Jesus Tells of His Death the Third Time ^(A)

³² They were on their way to Jerusalem. Jesus walked in front of them. Those who followed were surprised and afraid. Then Jesus took the twelve followers by themselves. He told them what would happen to Him. ³³ He said, “Listen, we are going to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the religious leaders of the Jews and to the teachers of the Law. They will say that He must be put to death. They will hand Him over to the people who are not Jews. ³⁴ They will make fun of Him and will beat Him. They will spit on Him and will kill Him. But three days later He will be raised from the dead.”

James and John Ask Jesus Something Hard ^(B)

³⁵ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus. They said, “Teacher, we would like to have You do for us whatever we ask You.” ³⁶ He said to them, “What would you like to have Me do for you?” ³⁷ They said to Him, “Let one of us sit by Your right side and the other by Your left side when You receive Your great honor in heaven.” ³⁸ Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Can you take the suffering I am about to take? Can you be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” ³⁹ They said to Him, “Yes, we can.” Jesus said to them, “You will, for sure, suffer the way I will suffer. You will be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with. ⁴⁰ But to sit on My right side or on My left side is not for Me to give. It will be given to those for whom it has been made ready.” ⁴¹ The other ten followers heard it. They were angry with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them to Him and said, “You know that those who are made leaders over the nations show their power to the people. Important leaders use their power over the people. ⁴³ It must not be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great among you, let him care for you. ⁴⁴ Whoever wants to be first among you, must be the one who is owned and cares for all. ⁴⁵ For the Son of Man did not come to be cared for. He came to care for others. He came to give His life so that many could be bought by His blood and be made free from sin.”

Healing of the Blind Man ^(C)

⁴⁶ Then they came to the city of Jericho. When He was leaving the city with His followers and many people, a blind man was sitting by the road. He was asking people for food or money as they passed by. His name was Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus. ⁴⁷ He heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. He began to speak with a loud voice, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, take pity on me!” ⁴⁸ Many people spoke sharp words to the blind man telling him not to call out like that. But he spoke all the more. He said, “Son of David, take pity on me.” ⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and told them to call the blind man. They called to him and said, “Take hope! Stand up, He is calling for you!” ⁵⁰ As he jumped up, he threw off his coat and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ Jesus said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Lord, I want to see!” ⁵² Jesus said, “Go! Your faith has healed you.” At once he could see and he followed Jesus down the road.