Matthew 20:23
He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus affirms that James and John will indeed share in His suffering, but subtly shifts the ultimate authority for the highest honors not away from Himself, but to the Father's divine preparation. This highlights that Christ's granting of rewards isn't arbitrary, but perfectly aligned with the Father's eternal plan and justice.
The mother of James and John, pushed by her sons' ambition, asks Jesus to grant them the highest positions in his coming kingdom. Jesus gently redirects their desire for earthly glory by asking if they can endure his suffering and death, a "cup" and "baptism" he himself must face. He then clarifies that while they will share in his suffering, the granting of those supreme places belongs to the Father, not solely to him to give as he pleases.
James and John boldly asked for the highest seats, but Jesus redirected their focus. What did He want them to understand about His kingdom?
Jesus affirms that James and John will indeed share in His suffering – drinking His 'cup' and undergoing His 'baptism.' This isn't a casual remark; it's a profound truth about the nature of His kingdom.
The Cup and the Baptism
Jesus reminds them that sharing in His glory is inseparable from sharing in His suffering. They will indeed drink His cup, but the granting of the highest honors is not His to arbitrarily give.
Jesus told His disciples that granting the highest positions wasn't His to give. What does this reveal about His relationship with the Father and His own role?
Jesus clarifies that while He shares in His Father's redemptive work, the specific assignment of places in His kingdom belongs to the Father. This isn't because Jesus lacks power, but because He operates in perfect alignment with the Father's eternal plan.
A Divine Delegation
Understand the original words
patēr · Greek Noun
The first person of the Trinity, the Creator and sustainer of all things, who possesses ultimate sovereign authority to determine the roles and positions within the kingdom of heaven according to His eternal counsel.
Jesus redirects the disciples' ambition from earthly power to shared suffering, emphasizing that ultimate positions in His kingdom are divinely appointed, not a result of personal request or worldly status.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus' Ministry and Teachings
Jesus teaches and performs miracles throughout Galilee and Judea, gathering disciples, including James and John, sons of Zebedee.
c. AD 30-33
James and John's Ambition
The mother of James and John asks Jesus to grant her sons prominent positions in His future kingdom, revealing their ambition.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus Predicts Suffering
Jesus responds by asking if they can 'drink His cup' and be 'baptized with His baptism,' referring to His coming suffering and death.
c. AD 40s
Martyrdom of James
James, the son of Zebedee, becomes the first apostle to be martyred by beheading, fulfilling Jesus' prediction of drinking His cup.
c. AD 90s
This passage parallels the request of James and John, highlighting their desire for prominent positions and Jesus' response that such honors are not His to give but are prepared by the Father. It further emphasizes the call to service rather than seeking status.
John 14:2-3Jesus speaks of preparing a place for His followers in His Father's house, echoing the idea that certain places and honors are prepared by the Father, aligning with the statement in Matthew 20:23 that these positions are for those for whom they have been prepared.
Acts 12:1-2This passage shows the fulfillment of Jesus' prediction that James would drink His cup, as he was martyred by Herod. It illustrates the suffering that participation in Christ's mission entails.
1 Corinthians 2:9This verse speaks of things that 'no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, nor the heart of man imagined,' which God has prepared for those who love Him. This resonates with the idea that the highest places in the kingdom are prepared by the Father and are beyond human grasping.
Romans 8:17This verse states that if we are children, we are heirs, and if we suffer with Christ, we will also be glorified with Him. It connects suffering for Christ (drinking His cup) with future glory, underscoring the trials that precede heavenly reward.
barnesMatthew 20:23: "And 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."
Ye shall indeed drink of my cup ... - You will follow me, and you will partake of my afflictions, and will suffer as Ishall. This was fulfilled. James was slain with the sword by Herod, Acts 12:2. John 54ed many years; but he attende…
calvinMatthew 20:20-23: "Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him."
- 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 you drink the cup…
Jesus affirms that James and John will indeed share in His suffering, but subtly shifts the ultimate authority for the highest honors not away from Himself, but to the Father's divine preparation. This highlights that Christ's granting of rewards isn't arbitrary, but perfectly aligned with the Father's eternal plan and justice.
The mother of James and John, pushed by her sons' ambition, asks Jesus to grant them the highest positions in his coming kingdom. Jesus gently redirects their desire for earthly glory by asking if they can endure his suffering and death, a "cup" and "baptism" he himself must face. He then clarifies that while they will share in his suffering, the granting of those supreme places belongs to the Father, not solely to him to give as he pleases.
The mother of James and John, pushed by her sons' ambition, asks Jesus to grant them the highest positions in his coming kingdom. Jesus gently redirects their desire for earthly glory by asking if they can endure his suffering and death, a "cup" and "baptism" he himself must face. He then clarifies that while they will share in his suffering, the granting of those supreme places belongs to the Father, not solely to him to give as he pleases.
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This shows that Christ's authority is not absolute in a way that bypasses the Father, but is exercised in submission to the Father's will. True honor comes from fulfilling God's prepared path, not from seeking personal exaltation.
Exile of John
John, the son of Zebedee, endures persecution and is exiled to the island of Patmos for his faith, experiencing hardship for Christ.
"He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”" — Jesus affirms that James and John will indeed share in His suffering, but subtly shifts the ultimate authority for the highest honors not away from Himself, but to the Father's divine preparation. Th…
