The Blessedness of a serving Life (Matthew 20:17–34)

[Stephan Choe]

July 29, 2026

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.”

Everyone would rather be served by others than do the serving themselves; the act of serving does not seem to align naturally with our human nature.

Nevertheless, we should bear in mind that we were born and able to grow up thanks to the self-sacrificing service of our parents. Our parents fed and clothed us and cared for us. Without their service, we would not be here today.

Jesus deeply values those who serve others with joy. Through His sacrificial death, He left behind an example of service. When we recognize the devotion of our parents and the grace of Jesus Christ, and serve others, God blesses us abundantly.

Let us therefore discover the happiness of a serving life.

1. The Third Prediction of Jesus’ Passion and Resurrection (17–19)

Jesus now sets out on his final journey to Jerusalem. He travels along the eastern bank of the Jordan (cf. Mk 10:46). Near Jericho, he crosses the river and turns towards Jerusalem. The Jordan is not a mighty river like the Rhine; it is more of a small river (3–10 meters wide). Consequently, it can usually be crossed on foot without a bridge.

Anyone wishing to reach Jerusalem from the lower Jordan must overcome an elevation gain of more than 1,000 meters.

Jesus' Final Journey to Jerusalem[1] and the Jordan River[2]

For the Jordan near Jericho lies about 390 meters below sea level, and the Dead Sea 428 meters below sea level. Jerusalem, on the other hand, lies about 800 meters above sea level. That is why Matthew writes in verse 17: “Jesus went up to Jerusalem.”

What does Jesus teach his disciples as he sets out for Jerusalem?

He takes them aside and says, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be arrested and handed over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Romans. They will mock him, scourge him, and nail him to the cross. Yet three days later, he will rise again” (18–19).

This is the third such announcement. He made the first one after Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi (16:21), and the second in Galilee (17:22–23).

This threefold prediction shows us that His death on the cross and His resurrection take place in accordance with God’s will.

Jesus’ death and resurrection do not occur primarily because of circumstances—such as the malice of the Jewish leadership—but because God planned them long ago. God desires to redeem human beings from sin and hell. However, since the holy God cannot simply dismiss human sin as harmless, He must punish people for their sin. The divine punishment for sin is death and eternal damnation in hell. Yet God punishes His Son, Jesus Christ, in our place; He allows Jesus to die on the cross and be buried. And God raised this Jesus from the dead. Because He has already punished Jesus Christ for our sins, He forgives our sin and accepts us as His children. Thank God for His grace.

Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection constitute God's most important message to humanity.

The most significant event of the Old Testament is the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. Yet this liberation already points toward the redemption of humanity from sin and the power of death through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The sacrificial system of the Old Testament likewise points to the sacrificial death of Christ. Thus, the death and resurrection of Christ form the core of the biblical message.

The Apostle Paul expresses this central message as follows: “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).

Because Jesus Christ has already borne the full divine punishment for our guilt, through faith in Christ we may receive forgiveness, eternal life, and the Kingdom of God, and become children of God. This is a wonderful message for all people. There is no better news than this. We should gratefully accept this message and truly enjoy God’s blessing. We should share this message with others so that they, too, may experience this blessing.

2. Of Serving (20–28)

A. The Request of the Mother of James and John (20–23)

A mother does everything for the well-being of her children. The mother of James and John is just such a mother. She comes to Jesus with her two sons and kneels before him. Jesus asks her, "What can I do for you?"

She replies, "Let these two sons of mine sit beside you in your kingdom—one at your right hand and the other at your left" (21).

What devotion! She is like a Korean mother who does everything for her children. For instance, a Korean mother might give an expensive gift to her child's class teacher so that the teacher would value her child or give him good grades.

In the Bundestag, Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil sits next to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as he is the number two in the federal government.

In other words, the mother of James and John asks Jesus for the highest positions for her children. Naturally, however, she does not want her children to have to endure great hardship; rather, she wishes for them to experience only glory and honor. This applies not only to her; every mother desires success and glory for her children, but not great difficulties or suffering.

Jesus answers them, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" By the expression‎ "drinking the cup," Jesus means "enduring great suffering"—such as death. However, the two disciples and their mother understand it to mean "drinking wine to celebrate a position of honor."

So, all three answer, "Yes!"

Jesus then says to them, "You will drink my cup, but it is not for me to decide who will sit at my right hand and at my left."

He does not say, "Peter is my most important disciple and will sit at my right hand. James and John can sit at my left."

No! He does not say who will sit where at all, for God determines that. Jesus wants to tell them not to worry about a place of honor. Instead, they should focus on serving God and their others with humble mind. For whoever gladly serves others is a truly great person.

People with a worldly mindset feel little desire to serve others; instead, they are keenly interested in being served themselves.

Jesus once said that people in the Kingdom of Heaven will be like the angels (Matthew 22:30). This means that we will be completely free from selfishness there, and each of us will joyfully serve God and other men. Because of this absence of selfishness, the Kingdom of Heaven is truly a paradise.

Jesus teaches us that true greatness belongs to the one who is humble and serves others out of heart. Conversely, whoever prefers to be served by others is small. Jesus’s attitude stands in contrast to the worldly mindset. Whoever truly embraces this divine attitude no longer asks who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven; instead, one can enjoy the bliss of the Kingdom here and now.

