Commentary on the Four Gospel Books
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
G113 The Lord Jesus Foretells Again About His Passion
Matthew 20:17-28; Mark 10:32-45; Luke 18:31-34

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All New Testament verses quoted in this article are from the English Majority Text Version, and Old Testament verses are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

Matthew 20:17-28

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took aside the twelve disciples privately on the road, and He said to them,

18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death,

19 and they will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He shall rise again.”

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, worshipping Him, and asking something from Him.

21 And He said to her, “What do you desire?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and one on Your left, in Your kingdom.”

22 But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup which I am about to drink, or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.”

23 So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”

24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant with the two brothers.

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

26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, shall be your servant.

27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave;

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.”

Mark 10:32-45

32 Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going ahead of them; and they were astonished, and as they were following they were afraid. And taking the twelve aside again, He began to tell them the things which were about to happen to Him.

33 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles;

34 and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And on the third day He will rise again.”

The Request of James and John

35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we desire that You to do for us whatever we may ask.”

36 And He said to them, “What do you desire Me to do for you?”

37 They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right side and one on Your left side, in Your glory.”

38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup which I drink, and to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

39 They said to Him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup which I drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized you will be baptized with;

40 but to sit on My right side and on My left side is not Mine to give, but to those for whom it has been prepared.”

41 And having heard this, the ten began to be indignant with James and John.

42 But Jesus, having called them to Himself, said to them, “You know that those being reputed to be ruling the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

43 Yet it will not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.

44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be servant of all.

45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Luke 18:31-34

31 Then taking the twelve aside, He said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.

32 For He will be betrayed to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon,

33 and having scourged Him, they will kill Him. And on the third day He will rise again.”

34 But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know what was being said.

In this lesson, we will study the third time the Lord Jesus foretold His passion, learn about the prayer petition of James and John’s mother, and study the Lord’s teaching on those who desire to become great in His kingdom.

The first time the Lord Jesus foretold His passion was after the Apostle Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” That event is recorded in Matthew 16:21-23, Mark 8:31-33, and Luke 9:21-22. At that time, Apostle Peter reacted strongly, took Him aside, and rebuked Him: “God be gracious to You, Lord! This shall by no means happen to You!” But the Lord rebuked him, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block unto Me, because you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:22-23).

The second time the Lord Jesus foretold His passion was after the event of the transfiguration on the mountain. This is recorded in Matthew 17:22-23, Mark 9:30-32, and Luke 9:43-45. At that time, the Lord’s words were hidden from the disciples. They were very sorrowful, confused, and afraid, so they did not dare to ask the Lord about it.

The third time, which is the part we will study in this lesson, the Lord Jesus spoke to the twelve apostles about His passion on the way from Galilee back to Jerusalem to accomplish His sacrificial death for mankind. However, the meaning of His words was concealed from the disciples. They did not understand His words. In fact, James and John, together with their mother, came and asked the Lord to grant them to sit at His right hand and left hand in His kingdom.

Matthew 20:17-19

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took aside the twelve disciples privately on the road, and He said to them,

18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death,

19 and they will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He shall rise again.”

Mark 10:32-34

32 Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going ahead of them; and they were astonished, and as they were following they were afraid. And taking the twelve aside again, He began to tell them the things which were about to happen to Him.

33 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles;

34 and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And on the third day He will rise again.”

Luke 18:31-34

31 Then taking the twelve aside, He said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.

32 For He will be betrayed to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon,

33 and having scourged Him, they will kill Him. And on the third day He will rise again.”

34 But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know what was being said.

On the journey from Galilee back to Jerusalem before the Passover feast in the year 27, the Lord Jesus traveled with His disciples along the eastern bank of the Jordan River. Besides the hundreds of disciples following the Lord, there were also large crowds accompanying Him. As they were about to cross the river to return to the western bank and proceed to the city of Jericho, Jesus took the twelve apostles with Him privately.

Mark added the detail that the Lord’s disciples followed Him toward Jerusalem with feelings of surprise and fear. They were surprised and afraid because about three months earlier, when Jesus went to Jerusalem to attend the Feast of Dedication, the Jews had tried to stone Him (John 10:31-42). Yet now He was returning to Jerusalem to attend the Passover feast.

The Lord Jesus once again foretold His suffering to the twelve apostles. This took place about two weeks before the Passover feast. He was arrested and killed on the Passover day of the year 27 [1].

