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Click a verse to see commentary20. Jesus Predicts His Death
1For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that was a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. 2And when he had agreed with the laborers for a shilling a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing in the marketplace idle; 4and to them he said, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 5Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 6And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing; and he saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 7They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard. 8And when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and pay them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 9And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a shilling. 10And when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received every man a shilling. 11And when they received it, they murmured against the householder, 12saying, These last have spent but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. 13But he answered and said to one of them, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a shilling? 14Take up that which is thine, and go thy way; it is my will to give unto this last, even as unto thee. 15Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? or is thine eye evil, because I am good? 16So the last shall be first, and the first last.
17And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples apart, and on the way he said unto them, 18Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, 19and shall deliver him unto the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify: and the third day he shall be raised up.
20Then came to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, worshipping him, and asking a certain thing of him. 21And he said unto her, What wouldest thou? She saith unto him, Command that these my two sons may sit, one on thy right hand, and one on thy left hand, in thy kingdom. 22But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I am about to drink? They say unto him, We are able. 23He saith unto them, My cup indeed ye shall drink: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left hand, is not mine to give; but it is for them for whom it hath been prepared of my Father. 24And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation concerning the two brethren. 25But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26Not so shall it be among you: but whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister; 27and whosoever would be first among you shall be your servant: 28even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
29And as they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. 30And behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, Lord, have mercy on us, thou son of David. 31And the multitude rebuked them, that they should hold their peace: but they cried out the more, saying, Lord, have mercy on us, thou son of David. 32And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I should do unto you? 33They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. 34And Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and straightway they received their sight, and followed him.
The Sufferings of Christ Predicted.
17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, 18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, 19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
This is the third time that Christ gave his disciples notice of his approaching sufferings; he was not going up to Jerusalem to celebrate the passover, and to offer up himself the great Passover; both must be done at Jerusalem: there the passover must be kept (Deut. xii. 5), and there a prophet must perish, because there the great Sanhedrim sat, who were judges in that case, Luke xiii. 33. Observe,
I. The privacy of this prediction; He took the twelve disciples apart in the way. This was one of those things which were told to them in darkness, but which they were afterward to speak in the light, ch. x. 27. His secret was with them, as his friends, and this particularly. It was a hard saying, and, if any could bear it, they could. They would be more immediately exposed to peril with him, and therefore it was requisite that they should know of it, that, being fore-warned, they might be fore-armed. It was not fit to be spoken publicly as yet, 1. Because many that were cool toward him, would hereby have been driven to turn their backs upon him; the scandal of the cross would have frightened them from following him any longer. 2. Because many that were hot for him, would hereby be driven to take up arms in his defense, and it might have occasioned an uproar among the people (ch. xxvi. 5), which would have been laid to his charge, if he had told them of it publicly before: and, besides that such methods are utterly disagreeable to the genius of his kingdom, which is not of this world, he never countenanced any thing which had a tendency to prevent his sufferings. This discourse was not in the synagogue, or in the house, but in the way, as they travelled along; which teaches us, in our walks or travels with our friends, to keep up such discourse as is good, and to the use of edifying. See Deut. xvi. 7.
II. The prediction itself, v. 18, 19. Observe,
1. It is but a repetition of what he had once and again said before, ch. xvi. 21; xvii. 22, 23. This intimates that he not only saw clearly what troubles lay before him, but that his heart was upon his suffering-work; it filled him, not with fear, then he would have studied to avoid it, and could have done it, but with desire and expectation; he spoke thus frequently of his sufferings, because through them he was to enter into his glory. Note, It is good for us to be often thinking and speaking of our death, and of the sufferings which, it is likely, we may meet with betwixt this and the grave; and thus, by making them more familiar, they would become less formidable. This is one way of dying daily, and of taking up our cross daily, to be daily speaking of the cross, and of dying; which would come neither the sooner nor the surer, but much the better, for our thoughts and discourses of them.
2. He is more particular here in foretelling his sufferings than any time before. He had said (ch. xvi. 21), that he should suffer many things, and be killed; and (ch. xvii. 22), that he should be betrayed into the hands of men, and they should kill him; but here he adds; that he shall be condemned, and delivered to the Gentiles, that they shall mock him, and scourge him, and crucify him. These are frightful things, and the certain foresight of them was enough to damp an ordinary resolution, yet (as was foretold concerning him, Isa. xlii. 4) he did not fail, nor was discouraged; but the more clearly he foresaw his sufferings, the more cheerfully he went forth to meet them. He foretels by whom he should suffer, by the chief priests and the scribes; so he had said before, but here he adds, They shall deliver him to the Gentiles, that he might be the better understood; for the chief priests and scribes had no power to put him to death, nor was crucifying a manner of death in use among the Jews. Christ suffered from the malice both of Jews and Gentiles, because he was to suffer for the salvation both of Jews and Gentiles; both had a hand in his death, because he was to reconcile both by his cross, Eph. ii. 16.
3. Here, as before, he annexes the mention of his resurrection and his glory to that of his death and sufferings; The third day he shall rise again. He still brings this in, (1.) To encourage himself in his sufferings, and to carry him cheerfully through them. He endured the cross for the joy set before him; he foresaw he should rise again, and rise quickly, the third day. He shall be straightway glorified, John xiii. 32. The reward is not only sure, but very near. (2.) To encourage his disciples, and comfort them, who would be overwhelmed and greatly terrified by his sufferings. (3.) To direct us, under all the sufferings of this present time, to keep up a believing prospect of the glory to be revealed, to look at the things that are not seen, that are eternal, which will enable us to call the present afflictions light, and but for a moment.