Matthew 20

1For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

2After agreeing with the workers to pay them a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3When he went out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace.

4He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.

5He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same.

6About the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around. He said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’

7‘Because no one has hired us,’ they told him. He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’

8When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’

9Those who had been hired about the eleventh hour came, and each of them received a denarius.

10So when those hired first came, they assumed they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarius.

11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner,

12saying, ‘These who came last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’

13But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Did you not agree with me on a denarius?

14Take what is yours and go. I want to give this last one the same as I gave you.

15Am I not allowed to do what I want with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

17As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way he said to them,

18“Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death

19and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified. And on the third day he will be raised.”

20Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to him with her sons. She knelt before him and asked him for something.

21He said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right and one at your left, in your kingdom.”

22Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We can.”

23He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give. It belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

24When the ten heard this, they were indignant with the two brothers.

25But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

26It will not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

27and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave,

28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

29As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.

30Two blind men were sitting by the road, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

31The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

32Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

33They said to him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.”

34Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.