The term “the chief priests” refers to the current high priest Caiaphas, along with the former high priest Annas. Caiaphas was Annas’s son-in-law, so he showed deference to Annas. That is why when the Lord Jesus was arrested, He was first taken before Annas.

The term “the scribes” refers to the Israelites, mostly belonging to the Pharisees, who specialized in interpreting the Scriptures, copying the Scriptures, and advising on the Law of Moses.

″Delivering Him over to the Gentiles″ means handing over the Lord Jesus to the Roman authorities. The Roman soldiers were composed of many different ethnic groups. All peoples who were not Israelites were called ″Gentiles.″

The suffering of the Lord Jesus included: being arrested, being unjustly tried, being condemned to death, being beaten, being insulted, being spat upon, and being crucified.

″On the third day, He will rise again.″ This is an important prophecy spoken by the Lord Jesus Himself. Not only was the detailed prophecy about His suffering fulfilled, but the prophecy about the timing of His resurrection after death was also fulfilled.

The Lord Jesus was arrested on the night of the Passover, which was the night of the 14th of Nisan. From late at night until early morning on the 14th, He was successively tried by the two high priests, Annas and Caiaphas. Early in the morning of the 14th, they brought Him to the court of Governor Pilate. Pilate found no fault in Him and sent Him to King Herod. Herod questioned Him, but He did not answer, so Herod mocked Him and sent Him back to Pilate. Under pressure from the Jewish people, Pilate handed Him over to the soldiers to be beaten, humiliated, and crucified.

The Lord Jesus was crucified around 11 a.m. on the 14th. From about 11 a.m. until around 2 p.m., darkness covered the whole land. Then, the Lord Jesus breathed His last. His body was buried in the ground before sunset on the 14th, because after sunset began the 15th of Nisan, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a solemn Sabbath day.

The entire night and day of the 15th were the first night and first day that the Lord Jesus was in the grave.

The entire night and day of the 16th were the second night and second day that the Lord Jesus was in the grave.

The entire night and day of the 17th were the third night and third day that the Lord Jesus was in the grave.

At the end of the third day, before sunset, the Lord Jesus rose from the dead. Thus, He was in the grave for a full three days and three nights, just as He had prophesied: ″For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth″ (Matthew 12:40).

By comparing the Biblical records with historical data, we know that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross on Wednesday afternoon, the 14th of Nisan, year 3787 according to the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to Wednesday, April 9, year 27 according to the Julian calendar. His body was buried before sunset of that day. He rose before sunset on Saturday afternoon, the 17th of Nisan, year 3787 according to the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to Saturday, April 12, year 27 according to the Julian calendar. Early on Sunday morning, the Lord Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene.

The doctrine taught by religious organizations bearing the name of the Lord that the Lord Jesus died on Friday afternoon and rose early on Sunday morning is completely contrary to the true teaching of the Bible. From Friday afternoon to early Sunday morning cannot be considered ″three days and three nights in the grave.″

Luke recorded a detail that Matthew and Mark did not: that the apostles did not understand the Lord’s words because the meaning had been hidden from them.

It is the God Himself who hid the meaning of the Lord Jesus’ words from the understanding of the apostles. The Lord Jesus prophesied about His suffering and resurrection so that the apostles could compare the fulfillment of each detail with His words. At that time, the Spirit would also help the apostles clearly understand the prophecy of the Lord Jesus.

The reason the God temporarily concealed the meaning of the Lord Jesus’ prophecy was probably because the time had not yet come for the apostles to fully understand Jesus’ atoning death for humanity. That time had not come because their expectation of the Messiah did not align with God’s Word. They believed that the Messiah, that is Christ, would come as promised in the Scriptures. But they did not expect that He would suffer and be killed. A clear example is right after the Apostle Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), when the Lord Jesus spoke about His suffering, Peter said, “God be gracious to You, Lord! This shall by no means happen to You!”

We need to understand that if our hearts are not directed toward God, not focused on the truths in His Word, then we will easily fail to understand and recognize the miraculous things that the God has prepared for us. Certainly, those who have believed in the salvation of the Lord but still live a lifestyle driven by worldly desires will misunderstand and misapply God’s Word. A typical example is those who follow the Prosperity Gospel Movement.

