Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus reframes their ambitious request by using the imagery of a "cup" and "baptism," pointing not to glory, but to the suffering and immersion in hardship that precedes any true heavenly reward. Their eager "we can" misses the point entirely, failing to grasp that enduring Christ's own trials is the only path to true closeness with Him.
Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Just after Jesus explicitly told his disciples he was heading towards suffering and death in Jerusalem, James and John, through their mother, boldly asked to hold the highest positions in his future kingdom. Jesus gently pushes back, asking if they are truly prepared for the immense suffering—figuratively described as drinking a bitter "cup" and undergoing a "baptism"—that he himself must endure to enter that very kingdom.
James and John asked Jesus for the highest seats in His kingdom. But did they truly grasp what that kingdom entailed?
Jesus’ response, "You do not know what you are asking," cuts straight to the heart of their misunderstanding. They envisioned an earthly kingdom with visible power and status, a common Jewish expectation at the time.
A Misunderstood Reign
Their ambition, though rooted in a desire for closeness to Christ, was fundamentally misaligned with the nature of His reign.
Jesus uses two powerful images—a cup and a baptism—to describe His impending suffering. What do these metaphors reveal about His mission?
Jesus asks His disciples, "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" These aren't casual questions; they are profound metaphors for His suffering.
The Cup of Wrath and Anguish
Ask a follow-up
By using these terms, Jesus highlights that His path to glory was through intense suffering, a path His disciples, in their youthful ambition, could not yet fathom.
Understand the original words
potērion · Greek Noun
In the Bible, a cup is frequently a metaphor for one's destiny or lot in life, often associated with divine judgment, wrath, or intense suffering that must be endured.
baptisma · Greek Noun
Baptism signifies immersion, identification, and overwhelming transformation. In this context, it metaphorically describes being submerged in or overwhelmed by a profound experience, specifically the suffering of Christ.
This exchange highlights the disciples' struggle to grasp Jesus' mission, which was centered on suffering and sacrifice rather than earthly power. Their request for preeminence, even after hearing Jesus' warnings about His impending death, reveals a profound misunderstanding of the cross.
c. AD 30— this verse
Jesus' Final Journey to Jerusalem
Jesus, aware of His impending suffering and death, begins His final journey to Jerusalem with His disciples. Despite His clear warnings, the disciples are still grappling with His mission.
c. AD 30
James and John's Ambitious Request
James and John, through their mother Salome, ask Jesus to grant them positions of highest honor at His right and left hand in His future kingdom.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Response to the Disciples
Jesus gently rebukes their request, explaining that they do not understand the nature of His kingdom, which is entered through suffering and sacrifice, not worldly power.
c. AD 30
The Cup and Baptism Metaphor
Jesus uses the metaphors of 'drinking a cup' and 'being baptized' to represent His intense suffering, death, and immersion in God's will.
c. AD 30
The Other Disciples' Reaction
The other ten disciples become indignant upon hearing of James and John's request, revealing the ongoing ambition and misunderstanding among the group.
c. AD 44
Martyrdom of James
James, one of the sons of Zebedee, becomes the first apostle to be martyred, killed by the sword by King Herod Agrippa I, fulfilling Jesus' prophecy in a tragic way.
c. AD 90s
Gospel of Mark Written
The Gospel of Mark is written, likely in Rome, preserving this exchange between Jesus and James and John as a teaching moment for early Christians.
Jesus uses the same imagery of a 'baptism' to describe the intense suffering and distress He is about to endure, emphasizing its difficult and overwhelming nature.
Matthew 20:22This passage shows James and John's confident, yet naive, affirmation that they can indeed drink the cup and be baptized, highlighting their initial lack of understanding of the true cost of discipleship.
John 18:11Jesus refers to a 'cup' He must drink, directly linking the cup imagery to His impending suffering and submission to the Father's will, which is central to His mission.
Philippians 3:10This verse speaks of 'sharing in his sufferings' and being 'conformed to his death,' paralleling the disciples' call to endure suffering as a necessary part of following Christ, mirroring Jesus' own experience.
Psalm 75:8The Old Testament uses the imagery of a cup from which all the wicked must drink, representing judgment and wrath, which helps to understand the 'cup' Jesus speaks of as representing divine judgment and suffering.
ellicottMark 10:38: "But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"
(38) And be baptized with the baptism. —The clause seems to have been found originally in St. Mark only, and to have been added afterwards by the transcribers of St. Matthew to bring the reports of the two Gospels into more entire agreement.
calvinMark 10:35-40: "And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire."
- Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping, [651] and asking something from him. 21. And he said to her, What wilt thou? She saith to him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, one at thy right hand, and the other at the left, in thy kingdom. 22. And Jesus answering said, You know not what you ask. Can y…
Jesus reframes their ambitious request by using the imagery of a "cup" and "baptism," pointing not to glory, but to the suffering and immersion in hardship that precedes any true heavenly reward. Their eager "we can" misses the point entirely, failing to grasp that enduring Christ's own trials is the only path to true closeness with Him.
Just after Jesus explicitly told his disciples he was heading towards suffering and death in Jerusalem, James and John, through their mother, boldly asked to hold the highest positions in his future kingdom. Jesus gently pushes back, asking if they are truly prepared for the immense suffering—figuratively described as drinking a bitter "cup" and undergoing a "baptism"—that he himself must endure to enter that very kingdom.
Just after Jesus explicitly told his disciples he was heading towards suffering and death in Jerusalem, James and John, through their mother, boldly asked to hold the highest positions in his future kingdom. Jesus gently pushes back, asking if they are truly prepared for the immense suffering—figuratively described as drinking a bitter "cup" and undergoing a "baptism"—that he himself must endure to enter that very kingdom.
"Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”" — Jesus reframes their ambitious request by using the imagery of a "cup" and "baptism," pointing not to glory, but to the suffering and immersion in hardship that precedes any true heavenly reward. T…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026