Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 20:22
But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
22. Ye know not ] Observe, Jesus addresses the sons, not the mother.
what ye ask ] There is some force in the middle voice of the original, “ask for yourselves,” or “cause to be asked.”
the cup that I shall drink of ] “The destiny in store for me.” Cp. among other passages, Isa 51:17, “Thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out,” and Psa 75:8; the idea of vengeance, of God’s wrath against sin, is paramount in the prophets. When the disciples afterwards recalled the image it would signify to them the mediation of Christ, who by His passion and death drank for man the cup of God’s wrath. Maldonatus suggests the thought of “the poison cup,” the cup of death. For the image, cp. “quot bella exhausta canebat.” Verg. Aen. iv. 14.
and to be baptized, &c.] These words are omitted in the most ancient MSS. They are probably an insertion from St Mark. The crucifixion was the baptism through which Jesus passed to the new life after the Resurrection. Our Christian baptism is a crucifixion by which the old man dies that the new man may live. See Rom 6:6; Gal 5:24; Col 3:3; Col 3:5; Col 3:10.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 22. Ye know not what ye ask.] How strange is the infatuation, in some parents, which leads them to desire worldly or ecclesiastical honours for their children! He must be much in love with the cross who wishes to have his child a minister of the Gospel; for, if he be such as God approves of in the work, his life will be a life of toil and suffering; he will be obliged to sip, at least, if not to drink largely, of the cup of Christ. We know not what we ask, when, in getting our children into the CHURCH, we take upon ourselves to answer for their CALL to the sacred office, and for the salvation of the souls that are put under their care. Blind parents! rather let your children beg their bread than thrust them into an office to which God has not called them; and in which they will not only ruin their souls, but be the means of damnation to hundreds; for if God has not sent them, they shall not profit the people at all.
And to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized, &c.] This clause in this, and the next verse, is wanting in BDL, two others, (7 more in Mt 20:23,) Coptic, Sahidic, Ethiopic, Mr. WHEELOCK’S Persic, Vulgate, Saxon, and all the Itala, except two. Grotius, Mill, and Bengel, think it should be omitted, and Griesbach has left it out of the text in both his editions. It is omitted also by Origen, Epiphanius, Hilary, Jerome, Ambrose, and Juvencus. According to the rules laid down by critics to appreciate a false or true reading, this clause cannot be considered as forming a part of the sacred text. It may be asked, Does not drink of my cup, convey the same idea? Does the clause add any thing to the perspicuity of the passage? And, though found in many good MSS., is not the balance of evidence in point of antiquity against it? Baptism among the Jews, as it was performed in the coldest weather, and the persons were kept under water for some time, was used not only to express death, but the most cruel kind of death. See Lightfoot. As to the term cup, it was a common figure, by which they expressed calamities, judgments, desolation, &c.
They say unto him, We are able.] Strange blindness! You can? No: one drop of this cup would sink you into utter ruin, unless upheld by the power of God. However, the man whom God has appointed to the work he will preserve in it.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Mark hath the same, Mar 10:38,39. Our Saviour gently reproves them for their unadvised petition, and again minds them, that he was first to suffer, and then to enter into his glory, and that by much tribulation they also must enter into the kingdom of God; which was a thing fitter for their present thoughts, than sitting at his right hand and left hand, for we must suffer with him, if we will be glorified together, Rom 8:17. How ready are we to ask we know not what!
Are ye able to drink of the cup, & c.: the sense is, Are you able to suffer what I am to suffer? Hereby our Saviour intimates that those who are the freest and greatest sufferers for Christ shall have the greatest rewards from him. Christ here expresses his sufferings under the notion of drinking of a cup, and being baptized with a baptism. A cup is an ordinary metaphor in holy writ, by which a mans portion in this life is expressed, whether it be a portion of good things or evil, Psa 11:6; Isa 51:17; Jer 25:15; Lam 4:21; Mat 26:39,42; Jo 18:11. Drinking of a cup is usually put for suffering, Jer 49:12 Eze 23:32 Oba 1:16. The metaphor being, as some think, taken from a custom in some nations, to put malefactors to death by giving them a cup of poison to drink; or, as others think, from the lewd custom, at competitions to force men to drink off their cups. To be
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with hath the same import: see Luk 12:50. Afflictions are ordinarily compared in Scripture to waters: to be baptized, is to be dipped in water; metaphorically, to be plunged in afflictions. I am, saith Christ, to be baptized with blood, overwhelmed with sufferings and afflictions; are you able to be so?
