The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
"The kingdom of heaven is like a property owner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them one silver coin for the day's work and sent them into his vineyard. Around nine in the morning, he went out again and saw other men standing in the town square with nothing to do. He said to them, 'You go work in my vineyard too, and I will pay you whatever is fair.' So they went to work. The owner went out again around noon and then again at three in the afternoon, doing the same thing each time. Finally, around five in the evening, he went out once more and found still other men standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long with nothing to do?' They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.' So he told them, 'You go work in my vineyard as well.' When evening came, the vineyard owner said to his supervisor, 'Call all the workers together and pay them their wages. Start with the men who were hired last and work your way back to the ones hired first.' The workers who had been hired around five o'clock came forward, and each one received a full silver coin. When the men who had been hired first in the morning saw this, they expected to receive more money. But when their turn came, each of them also received just one silver coin. As they took their pay, they began complaining bitterly to the landowner. They said, 'These men who were hired last only worked for one hour, but you've paid them the same as us! We worked hard all day long, bearing the heavy burden of the work and the blazing heat of the sun.' But the owner replied to one of them, 'Friend, I haven't been unfair to you at all. Didn't you agree to work for one silver coin? Take what belongs to you and go home. I choose to pay this last worker the same amount I paid you. Don't I have the right to do whatever I want with my own money? Are you jealous simply because I choose to be generous?' So those who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last."
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time
As Jesus was walking toward Jerusalem, he pulled his twelve disciples aside privately and spoke to them. "Listen carefully," he said. "We are heading to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is going to be handed over to the chief priests and the religious teachers. They will sentence him to death and then turn him over to the foreigners, who will make fun of him, beat him with whips, and nail him to a cross to die. But on the third day, he will come back to life."
The Request of James and John's Mother
The mother of James and John came to Jesus with her two sons. She knelt before him, wanting to ask him for something special. Jesus looked at her and asked, "What do you want from me?" She replied, "Promise me that when you become king, one of my sons will sit on your right side and the other on your left side in positions of honor." Jesus turned to the brothers and said, "You don't understand what you're asking for. Are you able to drink from the same cup of suffering that I'm going to drink from?" James and John answered confidently, "Yes, we can do it." Jesus told them, "You will indeed drink from my cup of suffering. But I cannot decide who sits at my right hand or my left hand. Those places belong to the people my Father has chosen for them." When the other ten disciples heard what James and John had asked for, they became angry with the two brothers. Jesus gathered all twelve disciples together and said to them, "You know how the rulers of other nations work. They use their power to control people, and their officials use their authority to make others obey them. But things will be completely different among you. If anyone wants to become great in my kingdom, he must become a servant to everyone else. And if anyone wants to be first, he must become like a slave to all the others. Remember, even the Son of Man didn't come to earth to have people serve him. Instead, I came to serve others and to give my life as the payment to set many people free."
The Healing of Two Blind Men
As Jesus and his followers were leaving the city of Jericho, a large crowd walked along with them. Two blind men were sitting by the side of the road, and when they heard that Jesus was walking past, they shouted out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" The crowd told them sharply to be quiet, but this only made the blind men call out even louder: "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" Jesus stopped walking and called the men over to him. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked them. "Lord," they replied, "we want our eyes to be opened so we can see." Jesus felt deep compassion for them. He reached out and touched their eyes, and immediately their sight was restored. They could see perfectly, and they got up and followed Jesus down the road.