A Brief Comment on Matthew 20:17-28

Matthew 20:17 tells us that Jesus and his disciples were traveling to Jerusalem. This was about a week before Jesus was crucified. It was at the end of this journey that Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. Because Jerusalem is located on a hilltop, traveling to Jerusalem is always referred to as going “up to Jerusalem,” regardless of whether the person is coming from the north, south, east or west.

Jesus said that “the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death." The term “Son of Man” was used only to refer to the Messiah. Since the disciples had been brought up as devout Jews, they would have known that he was referring to the Messiah. They would also have known that Jesus was referring to himself in the third person, since they had been traveling with him for three years and had seen him perform countless miracles, cast out demons, confront the Pharisees, heal the sick and raise the dead.

Jesus goes on to say that he would be handed over the Gentiles, mocked, scourged and crucified. He also said that he would be raised up on the third day. This is a far cry from the vision of Jesus’ kingdom that the disciples still had. They envisioned a military victory over the Romans and Jesus ushering in a new era. It is probably easier for us to interpret this verse after the fact than it would have been before Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Josh McDowell states in “The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict” that Jesus never mentions the crucifixion without also mentioning the resurrection (p. 206).

After this, the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came asked Jesus to allow her sons to sit at his right and left hands. This means she was asking that they be allowed to rule side-by-side with Jesus. Asking that they be given some of the very highest positions in heaven is a big request, to say the very least! It’s no wonder that the other ten disciples were indignant when they heard this. Jesus had said they would judge the twelve tribes of Israel, but these would be the highest positions even among the disciples.

Jesus’ response is to tell her that she doesn’t know what she is asking. He then asked if they are able to drink the cup that he is about to drink. The cup was symbolic of God’s wrath, which Jesus was about to take upon himself on the cross. Of course, no one could actually bear that cup except for Jesus, since he is the only one in human history to be without sin. The disciples, however, responded that they are able to drink the cup that he was about to drink. I am not sure that the disciples entirely understood the gravity of what Jesus was asking. That is the only way someone could actually say that they could bear that same burden that Jesus took on himself.