1"The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. 2After agreeing to pay the workers the usual day's wages, he sent them to work in his vineyard. 3About 9 a.m. he saw others standing in the marketplace without work. 4He said to them, 'Work in my vineyard, and I'll give you whatever is right.' So they went. 5"He went out again about noon and 3 p.m. and did the same thing. 6About 5 p.m. he went out and found some others standing around. He said to them, 'Why are you standing here all day long without work?' 7" 'No one has hired us,' they answered him. "He said to them, 'Work in my vineyard.'

8"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told the supervisor, 'Call the workers, and give them their wages. Start with the last, and end with the first.' 9"Those who started working about 5 p.m. came, and each received a day's wages. 10When those who had been hired first came, they expected to receive more. But each of them received a day's wages. 11Although they took it, they began to protest to the owner. 12They said, 'These last workers have worked only one hour. Yet, you've treated us all the same, even though we worked hard all day under a blazing sun.' 13"The owner said to one of them, 'Friend, I'm not treating you unfairly. Didn't you agree with me on a day's wages? 14Take your money and go! I want to give this last worker as much as I gave you. 15Can't I do what I want with my own money? Or do you resent my generosity towards others?' 16"In this way the last will be first, and the first will be last."

17When Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he took the twelve apostles aside and said to them privately, 18"We're going to Jerusalem. There the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death 19and hand him over to foreigners. They will make fun of him, whip him, and crucify him. But on the third day he will be brought back to life."

20Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her two sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor. 21"What do you want?" he asked her. She said to him, "Promise that one of my sons will sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom." 22Jesus replied, "You don't realize what you're asking. Can you drink the cup that I'm going to drink?" "We can," they told him. 23Jesus said to them, "You will drink my cup. But I don't have the authority to grant you a seat at my right or left. My Father has already prepared these positions for certain people."

24When the other ten apostles heard about this, they were irritated with the two brothers. 25Jesus called the apostles and said, "You know that the rulers of nations have absolute power over people and their officials have absolute authority over people. 26But that's not the way it's going to be among you. Whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant. 27Whoever wants to be most important among you will be your slave. 28It's the same way with the Son of Man. He didn't come so that others could serve him. He came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people."

29As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus. 30Two blind men were sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" 31The crowd told them to be quiet. But they shouted even louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" 32Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. 33They told him, "Lord, we want you to give us our eyesight back." 34Jesus felt sorry for them, so he touched their eyes. Their sight was restored at once, and they followed him.