Matthew 20:17-34 : Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus Talks About His Own Death (Mk. 10:32-34; Lk. 18:31-34)
17Jesus was going to Jerusalem. His twelve followers were with him. While they were walking, Jesus gathered the followers together and spoke to them privately. Jesus said to them, 18"We are going to Jerusalem. The Son of Man* will be given to the leading priests and the teachers of the law. The priests and teachers of the law will say that the Son of Man must die. 19They will give the Son of Man to the non-Jewish people. Those people 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 (Mk. 10:35-45)
20Then Zebedee's wife came to Jesus. Her sons were with her. The mother bowed before Jesus and asked him to do something for her. 21Jesus said, "What do you want?" She said, "Promise that one of my sons will sit at your right side in your kingdom. And promise that the other son will sit at your left side in your kingdom." 22So Jesus said to the sons, "You don't understand what you are asking. Can you accept the kind of suffering that I must have*?" The sons answered, "Yes, we can!" 23Jesus said to them, "Truly you will suffer the same things that I will suffer. But I cannot choose the person that will sit at my right side or my left side. My Father has decided who will have those places. He has prepared those places for those people. Those places belong to them." 24The other ten followers heard this. They became angry with the two brothers. 25Jesus called all the followers together. Jesus 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. 26But it should not be that way with you. If one of you wants to become great, then he must serve you like a servant. 27If one of you wants to become first, then he must serve you like a slave. 28It is the same with the Son of Man.* The Son of Man did not come for other people to serve him. The Son of Man came to serve other people. The Son of Man came to give his life to save many people."
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men (Mk. 10:46-52; Lk. 18:35-43)
29When Jesus and his followers were leaving Jericho, many, many people followed Jesus. 30There were two blind men sitting by the road. The blind men heard that Jesus was coming by. So the blind men shouted, "Lord, Son of David,* please help us!" 31All the people criticized the blind men. They told the blind men not to speak. But the blind men shouted more and more, "Lord, Son of David,* please help us!" 32Jesus stopped and said to the blind men, "What do you want me to do for you?" 33The blind men answered, "Lord, we want to be able to see." 34Jesus felt sorry for the blind men. Jesus touched their eyes and they were able to see. Then the men followed Jesus.
Son of Man A name Jesus used for himself. In Dan. 7:13-14, this is the name for the Messiah, the one God chose to save his people. accept ... must have Literally, "drink the cup that I must drink." Jesus used the idea of drinking from a cup to mean accepting the terrible things that would happen to him. Son of David Name for the Christ {(Messiah)}. He was from the family of David, king of Israel about 1000 years B.C.