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Matt 20:1
Ὁμοία γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ οἰκοδεσπότῃ ὅστις ἐξῆλθεν ἅμα πρωῒ μισθώσασθαι ἐργάτας εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα αὐτοῦ.
Matt 20:2
συμφωνήσας δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἐργατῶν ἐκ δηναρίου τὴν ἡμέραν ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα αὐτοῦ.
Matt 20:3
καὶ ἐξελθὼν περὶ τρίτην ὥραν εἶδεν ἄλλους ἑστῶτας ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ ἀργούς·
Matt 20:4
καὶ ἐκείνοις εἶπεν· Ὑπάγετε καὶ ὑμεῖς εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν ᾖ δίκαιον δώσω ὑμῖν·
Matt 20:5
οἱ δὲ ἀπῆλθον. πάλιν ἐξελθὼν περὶ ἕκτην καὶ ἐνάτην ὥραν ἐποίησεν ὡσαύτως.
Matt 20:6
περὶ δὲ τὴν ἑνδεκάτην ἐξελθὼν εὗρεν ἄλλους ἑστῶτας, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Τί ὧδε ἑστήκατε ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἀργοί;
Matt 20:7
λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἡμᾶς ἐμισθώσατο. λέγει αὐτοῖς· Ὑπάγετε καὶ ὑμεῖς εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα.
Matt 20:8
ὀψίας δὲ γενομένης λέγει ὁ κύριος τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος τῷ ἐπιτρόπῳ αὐτοῦ· Κάλεσον τοὺς ἐργάτας καὶ ἀπόδος αὐτοῖς τὸν μισθὸν ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τῶν ἐσχάτων ἕως τῶν πρώτων.
Matt 20:9
καὶ ἐλθόντες οἱ περὶ τὴν ἑνδεκάτην ὥραν ἔλαβον ἀνὰ δηνάριον.
Matt 20:10
καὶ ἐλθόντες οἱ πρῶτοι ἐνόμισαν ὅτι πλεῖον λήμψονται· καὶ ἔλαβον τὸ ἀνὰ δηνάριον καὶ αὐτοί.
Matt 20:11
λαβόντες δὲ ἐγόγγυζον κατὰ τοῦ οἰκοδεσπότου
Matt 20:12
λέγοντες· Οὗτοι οἱ ἔσχατοι μίαν ὥραν ἐποίησαν, καὶ ἴσους αὐτοὺς ἡμῖν ἐποίησας τοῖς βαστάσασι τὸ βάρος τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τὸν καύσωνα.
Matt 20:13
ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς ἑνὶ αὐτῶν εἶπεν· Ἑταῖρε, οὐκ ἀδικῶ σε· οὐχὶ δηναρίου συνεφώνησάς μοι;
Matt 20:14
ἆρον τὸ σὸν καὶ ὕπαγε· θέλω δὲ τούτῳ τῷ ἐσχάτῳ δοῦναι ὡς καὶ σοί·
Matt 20:15
οὐκ ἔξεστίν μοι ὃ θέλω ποιῆσαι ἐν τοῖς ἐμοῖς; ἢ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου πονηρός ἐστιν ὅτι ἐγὼ ἀγαθός εἰμι;
Matt 20:16
οὕτως ἔσονται οἱ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι.
Matt 20:17
Καὶ ἀναβαίνων ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα παρέλαβεν τοὺς δώδεκα μαθητὰς κατ’ ἰδίαν, καὶ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς·
and as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples by themselves and in the way He spoke to them,
Paraphrase: Now as Jesus was travelling towards Jerusalem, He got His disciples apart from the other travelers and conversed with them privately.
Comments:
Matt 20:18
Ἰδοὺ ἀναβαίνομεν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδοθήσεται τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσιν καὶ γραμματεῦσιν, καὶ κατακρινοῦσιν αὐτὸν θανάτῳ,
Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the high priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death.
Paraphrase: “Listen,” He said, “We are going up to Jerusalem with all these other people. I want you to know, however, that it is not going to go well for us there. Someone is going to betray God’s Appointed King (Dan 7:13) to the authorities. They are going to arrest Him and bring Him to trial before the Supreme Court. The verdict is going to be guilty of death.
Comments:
On the title “Son of Man”, see Warfield. “The picture that is drawn is clearly, then, a picture of voluntary humiliation for a high end, with the accomplishment of the end and return to the original glory.”
