The Meaning of Matthew 20:20 Explained

Matthew 20:20

KJV: Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.

YLT: Then came near to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee, with her sons, bowing and asking something from him,

Darby: Then came to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee, with her sons, doing homage, and asking something of him.

ASV: Then came to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, worshipping him , and asking a certain thing of him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then  came  to him  the mother  of Zebedee's  children  with  her  sons,  worshipping  [him], and  desiring  a certain  thing  of him. 

What does Matthew 20:20 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Evidently James and John approached Jesus with their mother who voiced the request for them (cf. Mark 10:35). The reason they took this approach was not significant to the Gospel writers, though it suggests some reticence on the part of James and John. Evidently they believed Jesus would be more favorable to their mother"s request than to theirs perhaps because Jesus had been teaching them to be humble. Their kneeling implied respect but not necessarily worship.

Context Summary

Matthew 20:17-28 - Serving Nobler Than Self-Seeking
For the third time our Lord foretells His death. In Matthew 16:21, He dwelt especially on the shame of His rejection; in Matthew 17:23, He told how the gates of death would open on the Easter joy. Now He declares the method of His death, and tells how Gentiles would join with His own people in the tragedy of the Cross. He was no martyr, who went unknowing to his doom. He set His face to go to the Cross. Others die because they were born; He was born that He might die.
Many desire the power of the throne, without being prepared to pay the price of suffering. Others say glibly and easily, We can, little realizing what their choice involves, and that nothing but the grace of God can make their vow possible of fulfillment. But it is sufficient! Only claim it. God will not fail you! Notice Matthew 20:28. The Lord ministers to us all, daily, patiently, lovingly. He took on Him the form of a servant and became obedient. Serve all men for His sake! We have to go down to reach His side. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 20

1  Jesus, by the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, shows that God is debtor unto no man;
17  foretells his passion;
20  by answering the mother of Zebedee's children, teaches his disciples to be humble;
29  and gives two blind men their sight

Greek Commentary for Matthew 20:20

Then [τοτε]
Surely an inopportune time for such a request just after the pointed prediction of Christ‘s crucifixion. Perhaps their minds had been preoccupied with the words of Jesus (Matthew 19:28) about their sitting on twelve thrones taking them in a literal sense. The mother of James and John, probably Salome, possibly a sister of the Master‘s mother (John 19:25), apparently prompted her two sons because of the family relationship and now speaks for them. [source]
Asking a certain thing [αιτουσα τι]
“Asking something,” “plotting perhaps when their Master was predicting” (Bruce). The “something” put forward as a small matter was simply the choice of the two chief thrones promised by Jesus (John 19:28). [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 20:20