Below are the prominent Biblical errors of the Prosperity Gospel Movement:

1. The doctrine of “Name It and Claim It” teaches that humans can “command” God by faith. For example, someone reads Philippians 4:19, ″And my God will supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus,″ and then declares, “I command God to give me a BMW because I have faith!” The error of this doctrine is that it turns God into a deity who exists to serve personal desires, whereas He is the sovereign ruler of all creation. James 4:15 says, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” It is not that we want something and “command” God, and then He will fulfill it for us.

2. The doctrine of “Seed Faith” teaches that giving financial offerings will “oblige” God to grant financial blessings. For example: the appeal, ″Give $1,000 today and God will give you $10,000 this month. This is not gambling; this is faith!″ The error of this doctrine is that it turns giving into a ″financial investment″ with God and transforms the relationship with God into a ″commercial transaction.″ In reality, 2 Corinthians 9:7 teaches, ″*God loves a cheerful giver.″

3. The doctrine of denying the suffering of God’s people teaches that true believers of the Lord will never experience sickness or poverty. For example: A believer with cancer is told, ″If you truly have faith, you will not be sick. The fact that you are still sick proves you have no faith.″ The error of this doctrine is that it blames the sick person and contradicts the experiences of the apostles and of the Lord Jesus Himself. A clear example is Paul’s case (2 Corinthians 12:7–9). God’s Word in Philippians 1:29 teaches: ″For to you it has been granted for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.″

4. The Doctrine affirming that material wealth is a sign of God’s blessing. Example: A person preaching God’s Word lives in an expensive mansion, owns a private jet, and wears suits worth thousands of dollars each… and says: ″My wealth proves that God blesses me. You are poor because you do not yet have enough faith.″ The error of this doctrine is that it contradicts the ″no place to lay His head″ life of the Lord Jesus and opposes His teaching about the danger of material wealth: “Assuredly I say to you, that with difficulty a rich man shall enter the kingdom of heaven″ (Matthew 19:23).

5. The “Positive Confession” doctrine teaches that human words have power like God’s Word. Example: A person says: ″I declare healing for my body. I say no to sickness. I command the tumor to disappear!″ The error of this doctrine is that it elevates human beings to a position equivalent to God.

The Prosperity Gospel Movement distorts the meaning of ″faith,″ turning faith into a ″tool″ to obtain whatever one desires, whereas true faith is trusting and obeying God, rejoicing and giving thanks to God in all circumstances.

The Prosperity Gospel Movement exploits the mindset of those who are poor and sick, causing disappointment and self-blame for many when the ″formulas″ prove ineffective. Many people, because of believing in this movement, have gone bankrupt, abandoned the use of medicine and medical treatments, and then fallen into depression.

Matthew 20:20-21

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, worshipping Him, and asking something from Him.

21 And He said to her, “What do you desire?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and one on Your left, in Your kingdom.”

Mark 10:35-37

35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we desire that You to do for us whatever we may ask.”

36 And He said to them, “What do you desire Me to do for you?”

37 They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right side and one on Your left side, in Your glory.”

We see that Matthew clearly records that the mother of James and John came with them to meet the Lord Jesus and asked Him. The Lord Jesus asked her, and she replied to Him. But Mark records that James and John came to ask the Lord. The Lord asked them, and they replied to Him.

This is not a contradiction in the Bible. This is simply a difference in narrative style.

Matthew was a direct eyewitness. He recorded the event as it actually happened: Salome, the mother of James and John, brought the two of them to meet the Lord and asked on their behalf, with their agreement.

Mark was an indirect witness, for he recorded the event through the account of others, most likely from Peter’s narration. It is possible that the one who told Mark omitted the presence of Salome. It is also possible that Mark himself omitted the mother’s presence in order to focus on James and John as the two who sought positions at the right and left of the Lord Jesus.

It is very likely that in reality, both Salome and James and John made the request to the Lord and answered the Lord in the same way when He asked. Though the styles of recording differ, the main point of the event is not different.

The request to sit at the right hand and the left hand of the Lord Jesus in His kingdom—also in His glory—was in fact the request to hold the highest authority in the Heavenly Kingdom after the Lord.

Matthew 20:22-23

22 But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup which I am about to drink, or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.”

23 So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”

Mark 10:38-40

38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup which I drink, and to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

39 They said to Him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup which I drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized you will be baptized with;

40 but to sit on My right side and on My left side is not Mine to give, but to those for whom it has been prepared.”

