Faith Daily Lectio Saturday, October 31, 2026 Gospel
Saturday, October 31, 2026 · Reformation Day
Gospel
Oratio (prayer)
Lord Jesus, You went up to Jerusalem to give Your life a ransom for many. Send Your Holy Spirit as I read Matthew 20 on this Reformation Day, that I may hear Your Word and trust in Your mercy alone. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Meditatio (meditation)
Matthew 20:17-34
17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
18Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
19And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
21And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
22But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
23And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
24And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.
25But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
26But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
27And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
28Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
29And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
31And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
32And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
33They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
34So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
Consider even rereading in another translation.
You could also consider listening to this chapter, narrated:
KJV (Max McLean) · ESV (Max McLean) · NIV (dramatized)
You might read the whole reading slowly, aloud, more than once.
Consider this verse, for example:
“So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes” (Matthew 20:34)
What other lines speak to you?
On the road to Jerusalem, Jesus takes the twelve aside and tells them plainly that He will be betrayed, condemned, mocked, scourged and crucified, and that the third day He will rise again. Then the mother of James and John asks that her sons sit at His right hand and His left in His kingdom. Jesus asks if they can drink His cup, and the other ten are indignant. He teaches that greatness among His people is service. Leaving Jericho, two blind men cry out to Him for mercy. He stops, asks what they want, touches their eyes, and they see and follow Him.
The Law The disciples hear of the cross and start arguing about seats of honor. Jesus answers, "Ye know not what ye ask" (v. 22). We, too, want glory without the cross, and we bristle when others seem to get ahead, as the ten "were moved with indignation" (v. 24). The world measures greatness by rank, but Jesus says, "it shall not be so among you" (v. 26).
The Gospel Jesus does not come to be served. He says, "the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (v. 28). That ransom was paid at the cross, for you. Righteousness is His gift, not our achievement. And He still stops for beggars. When the blind men cry, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David" (v. 30), "Jesus stood still" (v. 32). "So Jesus had compassion on them" (v. 34), and He has compassion on you.
Prayer Lord Jesus, I confess that I have sought honor for myself and resented the honor of others. Forgive me. Thank You for giving Your life as my ransom. Open my eyes, that I may see You and follow You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tentatio (trial)
Sometimes the crowd tells us to be quiet, as "the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace" (v. 31). Under trial it may help to do what the blind men did: "they cried the more" (v. 31). No voice is too small for Jesus to hear, and no need too great for His mercy.
Prayer Lord, when others hush me or my own doubts silence me, let me cry the more to You. Have mercy on me, and give me sight to follow You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
My church home: Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, PA. Looking for a church? See About Daily Lectio.
