MATTHEW 20:17–28, THE FIRST AMONG YOU MUST BE THE SERVANT
GREATNESS THROUGH THE CROSS AND HUMBLE SERVICE
Introduction
As Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem, He walks knowingly toward His Passion. During Great Lent, the Church accompanies Him on this road, preparing to share in the glory of His Resurrection by entering into His suffering, self-giving, and obedience. This passage presents Jesus’ third prediction of His Passion, death, and Resurrection—the most detailed of all—and immediately shows how far the disciples still are from understanding the meaning of His Kingdom. While Jesus speaks of being mocked, scourged, and crucified, the disciples are still thinking in terms of rank, privilege, and power. Jesus responds by redefining greatness: true leadership in the Kingdom is not domination but service, not status but sacrifice, not being served but serving—exactly as He Himself will do by giving His life as a ransom.
Bible Passage (Matthew 20:17–28)
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My cup you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give, but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Background
This passage comes after Jesus has taught about the reversal of values in the Kingdom, including the parable of the workers in the vineyard where “the last will be first.” Now Jesus moves from parable to prophecy, from teaching to the concrete road toward Calvary. The third prediction of the Passion shows that Jesus’ suffering is not accidental; it is embraced freely as part of God’s saving plan. The request of James and John reveals the disciples’ continuing misunderstanding of Messiahship, expecting a political reign in Jerusalem. Jesus corrects them by grounding His Kingdom in the Old Testament pattern of the Suffering Servant, fulfilled in His own self-offering. The Gospel flow is clear: the way to glory is the way of the Cross, and the path of authority is the path of service.
Opening Life Connection
In everyday life, people often associate greatness with being noticed, respected, promoted, or obeyed. Even in families and parish life, misunderstandings arise when leadership becomes control and service becomes entitlement. Many feel discouraged when their sacrifices are unseen or unappreciated. This Gospel speaks into those realities. Jesus teaches that Christian greatness is measured not by titles, influence, or privilege but by humble service rooted in love—service that is willing to suffer, to be misunderstood, and to pour itself out for others.
Verse-by-Verse / Phrase-by-Phrase Reflection
“As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem”
Jerusalem is the religious center and the place of the Temple, the “mountain of the Lord.” To go to Jerusalem is physically to go up, but also spiritually to approach the decisive moment of God’s saving action. Jesus is climbing not only a road but the summit of His mission.
“He took the twelve disciples aside”
Jesus speaks privately to prepare them. They are anxious and confused, and He wants them to understand that what is coming is not defeat but fulfillment of God’s plan.
“The Son of Man will be handed over… condemned… mocked… scourged… crucified”
Jesus predicts the full chain of suffering with clarity. He will be rejected by religious leaders, delivered to Gentiles, publicly humiliated, and executed. His Passion is not a surprise to Him; it is His chosen path of redemption.
“And he will be raised on the third day”
The final word is Resurrection. The disciples hear the suffering more loudly than the promise, yet Jesus insists that the Cross leads to victory.
“The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him… wishing to ask him for something”
The request exposes a worldly ambition still present among the disciples. It is possible to be close to Jesus and still misunderstand His Kingdom.
“Command that these two sons of mine sit… in your kingdom”
They desire the highest rank. Their request shows they still imagine a throne of power, not a cross of sacrifice.
“You do not know what you are asking”
Jesus reveals that glory cannot be separated from suffering. To ask for a throne is to ask for the path that leads to it.
“Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?”
The cup is a biblical image for one’s appointed destiny—here, the cup of suffering offered for salvation. Jesus asks if they are ready to share not only His honor but His cost.
“My cup you will indeed drink”
Jesus foretells that discipleship will involve real suffering. James will be the first apostolic martyr; John will bear long trials. Following Christ includes sharing in His Cross.
“It is not mine to give… it has been prepared by my Father”
Jesus teaches humility and submission to the Father’s plan. Even the Son acts in perfect obedience within the Father’s will.
