Day 37 – First in the Kingdom

Today’s reading: Matthew 20: 1-17

Today the mother of James and John asks Jesus to let her sons sit on his right and left when he comes into his kingdom. Jesus answers with a question, “…asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" This is an important question. When Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane and the passion is about to begin, He will call the suffering He will go through “a cup”. There reference here serves to corroborate and confirm the other passage. It shows that Jesus was deliberately choosing his words. This will be important to understanding the Last Supper's relationship to the Passover. Second, when the Apostles begin to squabble amongst themselves about their position in the kingdom, Jesus says that to be first one must be a servant. Then he says that the Son of Man has come to give his life for the “ransom of many”. The word “ransom” is only used in one other place in the Bible. That is in describing the Exodus. Thus, Jesus is saying more than just that he is paying the price for us. It implies a total deliverance from slavery, in this case the slavery of sin. Also, “of many” has a nuanced meaning. It is a Hebrew expression meaning “all” but not necessarily absolutely all. Like the statement “all people love their family.” This is a statement that is universally true but there may be exceptions. As with Jesus' sacrifice, it will be made for all and sufficient for al,l but all will not necessarily accept it.

Tomorrow: Matthew 20:17-34