They say unto him, We are able. This was as rashly spoken as the other. How little do we know our own strength! When Christ was apprehended, they all forsook him and fled, Mat 26:56.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
But Jesus answered, and said,…. To her two sons,
ye know not what ye ask. They were ignorant of the nature of Christ’s kingdom, which is spiritual, and not of this world: or they would never have asked such a question, or sued for that which will never be enjoyed by any and supposing that Christ’s kingdom had been such as they imagined, yet in asking for honours and riches, they might not know what they asked for; they might promise themselves much pleasure and happiness in the enjoyment of them, and yet, if indulged with them, might be disappointed, and find unexpected troubles and uneasiness. It would have been much more proper and seasonable, on hearing of Christ’s being mocked, scourged, spit upon, and crucified, if they had put such a question to themselves, Christ here directs to,
are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? meaning his reproaches, sorrows, sufferings, and death; which because of the disagreeableness of them, he compares to a bitter cup of vengeance, wrath, fury, and indignation; and because they were appointed to him, and allotted for him, they were his portion, therefore he expresses them by a “cup”; and because they were so many and great, of such an overwhelming nature, that he seemed to be plunged into them, and covered with them, therefore he likens them to a “baptism” and which the ordinance of water baptism, performed by immersion, is a lively representation of. Now Christ suggests to these disciples, that instead of indulging their ambitious desires of worldly grandeur, that they would do well to consider what a bitter cup he had to drink of, and what a sea of sorrows and sufferings he was about to be plunged into, and drenched in; and whether they could think of enduring anything of the like kind, for his sake, which was most likely to be in a short time, what they would be called unto, and not to honours, ease, and pleasure; and what they must be sure, more or less, to undergo, before they entered the everlasting kingdom of glory:
they say unto him, we are able; not considering the nature of these sufferings, and their own weakness; but partly through ignorance of themselves, and a vain confidence which possessed them; and chiefly through a vehement desire of the places in his kingdom, they asked for, and which they thought drinking his cup, and being baptized with his baptism, were the condition, and the means of enjoying; and so rashly affirm their ability, and which includes their willingness to comply herewith.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Ye know not what ye ask ( ). How often that is true. is indirect middle voice, “ask for yourselves,” “a selfish request.”
We are able (). Amazing proof of their ignorance and self-confidence. Ambition had blinded their eyes. They had not caught the martyr spirit.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
22. You know not what you ask. Their ignorance was worthy of blame on two accounts; first, because their ambition led them to desire more than was proper; and, secondly, because, instead of the heavenly kingdom of Christ, they had formed the idea of a phantom in the air. As to the first of those reasons, whoever is not satisfied with the free adoption of God, and desires to raise himself, such a person wanders beyond his limits, and, by unseasonably pressing himself forward beyond what was proper for him to do, is ungrateful to God. Now to estimate the spiritual kingdom of Christ according to the feeling of our flesh is highly perverse. And, indeed, the greater the delight which the mind of man takes in idle speculations, the more carefully ought we to guard against them; as we see that the books of the sophists are stuffed with useless notions of this sort.
Can you drink the cup which I shall drink? To correct their ambition, and to withdraw them from this wicked desire, he holds out to them the cross, and all the annoyances which the children of God must endure. As if he had said, “Does your present warfare allow you so much leisure, that you are now making arrangements for a triumphal procession?” For if they had been earnestly employed in the duties of their calling, they would never have given way to this wicked imagination. In these words, therefore, those who are desirous to obtain the prize before the proper time are enjoined by Christ to employ themselves in attending to the duties of piety. And certainly this is an excellent bridle for restraining ambition; for, so long as we are pilgrims in this world, our condition is such as ought to banish vain luxuries. We are surrounded by a thousand dangers. Sometimes the enemy assails us by ambush, and that in a variety of ways; and sometimes he attacks us by open violence. Is he not worse than stupid who, amidst so many deaths, entertains himself at his ease by drawing pictures of a triumph?