On the Sanhedrin, see Robertson.
Matt 20:19
καὶ παραδώσουσιν αὐτὸν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εἰς τὸ ἐμπαῖξαι καὶ μαστιγῶσαι καὶ σταυρῶσαι, καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐγερθήσεται.
and they will hand Him over to the Gentiles in order that He might be mocked, whipped, and crucified; and on the third day, He will be raised.
Paraphrase: Once this verdict is pronounced, the Son of Man will be handed over to the Romans who will then make good on the decision of the Sanhedrin. The Roman executioners will hold Him up to all kinds of ridicule and scorn; they will scourge Him; and finally, they will drag Him outside the city and nail Him to a cross. Far from this being the end, however, God, Who is the Great Ancient of Days (Dan 7:9), will raise the Son of Man (Dan 7:13) from the dead and give Him a place on His right hand so that He will be both a Prince and a Savior to Israel and will give repentance and remission of sins (Acts 5:31) to all who put their trust in Him.
Comments:
Matt 20:20
Τότε προσῆλθεν αὐτῷ ἡ μήτηρ τῶν υἱῶν Ζεβεδαίου μετὰ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτῆς προσκυνοῦσα καὶ αἰτοῦσά τι παρ’ αὐτοῦ.
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Him with her sons, bowing and asking something from Him
Paraphrase: At this time, the wife of Zebedee came to Jesus and in order that she might make a request. She brought her sons with her and respectfully bowed before Jesus.
Comments:
προσκυνοῦσα and αἰτοῦσά are both feminine, nominative, singular participles modifying μήτηρ; cf principle 7.
Matt 20:21
ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῇ· Τί θέλεις; λέγει αὐτῷ· Εἰπὲ ἵνα καθίσωσιν οὗτοι οἱ δύο υἱοί μου εἷς ἐκ δεξιῶν σου καὶ εἷς ἐξ εὐωνύμων σου ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου.
but He said to her, “What are you desiring?” She said to Him, “Speak that these my two sons might sit, one at your right and one at your left in your kingdom?”
Paraphrase: Jesus noticed her and asked what request she might have. She responded, “This is my request. Some time ago, you promised that all your disciples would have positions of leadership in your kingdom. (Mt 19:28) Would you please give your word that my two sons, James and John (Mt 4:21; 10:2), will have the highest office in Your kingdom? Perhaps one of them could sit at your right hand and be your first officer and the other on your left as your second-in-command?”
Comments:
Alford references a rabbinical work that says that God would sit the Messiah at His right hand and Abraham as his left. source
Matt 20:22
ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· Οὐκ οἴδατε τί αἰτεῖσθε· δύνασθε πιεῖν τὸ ποτήριον ὃ ἐγὼ μέλλω πίνειν; λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Δυνάμεθα.
Then, Jesus answering said, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup which I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.”
Paraphrase: Then, Jesus turned from the mother and spoke directly to her sons, James and John. “Your question shows that you haven’t understood a thing of what I just said (Mt 20:19). You still don’t understand what kind of kingdom I am building. Do you really think you can carry the burden which I am called to carry? Do you really think you can assist Me in completing the mission on which My Father sent Me? Are you ready to suffer all the things I was just telling you are waiting for us when we get to Jerusalem? Do you think My kingdom is going to be a display of earthly pomp and magnificence?” James and John both responded, “Yes, we think we are up to the task.”
Comments:
The verb δύναμαι always has a complementary infinitive as here.
Matt 20:23
λέγει αὐτοῖς· Τὸ μὲν ποτήριόν μου πίεσθε, τὸ δὲ καθίσαι ἐκ δεξιῶν μου καὶ ἐξ εὐωνύμων οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν δοῦναι, ἀλλ’ οἷς ἡτοίμασται ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός μου.
He said to them, “My cup, on the one hand, you will drink, but to sit at My right and at left is not Mine to give, but to those for whom it is prepared by My Father..
Paraphrase: Jesus responded, “Actually, you will share in something of My sufferings. You have no idea what this means right now, but you will eventually. Who holds what office in My kingdom, however, is not for Me to assign. Only My Father knows who will hold these offices, and He has prepared certain people for each of them.”
Comments:
James and John did end up drinking a portion of their master’s cup. James in Acts 12 (cf here) and John on Patmos (Rev 1:9 or here).