The statement of the Lord Jesus implied that a person who wants to enjoy a high position in the Heavenly Kingdom must be one who is willing to share in the same sufferings and hardships as He Himself. To drink the cup that He drinks is to willingly bear suffering, humiliation, and being unjustly killed, according to the will of the God, in order to accomplish the appointed work of the God.

To undergo baptism in a figurative sense is to be immersed into a circumstance or an event. The baptism that the Lord Jesus was about to undergo was to be immersed in suffering and death.

It is clear that James and John understood nothing about the cup that the Lord Jesus would drink and the baptism that He would undergo, for they had not understood His previous statements about His suffering. Nevertheless, they still answered that they were able to drink that cup and undergo that baptism.

The Lord Jesus affirmed that they would suffer as He did, but granting who would sit at His right and at His left was not within His authority. That was something the God had appointed and granted to whomever He had prepared for that position.

The God’s preparation for the one who would sit at the right or the left of the Lord Jesus was precisely His training of that person in this world. It is quite possible that Moses will be the one to sit at the right and that Paul will be the one to sit at the left of the Lord Jesus in the Heavenly Kingdom.

Matthew 20:24-25

24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant with the two brothers.

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

Mark 10:41-42

41 And having heard this, the ten began to be indignant with James and John.

42 But Jesus, having called them to Himself, said to them, “You know that those being reputed to be ruling the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

″The ten″ refers to the ten remaining apostles. They were indignant with James and John because the two had desired to contend for the highest position in the Heavenly Kingdom. When they became indignant in this way, it showed that they themselves also had the desire to obtain the highest position in the Heavenly Kingdom, just like James and John. If they had not shared the same desire, they would not have been angry but would have had compassion on James and John, for the two had the ambition to place themselves above the other apostles.

The Lord Jesus called the apostles to teach them together. First, He taught that those who hold authority in the world exercise their rule over others to display their superiority. Next, He taught about the principle for becoming the one who is first in the Heavenly Kingdom.

Matthew 20:26-27

26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, shall be your servant.

27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave;

Mark 10:43-44

43 Yet it will not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.

44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be servant of all.

In the Heavenly Kingdom, those who hold authority are always servants of others. Although the twelve apostles of the Lord will sit with Him on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30), they must be servants to God’s people.

Matthew 20:28

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.”

Mark 10:45

45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Even Jesus Himself, the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” became a servant to humanity through His work of preaching the Gospel, healing diseases, and casting out evil spirits that possessed people. Ultimately, He gave His life to God as a ransom sacrifice for mankind.

The phrase “to give His life a ransom for many” implies that although the Lord Jesus died to atone for the sins of all humanity, only those who sincerely repent and fully believe in His atoning death receive redemption from the consequences and power of sin.

The consequence of sin is separation from God and suffering in the eternal lake of fire. The power of sin is the sinful nature that causes a person to keep committing sins. The Lord Jesus bore the punishment of sin for humanity and cleanses the sinful nature in those who sincerely believe the Gospel.

For those who have faith in the God but do not know the Lord Jesus, such as the saints of the Old Testament and before, they also receive redemption through His atoning death. Because of their faith in the God, He forgave their sins and granted them salvation. The God placed all the sins of humanity throughout all ages upon the Lord Jesus and imposed the punishment on Him. This is confirmed in Isaiah 53:6.

But anyone who has heard the preaching of the Gospel—that is, has heard about the atoning death of the Lord Jesus—but does not repent of sin and does not believe in the Lord Jesus will be eternally lost. This is also confirmed in John 3:18-21; 36.

Except for those who had faith in the God during the Old Testament and pre-Old Testament times, all who seek salvation from anyone other than faith in the atoning death of the Lord Jesus will not be saved. For “nor is there salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven which has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Those who have believed the Gospel, have faith in the atoning death of the Lord Jesus, but do not live a holy life and do not obey God’s commandments will also not have salvation. They will be cut off by the God from the Lord Jesus (John 15:2). They will be spit out by the Lord Jesus from His mouth (Revelation 3:16).

We conclude this lesson here.

May the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truths of God’s Word (John 16:13). May the Word of God sanctify us (John 17:17). May the Faithful *God of Peace Himself sanctify our spirit, soul, and body entirely, without blame (1 Thessalonians 5:23), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
07/05/2025

Notes:

[1] https://preachingfromthebible.net/the-day-of-the-lords-death-and-the-day-of-the-lords-resurrection/

About Using “*God”, “the God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible use a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as *God or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.