Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 20:18

"Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and scribes; and they shall condemn him to death," — Matthew 20:18 (ASV)

Jerusalem was the focal point of Jewish worship. We are going there, Jesus says, because there the Son of Man will be betrayed and crucified. He will be “condemned”—his death will result from legal proceedings (v.18). Mention of the Resurrection is brief (v.19) and apparently not understood (cf. Lk 18:34) —though in Matthew the disciples’ misunderstanding is not spelled out as in Luke but exemplified by the succeeding story (vv.20–28).