CHAPTER 20
For
the
kingdom
of
heaven
is
like
a landowner
who
went out
early in
the morning
to hire
workers
for
his
vineyard.
About
the third
hour
he went out
and saw
others
standing
in
the
marketplace
without anything to do.
About
the
eleventh hour
he went out
and found
still others
standing around.
‘Why
have you been standing
here
all
day long
doing nothing?’
he asked.
When
evening
came,
the
owner
of the
vineyard
said
to
his
foreman,
‘Call
the
workers
and
pay
them
their
wages,
starting
with
the
last ones hired
and moving on
to the
first.'
So when
the
original workers
came,
they assumed
they would receive
more.
But
each
of them
also
received
a denarius.
‘These
men who were hired
last
worked
only one
hour,’
they said,
‘and
you have made
them
equal
to us
who
have borne
the
burden
and
the
scorching heat
of the
day.’
But
he answered
one
of them,
‘Friend,
I am not being unfair
to you.
Did you not agree
with me
on one denarius?
Do I not have the right
to do
as
I please
with
what is
mine?
Or
are you
envious
because
I
am
generous?’
“Look,
we are going up
to
Jerusalem,
and
the
Son
of Man
will be betrayed
to the
chief priests
and
scribes.
They will condemn
Him
to
death
and
will deliver
Him
to
the
Gentiles
to be mocked
and
flogged
and
crucified.
And
on the
third
day
He will be raised to life.”
Then
the
mother
of Zebedee’s
sons
came
to Jesus
with
her
sons
and knelt down
to make a request
of
Him.
“What
do you want?”
He asked.
She answered,
“Declare
that
in
Your
kingdom
one
of these
two
sons
of mine
will sit
at
Your
right hand,
and
the other
at
Your
left.”
“You do not know
what
you are asking,”
Jesus
replied.
“Are you able
to drink
the
cup
I
am going
to drink?”
“We are able,”
the brothers answered.
“You will indeed drink
My
cup,”
Jesus said.
“But
to sit
at
My
right
or
left
is
not
Mine
to grant.
These seats belong
to those for whom
My
Father
has prepared them.”
But
Jesus
called them aside
and said,
“You know
that
the
rulers
of the
Gentiles
lord it over
them,
and
their
superiors
exercise authority over
them.
It shall not be
this way
among
you.
Instead,
whoever
wants
to become
great
among
you
must be
your
servant,
just as
the
Son
of Man
did not come
to be served,
but
to serve,
and
to give
His
life
as a ransom
for
many.”
And
there were
two
blind men
sitting
by
the
roadside.
When they heard
that
Jesus
was passing by,
they shouted,
“Lord,
Son
of David,
have mercy on
us!”
The
crowd
chided
them
to be silent,
but
they shouted
all the louder,
“Lord,
Son
of David,
have mercy on
us!”
Moved with compassion,
Jesus
touched
their
eyes,
and
at once
they received their sight
and
followed
Him.