The Son of Man Came to Serve

Matthew 20:17-34

Key verse 20:28

…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.

Read verses 17-19. Why was Jesus going to Jerusalem? Why do you think he told his disciples what was about to happen? What do you learn about Jesus here?

*He was on his way to suffer, die, and be raised again.

*Jesus wanted them to understand that what was happening was not an accident, but it was with complete foreknowledge that Jesus willingly went through all these things. Also, he wanted them to know that the end would not be death, but resurrection and life.

*First, Jesus willingly went to Jerusalem knowing what was going to happen. Why? This is a good question. People of the world will not do this. Second, Jesus was concerned about his disciples--they would be the ones to tell the world about what Jesus did.

Read verses 20-21. Why do you think James and John's mother made this request? What does this request show about these two disciples of Jesus?

*Mothers want to see their children succeed. Maybe mom was ambitious for her sons, or she wanted to help them with their ambitions.

*Their desire was to be great--even the greatest. They were truly ambitious. It's interesting; they were uneducated fishermen--how could they have such desire? Maybe after following Jesus they had some hope. ... It's possible that we become more ambitious as Jesus' disciples. Being ambitious for Christ is great, but we may easily become ambitious for our own glory. How can we overcome this problem? That's something this passage helps us with.

Read verses 22-23. Why did Jesus say that they didn't know what they were asking? What was the "cup" Jesus was going to drink? What does this show about greatness in the kingdom of heaven? What does their answer show about them? What did Jesus promise, and not promise, them?

*They were thinking about an earthly kingdom, even though Jesus had told them that he would suffer and die and be raised again. They also didn't understand the way of greatness in the kingdom of God.

*His suffering and death on the cross.

*It shows that greatness in the kingdom of heaven comes through the cross, not through favoritism. They wanted glory and honor, and they thought they could get it by simply asking, but these positions belong to those who participate in Jesus' sufferings. True greatness is not in the eyes of men, but in the eyes of God. God sees our suffering for Christ, and he will reward each of us accordingly.

*They said they could drink the cup, but they still didn't know what they were talking about.

*They would drink the cup (suffer for Jesus' name), but the positions of glory would be assigned by God.

Read verses 24-28. How did the other disciples respond when they heard about this? What does this show about them? How did Jesus deal with this situation? What does worldly greatness look like? What does greatness in the kingdom of God look like? How did Jesus set the example of greatness for us?

*They were indignant.

*They were upset because James and John were trying to get the top positions. They also wanted those positions. The disciples were all ambitious.

*He gathered them together and taught them about greatness.

*In the world, greatness means having a position of honor and authority over others.

*In the kingdom of God, greatness means having a position under others.

*Jesus sacrificed himself for others. During his ministry on earth, he didn't "lord it over" people. He didn't enjoy having others honor and respect and obey him. His ambitious was to care for others and take care of their needs.

Read verses 29-34. What happened as they were leaving Jericho? What obstacles did the blind men overcome to seek Jesus' help? How did Jesus respond to their calls? What did they do after they were healed?

*Crowds were following Jesus and two blind men called out for mercy.

*The crowd tried to stop them, but they overcame.

*Jesus asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus humbly served them--this is his true greatness.

*They followed Jesus.

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