Please read the passage before the commentary.
Jesus speaks openly of his coming passion and death. The first time he did this, the disciples were in denial: “this should not happen to you,”
This second time they seem to have accepted the idea that he would die, but they seem interested in dividing up his estate. Jesus, however, had not come to distribute his estate or divide up his goods. It is not a time for first and second places, but it is a time when everyone will share equally, because Jesus did come so that we could have life and that life abundantly.
There is enough Jesus to go around for all. Those in the first place will not receive more than those in the last place. Jesus points this out when he says that “the Son of Mans did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a transom for many” The word many here means more than one and, by implication, it means all.
We are not dividing up the estate or sharing the spoils of victory. We are, each one of us, enjoying the fulness of Jesus’ life and victory. Jesus did not die for one or two so that we have to get in line to share; he died for all so that all receive equally and fully.
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