On the road to Jerusalem, Jesus tells his disciples he will be crucified and will rise again. Two of them ask for a position with him and he corrects them all in Matthew 20:26 “It will not be like this among you! But whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant”. Along the way, two blind men cry out to Jesus because they cannot get to him in Matthew 20:31 And the crowd rebuked them so that they would be quiet. But they called out all the more, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David! Jesus demonstrates this idea of being a servant and stops and asks and listens and heals them. When they come near Jerusalem, Jesus sees what is coming and sends two disciples to prepare. As Jesus enters the city riding on a young colt, the people recognize him as their coming king from Zechariah 9:9 and cry out in Matthew 21:9 “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”.
Many Who Are First Will Be Last
Matthew 19:24–30
He Sent Them Into His Vineyard
Matthew 20:1–8
They Thought They Would Receive More
Matthew 20:9–16
The Son of Man Will Be Handed Over
The Son of Man Did Not Come To Be Served
Matthew 20:20–28
Jesus is headed for Jerusalem with his disciples and has just told them he will be crucified and raised from the dead. Then, the mother of two disciples comes to ask him in
Matthew 20:21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your kingdom.”
Isn’t this like a mother to be thinking only of the future of her sons? And isn’t the response of the others a very natural human reaction in
Matthew 20:24 And when the ten heard this, they were indignant concerning the two brothers.
But they all had the wrong mindset, they were thinking as mere men, they were thinking like the Gentiles in
Matthew 20:25 But Jesus called them to himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions exercise authority over them.
and Jesus corrects them in
Matthew 20:26 It will not be like this among you! But whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant
Have Mercy On Us, Son of David!
Matthew 20:29–34
The crowds were gathering around Jesus wherever he went and it was the same in Jericho in
Matthew 20:29 And as they were going out of Jericho, a large crowd followed him.
but these crowds also prevented some from finding their way to Jesus as happened to these two men in
Matthew 20:30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they called out, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
and you can imagine how it was with the crowd, Jesus, his disciples, some of the religious leaders and people of position, and then, off some distance, the untouchables. Those that were poor or infirmed or blind as these men were. So these blind men are crying out to Jesus. And what does the crowd do? They tell these men to be quiet in
Matthew 20:31 And the crowd rebuked them so that they would be quiet. But they called out all the more, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
We all have a certain social etiquette that helps maintain order, but it can also prevent us from breaking out of a bad situation. There are times when we should cry out for change. Jesus was not offended by them. Jesus heard their cries and stopped and asked and listened and did what they asked in Matthew 20:32-34. One of many great promises includes these words, “call upon me” and is found in
Psalm 91:14–16 Because he loves me, therefore I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows my name. 15 He will call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, and show him my salvation.
Behold, Your King Is Coming To You
Matthew 21:1–11
As they came near Jerusalem, Jesus had seen the things that were needed, we might call it a word of knowledge or it may have come to him as a prophetic vision, but he sent two of his disciples and in
Matthew 21:6–7 So the disciples went and did just as Jesus directed them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them.
This is exactly as described in
Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your king comes to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, and on a male donkey, the foal of a female donkey!
and the people who had seen his miracles and heard his teaching recognized as “the Son of David” and responded in
Matthew 21:8–9 And a very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 9 And the crowds who went ahead of him and the ones who followed were shouting, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Study Verses
- Matthew 20:20–28 The Son of Man Did Not Come To Be Served
- Matthew 20:29–34 Have Mercy On Us, Son of David!
- Matthew 21:1–11 Behold, Your King Is Coming To You
Today’s Reading
- Matthew 19:24-30
- Matthew 20:1-34
- Matthew 21:1-11