In Exodus 5 Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh and tell him that the Lord, the God of Israel wants him to let the people of Israel go and worship Him. Unlike the pharaoh in Joseph’s day who acknowledged God, this pharaoh does not know God and will not let them go. He then has his taskmasters take away the straw and make the people get the straw on their own but still produce as many brick as when the straw was provided. When they cannot meet their quotas they are beaten.

He tells the people it is because they are asking to go and sacrifice to God, and so he believes they are lazy.

The Israelites blame Moses and Aaron for what is happening to them. Moses asks God why this is happening. He tells God that Pharaoh is mistreating the people and God hasn’t done anything to deliver them.

In Exodus 6 God responds to Moses by telling him about the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God has remembered His covenant and will deliver the people from slavery. He will bring them to the land promised to their ancestors and they will know that he is their God.

Moses tells this to the people but they did not believe him since they are struggling under oppression. Moses tells God that they did not listen and he doesn’t believe that Pharaoh will listen to him either.

God orders him to put the people in companies grouped by their ancestors. He then tells Aaron and Moses to speak to Pharaoh. Moses again doubts God’s plans citing that he is a poor speaker.

At the end of Matthew 19 Jesus says that the last will be first and the first will be last. He tells a parable explaining this in Matthew 20. A man hires some people to work in his vineyard. Some he hires early in the day and others he hires later in the day. He pays them all the same. The ones who worked since morning complain. The man says that he gave them what was due, why should they question his generosity with what belongs to him. It doesn’t matter when a person comes into the kingdom, all will receive the same eternal life.

They are traveling to Jerusalem and Jesus tells the twelve that he will be handed over to the chief priests, be condemned to death, be beaten and crucified and then be raised. At this point the Mother of James and John asks that her sons be able to sit at his side in the kingdom. He asks them if they can drink the cup he will drink. They say they can and he says that they will do so, but only God knows who will sit beside him in the kingdom.

The other disciples get angry with James and John, but Jesus against chides them about wanting to be the greatest. In his kingdom the one who wants to be the greatest must be the servant and give his life.