Matthew 18:1 Who then is greatest [τις αρα μειζων εστιν]
The αρα — ara seems to point back to the tax-collection incident when Jesus had claimed exemption for them all as “sons” of the Father. But it was not a new dispute, for jealousy had been growing in their hearts. The wonderful words of Jesus to Peter on Mount Hermon (Matthew 16:17-19) had evidently made Peter feel a fresh sense of leadership on the basis of which he had dared even to rebuke Jesus for speaking of his death (Matthew 16:22). And then Peter was one of the three (James and John also) taken with the Master up on the Mount of Transfiguration. Peter on that occasion had spoken up promptly. And just now the tax-collectors had singled out Peter as the one who seemed to represent the group. Mark (Mark 9:33) represents Jesus as asking them about their dispute on the way into the house, perhaps just after their question in Matthew 18:1. Jesus had noticed the wrangling. It will break out again and again (Matthew 20:20-28; Luke 22:24). Plainly the primacy of Peter was not yet admitted by the others. The use of the comparative μειζων — meizōn (so ο μειζων — ho meizōn in Matthew 18:4) rather than the superlative μεγιστος — megistos is quite in accord with the Koiné idiom where the comparative is displacing the superlative (Robertson, Grammar, pp. 667ff.). But it is a sad discovery to find the disciples chiefly concerned about their own places (offices) in the political kingdom which they were expecting. [source]
Mark 10:35 There come near unto him James and John [και προσπορευονται Ιακωβος και Ιωανης]
Dramatic present tense. Matthew has τοτε — tote then, showing that the request of the two brothers with their mother (Matthew 20:20) comes immediately after the talk about Christ‘s death. [source]
Mark 10:37 In thy glory [εν τηι δοχηι]
Matthew 20:21 has “in thy kingdom.” See note on Matthew 20:20 for the literal interpretation of Matthew 19:28. They are looking for a grand Jewish world empire with apocalyptic features in the eschatological culmination of the Messiah‘s kingdom. That dream brushed aside all the talk of Jesus about his death and resurrection as mere pessimism. [source]
Mark 9:37 One of such little children [hen tōn toioutōn paidiōn)]
Matthew 18:5 has “one such little child” and Luke 9:48 “this little child.” It was an object lesson to the arrogant conceit of the twelve apostles contending for primacy. They did not learn this lesson for they will again wrangle over primacy (Mark 10:33-45; Matthew 20:20-28) and they will be unable to comprehend easily what the attitude of Jesus was toward children (Mark 10:13-16; Matthew 19:13-15; Luke 8:15-17). The child was used as a rebuke to the apostles. [source]
Luke 9:46 Which of them should be greatest [το τις αν ειη μειζων αυτων]
Note the article with the indirect question, the clause being in the accusative of general reference. The optative with αν — an is here because it was so in the direct question (potential optative with αν — an retained in the indirect). But Luke makes it plain that it was not an abstract problem about greatness in the kingdom of heaven as they put it to Jesus (Matthew 18:1), but a personal problem in their own group. Rivalries and jealousies had already come and now sharp words. By and by James and John will be bold enough to ask for the first places for themselves in this political kingdom which they expect (Mark 10:35; Matthew 20:20). It is a sad spectacle. [source]
Hebrews 1:6 And let all the angels of God worship him [καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι θεοῦ]
Προσκυνεῖν toworship mostly in the Gospels, Acts, and Apocrypha. In Paul only 1 Corinthians 14:25. Very often in lxx. Originally, to kiss the hand to: thence, to do homage to. Not necessarily of an act of religious reverence (see Matthew 9:18; Matthew 20:20), but often in N.T. in that sense. Usually translated worship, whether a religious sense is intended or not: see on Acts 10:25. The quotation is not found in the Hebrew of the O.T., but is cited literally from lxx, Deuteronomy 32:43. It appears substantially in Psalm 96:7. For the writer of Hebrews the lxx was Scripture, and is quoted throughout without regard to its correspondence with the Hebrew. [source]
1 John 5:14 That [οτι]
Declarative again, as in 1 John 5:11.If we ask anything (εαν τι αιτωμετα — ean ti aitōmetha). Condition of third class with εαν — ean and present middle (indirect) subjunctive (personal interest as in James 4:3, though the point is not to be pressed too far, for see Matthew 20:20, Matthew 20:22; John 16:24, John 16:26).According to his will This is the secret in all prayer, even in the case of Jesus himself. For the phrase see 1 Peter 4:19; Galatians 1:4; Ephesians 1:5, Ephesians 1:11.He heareth us (ακουει ημων — akouei hēmōn). Even when God does not give us what we ask, in particular then (Hebrews 5:7.). [source]
1 John 5:14 If we ask anything [εαν τι αιτωμετα]
Condition of third class with εαν — ean and present middle (indirect) subjunctive (personal interest as in James 4:3, though the point is not to be pressed too far, for see Matthew 20:20, Matthew 20:22; John 16:24, John 16:26). [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 20:20 mean?

Then came to Him the mother of the sons of Zebedee with the of her kneeling down and asking something from Him
Τότε προσῆλθεν αὐτῷ μήτηρ τῶν υἱῶν Ζεβεδαίου μετὰ τῶν αὐτῆς προσκυνοῦσα καὶ αἰτοῦσά τι ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ

προσῆλθεν  came 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: προσέρχομαι  
Sense: to come to, approach.
αὐτῷ  to  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
μήτηρ  mother 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: μήτηρ  
Sense: a mother.
τῶν  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
υἱῶν  sons 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: υἱός  
Sense: a son.
Ζεβεδαίου  of  Zebedee 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ζεβεδαῖος  
Sense: a fisherman of Galilee, the father of the apostles James the Great and John, and the husband of Salome.
αὐτῆς  of  her 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
προσκυνοῦσα  kneeling  down 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: προσκυνέω  
Sense: to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence.
αἰτοῦσά  asking 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: αἰτέω  
Sense: to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require.
τι  something 
Parse: Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: τὶς  
Sense: a certain, a certain one.