Chapter 20
Verses 1-16 Read the Bible verses.
A man owned a grape vineyard. He hired some workers to bring in the grapes. At about 6:00am he hired some men and agreed to pay them a normal day’s pay.
At about 9:00am he hired some more men and agreed to pay them a normal day’s pay.
At about noon, and again at 5:00pm he hired more men to work.
At the end of the day which was about 6:00pm, he called in the workers to pay them. He gave them all the same amount of money–a normal day’s pay.
The men who had worked all day were angry. They did not think that the men who came later should have received the same amount of money.
The man who owned the vineyard said, “You agreed to work for a normal day’s pay. Here it is. Why should it bother you if I want to be kind and give the others the same pay?”
Jesus said, “This is how it will be in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Those who become believers in childhood and obey Jesus all their life and do His will all their life will go to heaven and receive a reward (honor) for how they have lived.
People who become believers late in life and serve God for just a short time before they die–they will go to heaven, too, and be given a reward (honor) for how they lived after they became a Christian.
It is God’s heaven and he can give rewards (honor) to whomever he chooses.
Verses 17-19 Read the Bible verses.
Again Jesus tried to prepare the disciples for his death.
Verses 20-28 Read the Bible verses.
The mother of James and John wanted the best for her two sons. She asked Jesus if they could have places of honor when Jesus came into his kingdom.
This mother was probably thinking that Jesus was going to have an earthly kingdom and she wanted her sons to be important leaders/rulers next to Jesus.
Jesus was not going to have a kingdom on earth at this time. He will in the future. His reason for coming the first time was to die.
Jesus told her that he was not the one to decide the places of honor for people in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Father would decide.
The other disciples heard what was being said and they became angry.
Jesus tried to get them to calm down and he talked to them.
He said that if you want to be a leader you have to be willing to do the work of a servant. People who know how to serve others have a kinder heart and more understanding. They also are humble and would be kind leaders and not just bossy people. Jesus said that he came to serve others and to give up his life for them.
Verses 29-34 Read the Bible verses.
This is a story of two blind men who were healed. They did not let what other people said make them discouraged. They kept asking for what they wanted Jesus to do. They received their healing.
If they had listened to the people who told them to be quiet–they would never have been healed.