Matthew
Chapter 20
1 The kingdom of heaven is like a man who owns a house and went out early in the morning to find workers for his vineyard.
2 After he made a deal with the workers for one penny each day, he sent them to his grape farm.
3 He went out around nine in the morning and saw others standing around doing nothing in the market.
4 He said to them, “You go work in the vineyard too, and I will pay you what is fair.” So they went.
5 He went out again around six and nine in the morning and did the same thing.
6 Around eleven o’clock, he went out, found others standing around doing nothing, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?’
7 They tell him, “No one has given us work.” He says to them, “Go work in the vineyard, and you will get what is fair.”
8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the workers, and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired to the first.”
9 When the workers who were hired around 5 p.m. came, each one got a penny.
10 When the first workers came, they thought they would get more, but they also got one penny each.
11 When they got it, they complained about the homeowner.
12 You said, ‘These people worked only one hour, but you’ve treated them the same as us, who worked hard all day in the hot sun.’
13 He replied to one of them, “Friend, I’m not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a penny?”
14 Take what is yours and leave; I will give this last person the same as I gave you.
15 Isn’t it okay for me to do what I want with what’s mine? Are you jealous because I am generous?
16 The last will be first, and the first will be last: many are called, but few are chosen.
17 Jesus headed to Jerusalem and took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them,
18 Look, we are going to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be handed over to the religious leaders and the teachers of the law, and they will sentence him to death.
19 They will hand him over to foreigners to mock, whip, and crucify him; but on the third day, he will come back to life.
20 Zebedee’s wife came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down to him, and asked him for something.
21 He asked her, “What do you want?” She replied, “Let my two sons sit with you in your kingdom, one on your right and the other on your left.”
22 But Jesus replied, “You don’t understand what you’re asking. Can you handle the hard things I’m going to face and go through the tough experience I will go through?” They answered him, “We can.”
23 He tells them, “You will indeed drink from my cup and be baptized like I am. But to sit at my right or left side is not for me to give. That place is for those my Father has prepared it for.”
24 When the ten heard about it, they were very upset with the two brothers.
25 Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the leaders of other nations rule over them, and their powerful people have authority over them.”
26 In your group, it should not be like that. Instead, if someone wants to be important, they should serve you.
27 Whoever wants to be the most important among you must serve the rest.
28 The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life to save many people.
29 As they left Jericho, a large crowd followed him.
30 Two blind men were sitting by the road. When they heard Jesus was coming by, they shouted, “Please help us, Lord, Son of David!”
31 The crowd told them to be quiet, but they shouted louder, “Please have mercy on us, God, son of David.”
32 Jesus stopped, called them, and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”
34 Jesus felt sorry for them, touched their eyes, and right away they could see, and they followed him.