Jesus says that James and John will drink his cup. By this, Jesus means that the two of them will suffer and even die for the sake of the Gospel. Indeed, James dies as a martyr (Acts 12:2), and John is banished to the island of Patmos in his old age (Revelation 1:9).

B. The Indignation of the Disciples (24–28)

How do the other ten disciples react when they hear of the request made by James and John? They are indignant at the two brothers. Why? Because each of them believes he is greater than the others.

Then Jesus called all the disciples to himself and said, “You know that worldly rulers oppress their peoples and the powerful exploit them. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave—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.” (25–28)

In the world, it is common for the strong to rule over the weak and force them to serve.

Jesus’ disciples, however, are not to emulate the world, but rather Jesus. Jesus is God. Yet He humbled Himself and came into the world as a human being to serve us and to lay down His life as a ransom.

This is precisely what Jesus teaches us, "Whoever wants to be first among you must serve the others."

Whoever wishes to be great should not order others to do things for him, but rather serve them and be there for them. This is a Christian revolution. It is a complete reversal of worldly standards.

The world holds in high regard those who command vast numbers of people—such as the heads of government of major nations, including the US President, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, or the Russian President. Powerful figures are respected, admired, and feared across the globe. Wealthy individuals ceaselessly strive to become even richer. Others achieve fame through their music or art. Thus, the world attaches importance to those who possess power, wealth, or celebrity.

To Jesus Christ, all of this is meaningless and unimportant. Jesus values those who willingly serve God and other people. The world attaches little importance to tasks such as cooking, doing laundry, or caring for children; instead, prestigious careers are highly prized. Consequently, young people often prefer pursuing a career to raising children.

Yet Jesus says that true greatness belongs to the one who serves others. Therefore, mothers who raise children and cook for their families are truly great people in God’s eyes. In our family, Esther was such a person; she raised two children and served them—as well as me—by cooking and doing the laundry.

In the church, greatness belongs not to the preacher, but to those who willingly serve others—whether through cooking, cleaning, pitching in with practical tasks, or prayer. If we take Jesus’ teaching to heart, we find deep meaning in our lives and can live with joy.

Jesus Christ did not come into the world to sit on a throne and command people. Rather, He came to die on the cross for our sins. The Jews hoped for a Messiah who would be like a roaring lion. Yet Jesus came as the Lamb of God. His death on the cross dashed all their hopes for a Messiah of power and glory. However, His death on the cross is a message of redemption for all who believe in Him as the sacrificial lamb. Jesus Christ Himself says, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (28).

Before we believed in Jesus Christ, we lived under the power of death, for through our sins we had brought death and condemnation upon ourselves. But thank God, Jesus sacrificed His life for our sins and took them all away. In this way, we have received God’s forgiveness and eternal life. Therefore, we no longer live under the power of death, but under the rule of God. And we will enter the Kingdom of Heaven and be with God.

Since we are redeemed through the work of Christ and His self-sacrifice, we should cast off a worldly mindset, adopt an attitude pleasing to God, and lead a life of gratitude and service to God and other people. We should renounce the desire to rule over others and instead joyfully serve God and other people. God will be pleased by this and bless us abundantly. And wherever we may be, there will be a paradise.

3. The Healing of Two Blind Men in Jericho (29–33)

As Jesus passes through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, a large crowd follows him. Two blind men are sitting by the roadside there. When they hear that Jesus is passing by, they call out, "Oh Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

"Son of David" is a title for the Messiah. The crowd rebukes the two men, "Be quiet and hold your tongues!"

Yet the two men firmly believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah and has the power to heal them. Therefore, they do not want to miss this unique opportunity for healing.

They call out even more loudly, “O Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

Jesus is merciful and never ignores a plea for help. Although He knows full well that death on the cross awaits Him in Jerusalem, He feels deep compassion for people in need.

He stops, calls the two men to Him, and asks, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

Our Jesus knows their wish. Nevertheless, He asks them to voice it. Our Lord wants us to share our personal wishes with Him.

The two blind men answer, “Lord, let our eyes be opened!” Jesus feels compassion for them and touches their eyes. Immediately, they can see again. And the healed men follow him.

The Blessed Life of Serving People

We are easily inclined to want others to serve us. Yet, we find true happiness when we serve others with joy. We should embrace the blessing of serving life. We should remember that we were born, nourished, and raised through the devotion of our parents; without their service, we would not be here today. We should also reflect on the devotion of Christ; without His sacrifice on the cross, we would have neither forgiveness, nor eternal life, nor the Kingdom of Heaven. We should thank Christ for His serving. With a grateful heart, we should lovingly care for our children.

With a heart grateful for the grace of Christ, we should joyfully serve others so that they may become children of God and grow spiritually.

A life of serving often entails difficulties. Yet, when we remember the devotion of our parents and the sacrificial death of Christ, we can serve others with a grateful heart and lead a joyful life. Amen!

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[1] http://www.jesus-story.net/images/map_jc_10.JPG

[2] http://www.cgg-online.de/GebaerdenlexikonNeu/images/Geographie/Jordan_small.jpg