“The ten… became indignant”
The anger of the others shows the same ambition in a different form. Rivalry reveals that the heart still needs conversion.
“The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them”
Jesus describes worldly leadership: power exercised through control, dominance, and self-interest.
“But it shall not be so among you”
This is the turning point. Jesus establishes the law of Christian leadership: the community of disciples must not imitate the world.
“Whoever wishes to be great… shall be your servant… your slave”
Greatness is service. The higher one’s role, the deeper one’s humility. Leadership is measured by self-giving, not by privilege.
“The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve”
Jesus is not only teacher but model. He embodies the truth He preaches.
“To give his life as a ransom for many”
Jesus interprets His death as redemption. A ransom is the price paid to free captives. By His sacrifice, He liberates humanity from sin and death, opening the way to eternal life.
Jewish Historical and Religious Context
Jerusalem was the center of worship and the location of the Temple, where sacrifice and covenant were renewed. Jewish hopes for the Messiah often included national victory and restored political glory. Jesus reshapes that expectation through the prophetic image of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 52–53), whose mission is fulfilled through suffering, not conquest. The “cup” language echoes Old Testament imagery where the cup can represent one’s allotted portion, sometimes blessing and sometimes judgment; Jesus transforms it into the cup of self-offering for salvation.
Catholic Tradition and Teaching
The Church teaches that Christian leadership is always configured to Christ the Servant. Authority in the Church exists for service, sanctification, and the good of souls, not self-promotion. This passage also illuminates the meaning of redemptive suffering and the Cross: Jesus’ Passion is the saving sacrifice through which humanity is reconciled to the Father. The call to “drink the cup” is a call to unite our trials with Christ, especially in Lent, and to allow sacrifice to become love.
Historical or Saintly Illustration
Saint Teresa of Calcutta became a living icon of this Gospel. She served the poorest of the poor with humility, often without recognition, enduring spiritual trials and misunderstandings. Her greatness did not come from position but from service. She showed that the “first” in the Kingdom are those who become servants out of love for Christ in the suffering.
Application to Christian Life Today
This Gospel challenges every disciple to examine ambitions and motivations. In family life, service means choosing patience, forgiveness, and responsibility over control. In parish life, ministry must be offered humbly, without competition or the need for applause. In society, Christians must resist using authority to dominate and instead use influence to lift burdens, defend the vulnerable, and promote the common good. Lent becomes a training ground where prayer, fasting, and almsgiving shape us into servants after the heart of Christ.
Eucharistic Connection
At every Mass, we encounter the Son of Man who came not to be served but to serve. The Eucharist makes present the sacrifice of Christ—His Body given and His Blood poured out. When we receive the one Bread and share the one Cup, we renew our covenant with Him and accept the call to share His life, His mission, and His self-giving love. The Eucharist forms us into servants and sends us forth to live what we receive.
Messages / Call to Conversion
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Accept that the path to Resurrection passes through the Cross, and do not fear sacrificial love.
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Renounce rivalry and ambition for prominence, choosing humble service instead.
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Examine your prayers: seek not privilege but fidelity to God’s will.
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Practice servant-leadership in family, parish, and workplace, carrying burdens rather than imposing them.
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Unite your sufferings to Christ’s “cup” with hope, trusting that love offered in sacrifice becomes glory in heaven.
Outline for Preachers
• Context: Lent, journey to Jerusalem, and Jesus’ third Passion prediction
• Life connection: ambition, recognition, and misunderstandings about greatness
• Key phrases: “drink the cup,” “it shall not be so among you,” “ransom for many”
• Jerusalem as spiritual destination and center of sacrifice
• Jewish Messianic expectations versus the Suffering Servant fulfillment
• Catholic teaching: authority as service, redemptive suffering, discipleship under the Cross
• Saintly illustration: greatness through humble service
• Application: servant leadership in family, parish, and society
• Eucharistic connection: one Cup, one sacrifice, one mission
• Key messages and call to conversion
