Matthew 20 20

Matthew 20:20 kjv

Then came to him the mother of Zebedees children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.

Matthew 20:20 nkjv

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.

Matthew 20:20 niv

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

Matthew 20:20 esv

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something.

Matthew 20:20 nlt

Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor.

Matthew 20 verses

Matthew 20 20 Meaning

Matthew 20:20 describes the approach of the mother of James and John, two of Jesus’s prominent disciples, to Jesus. She comes with her sons, showing deep respect by bowing down, and begins to make an unspecified request. This incident immediately follows Jesus's third clear prediction of His suffering and death in Jerusalem, setting a stark contrast between His understanding of the Kingdom and the disciples' lingering worldly aspirations for power and position within that Kingdom. The verse initiates a crucial teaching moment for Jesus regarding true leadership and sacrifice.

Matthew 20 20 Context

This verse is situated immediately after Jesus’s third and most detailed prophecy of His passion, crucifixion, and resurrection (Matt 20:17-19), explicitly stating He would be betrayed, condemned, mocked, flogged, crucified, and would rise on the third day. The disciples' subsequent interaction, initiated by Zebedee’s mother, dramatically illustrates their continued profound misunderstanding of Jesus’s true mission and the nature of His coming Kingdom. They persisted in envisioning an earthly political kingdom where positions of power would be assigned, even as Jesus was revealing His path of suffering and servanthood. This incident sets the stage for Jesus's foundational teaching on authentic leadership in the Kingdom of Heaven, emphasizing humble service over worldly ambition (Matt 20:25-28), directly contrasting human aspirations with divine principles.

Matthew 20 20 Word analysis

• Then (Tote): Greek tote (τότε). A temporal adverb, connecting the incident directly to Jesus’s recent pronouncement of His impending suffering and death. It highlights the striking disconnect between Jesus's prophetic words and the disciples' earthly focus.
• the mother of Zebedee’s sons (hē mētēr tōn huiōn Zebedaiou): Greek hē mētēr (ἡ μήτηρ) "the mother" and tōn huiōn Zebedaiou (τῶν υἱῶν Ζεβεδαίου) "of Zebedee’s sons." This identifies the woman, typically understood to be Salome (compare Matt 27:56 with Mk 15:40 and 16:1), who was likely Jesus's aunt. Her role here is notable, either as a spokesperson for her sons or due to her own ambitious desires for them. This suggests that James and John were complicit or even instigators, a detail explicitly confirmed by Mark (Mk 10:35), who says James and John came to Jesus directly.
• came (proselthousa): Greek proselthousa (προσελθοῦσα), from proserchomai (προσέρχομαι), meaning "to come near, approach, or draw near to." This term often implies a purposeful, deliberate approach, especially for prayer, supplication, or consultation with a respected authority figure.
• to Jesus (autō): Greek autō (αὐτῷ), referring to Jesus. The focus of their petition is squarely on Christ as the one with authority to grant such high requests in the anticipated Kingdom.
• with her sons (meta tōn huiōn autēs): Greek meta tōn huiōn autēs (μετὰ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτῆς). This highlights the sons’ presence and likely their involvement or approval of the mother's petition. It also reinforces the idea that the request was for them specifically, for James and John.
• bowing down (proskynousa): Greek proskynousa (προσκυνοῦσα), from proskyneō (προσκυνέω). This verb signifies an act of reverence, prostration, or homage. It can imply worship (as to God) but here signifies a profound gesture of respect, submission, and humility in making a very important request from a perceived position of authority. It is an act of seeking favor, showing extreme deference to the one from whom the favor is sought.
• and asking (kai aitousa): Greek kai aitousa (καὶ αἰτοῦσα), from aiteō (αἰτέω). To "ask" or "request." It conveys a general petition before the specific nature of the request is revealed. It denotes seeking something from someone based on their capacity to grant it.
• something (ti): Greek ti (τι). An indefinite pronoun, meaning "something" or "a certain thing." The vagueness here builds anticipation for the actual request, which follows in the next verse. It subtly hints at the bold nature of what is to be asked, not a small favor but "something" significant.

Matthew 20 20 Bonus section

The juxtaposition of Matthew 20:20 with Jesus’s preceding passion prophecy (Matt 20:17-19) underscores a central theme throughout the Gospels: the persistent human tendency to misunderstand spiritual realities through a worldly lens. While Jesus spoke of a kingdom inaugurated through suffering and marked by service, His disciples, particularly James and John, whose nickname "Boanerges" (Sons of Thunder, Mk 3:17) might hint at their assertive character, were preoccupied with earthly status and authority. The apparent slight difference between Matthew's account (the mother makes the request) and Mark's (the sons directly ask, Mk 10:35) is often interpreted not as a contradiction but as complementary: the mother served as a formal advocate or spoke on their behalf, while the sons themselves harbored and perhaps initiated the ambition, thus being fully complicit in the request. This interaction becomes a significant precursor to Jesus's later teachings on leadership, like those delivered during the Last Supper (Lk 22:24-27), consistently challenging human-centric power structures with Kingdom values.

Matthew 20 20 Commentary

Matthew 20:20 captures a pivotal moment demonstrating the profound spiritual chasm between Jesus’s mission and His disciples’ understanding. Immediately following Christ's clear prophecy of suffering and death, the mother of James and John (likely Salome), with her ambitious sons in tow, approaches Jesus with deep reverence, symbolized by her bowing. Their intent, though unstated in this verse, is to secure preeminent positions of power in what they still believed would be an earthly, political kingdom. This scene vividly illustrates the persistent human struggle with worldly ambition and the difficulty even the closest followers had in grasping the sacrificial nature of true discipleship and Christ’s redemptive work. It sets the stage for Jesus's corrective teaching that greatness in God’s Kingdom is found not in seeking elevated status but in humble, self-sacrificial service to others, contrasting the Gentile rulers who lord it over their subjects with the selfless service exemplified by Christ himself.