Matt 20:24
Καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ δέκα ἠγανάκτησαν περὶ τῶν δύο ἀδελφῶν.
and when the twelve heard, they were angry with the two brothers.
Paraphrase: Now when the other disciples heard of this outrageous request, they were indignant. They were ready to confront James and John and to demand from them an explanation.
Comments:
ἀκούσαντες is an anarthrous participle showing time.
Matt 20:25
ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτοὺς εἶπεν· Οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν.
But Jesus calling them to Himself, said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles rule them and the great ones control them…
Paraphrase: But Jesus quickly moved in amongst them and gathered them around Him for a lesson. He found this quarrel to be a perfect opportunity to help them better understand His kingdom. “Listen,” He said, “You all know how the Romans love power. Their highest aspiration is to be someone great; they want nothing more than to control other people and to tell them what to do. Romans love to be the one in charge; they love to bark orders and then watch their underlings hurry to obey them.
Comments:
Matt 20:26
οὐχ οὕτως ἔσται ἐν ὑμῖν· ἀλλ’ ὃς ἂν θέλῃ ἐν ὑμῖν μέγας γενέσθαι ἔσται ὑμῶν διάκονος,
It will not be in this manner with you, but whoever among you might desire to be great, he will be your servant.
Paraphrase: This, however, is not how things are going to work in the kingdom of God. On the contrary, the person who will be marked as the greatest in My kingdom is the very person who is most a servant. Service to others is the mark of greatness in My kingdom.
Comments:
Matt 20:27
καὶ ὃς ἂν θέλῃ ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι πρῶτος ἔσται ὑμῶν δοῦλος·
and whoever among you might desire to be first, he will be your slave.
Paraphrase: I will go even further. Do you want the highest office in the kingdom of God? Good, I am glad to hear it; then choose to be a slave. The person who chooses to do the lowest kind of work in My kingdom and to do so unrecognized will be counted the greatest.
Comments:
Matt 20:28
ὥσπερ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἦλθεν διακονηθῆναι ἀλλὰ διακονῆσαι καὶ δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντὶ πολλῶν.
just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom in the place of many.
Paraphrase: I ask you to consider in this regard the mission that I am on. James and John, you said you wanted to drink My cup. You said you were able to bear the burden My Father placed on Me, and to assist Me in completing the mission on which My Father sent Me. The rest of you were very upset with these two because, in reality, you all desire the same thing. In this respect, you’re all very much like Romans because you all want to be the one who sits in the position of honor, prestige, and glory. You all want people bowing and scraping before you and hurrying to obey your orders. Let’s not beat up on James and John when really you are all in the same boat. Let me tell you, then, how you can drink My cup and thus become “great”. My Father sent Me on a mission to come and give My life as a ransom-price in order to set My people free from slavery. You all know very well that no slave can be free until he pays the ransom-price. Well this is a vague picture of what My Father sent Me to do only the ransom-price which I have to pay for your freedom is My own life. I have to die in order that you might be set free. Are you willing to do this? This is how you drink My cup. To serve other people to such an extent that you am willing even to give up your life for them. If you are not willing to do this, then you will never be “great” in My kingdom.
Comments:
See Deissmann on the whole practice of slaves buying their freedom.
Matt 20:29
Καὶ ἐκπορευομένων αὐτῶν ἀπὸ Ἰεριχὼ ἠκολούθησεν αὐτῷ ὄχλος πολύς.
Matt 20:30
καὶ ἰδοὺ δύο τυφλοὶ καθήμενοι παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, ἀκούσαντες ὅτι Ἰησοῦς παράγει, ἔκραξαν λέγοντες· Κύριε, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, υἱὸς Δαυίδ.
Matt 20:31
ὁ δὲ ὄχλος ἐπετίμησεν αὐτοῖς ἵνα σιωπήσωσιν· οἱ δὲ μεῖζον ἔκραξαν λέγοντες· Κύριε, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, υἱὸς Δαυίδ.
Matt 20:32
καὶ στὰς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐφώνησεν αὐτοὺς καὶ εἶπεν· Τί θέλετε ποιήσω ὑμῖν;
Matt 20:33
λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Κύριε, ἵνα ἀνοιγῶσιν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν.
Matt 20:34
σπλαγχνισθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἥψατο τῶν ὀμμάτων αὐτῶν, καὶ εὐθέως ἀνέβλεψαν καὶ ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ.