of the non-Jewish people love to show their power over the people. And their important leaders love to use all their authority over the people. ²⁶ But it should not be that way with you. Whoever wants to be your leader must be your servant. ²⁷ Whoever wants to be first must serve the rest of you like a slave. ²⁸ Do as I did: The Son of Man did not come for people to serve him. He came to serve others and to give his life to save many people.”

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men^(C)

²⁹ When Jesus and his followers were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. ³⁰ There were two blind men sitting by the road. They heard that Jesus was coming by. So they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, please help us!”

³¹ The people there criticized the blind men and told them to be quiet. But they shouted more and more, “Lord, Son of David, please help us!”

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

³³ They answered, “Lord, we want to be able to see.”

³⁴ Jesus felt sorry for the blind men. He touched their eyes, and immediately they were able to see. Then they became followers of Jesus.