Our Lord enjoins his followers, indeed, to feel assured of victory, and to sing a triumphal song in the midst of death; for otherwise they would not have courage to fight valiantly. But it is one thing to advance manfully to the battle, in reliance on the reward which God has promised to them, and to labor with their whole might for this object; and it is another thing to forget the contest, to turn aside from the enemy, to lose sight of dangers, and to rush forward to triumph, for which they ought to wait till the proper time. Besides, this foolish speed, for the most part, draws men aside from their calling; for as in battle the greatest coward is the keenest to seize the booty, so in the kingdom of Christ none are more eager to obtain the superiority than those who shrink from all the annoyance which attends toil. Most properly, therefore, does Christ enjoin those who were puffed up with vain glory to keep by their post. (655) The sum of the whole is, that for none but him who has fought lawfully is the crown prepared; and especially, that none will be a partaker of the life and the kingdom of Christ who has not previously shared in his sufferings and death.
In the word baptism the force of the metaphor is very evident; for we know that by baptism believers are instructed to deny themselves, (Mat 45:24😉 to crucify the old man, ( Rom 6:6😉 and, in short, to bear the cross It is uncertain if, by the word cup, ( ποτήριον, ) our Lord alluded to the mystery of the Holy Supper; but as it had not yet come into use, I choose to interpret it more simply as denoting the measure of afflictions which God appoints to every one. For as it is his right to lay on every one his own burden according to his pleasure, in the same manner as a householder distributes and allots the portions of the members of his family, so He is said to give them a cup to drink (656)
These words contain no ordinary consolation for alleviating the bitterness of the cross, when in the cross Christ associates himself with us. And what could be more desirable than to have every thing in common with the Son of God? for thus are those things which at first sight appear to be deadly made to yield to us salvation and life. On the other hand, how shall he be reckoned among the disciples of Christ, who desires to be wholly exempted from the cross? For such person refuses to submit to the baptism of Christ, which is nothing else than to withdraw from the earliest lessons. (657) Now whenever baptism is mentioned, let us recollect that we were baptized on this condition, and for this purpose, that the cross may be attached to our shoulders.
The boast made with so much confidence by John and James, that they are prepared to drink the cup, manifests the presumption of the flesh; for, when we are beyond the reach of darts, we think nothing impossible. And not long afterwards, the melancholy result exposed their rashness; but in so far it was good in them that, when they were free to make a choice, they presented themselves to bear the cross.
(655) “ A bon droict done Christ royant ses deux disciples eslevez d’une vaine gloire, les arreste a penser aux choses qui concernent le devoir de leur vocation;” — “with good reason, then, does Christ, seeing his two disciples carried away by vain glory, make them stop to consider the things which belong to the duty of their calling.”
(656) “ Il est dit pour ceste cause, que Dieu donne la coupe a boire;” — “for this reason it is said that God gives the cup to drink.”
(657) “ Car cela n’est proprement autre chose que se retirer des commencemens, et ne vouloir entrer a la premiere lecon de son eschole;” — “for that is properly nothing else than to withdraw at the beginning, and to refuse to enter into the first lesson of his school.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(22) Ye know not what ye ask.The words come to us as spoken in a tone of infinite tenderness and sadness. That nearness to Him in His glory could be obtained only by an equal nearness in suffering. Had they counted the cost of that nearness?
To drink of the cup that I shall drink of.The words that follow, to be baptised with the baptism that I am baptised with, are not found in many of the best MSS., and have probably been added to bring St. Matthews narrative into harmony with St. Marks. For the sake of completeness, however, they will be examined here. And (1) we have the question, How did the two disciples understand our Lords words? We are familiar with their meaning. Was it equally clear to them? As far as the cup is concerned, there can be little doubt that any reader of the Old Testament would at once recognise it as the symbol of a good or evil fortune. There was the cup running over of Psa. 23:5, the wine-cup of fury of Jer. 25:15, the cup of astonishment and desolation of Eze. 23:33. The meaning of the baptism was, perhaps, less obvious (see Note on Mat. 20:29, on our Lords use of the symbolism), yet here also there were the overwhelming proud waters of Psa. 124:5, the waves and billows of Psa. 42:7. The very verb, to baptize (i.e., to plunge into the deep), was used by Josephus for the destruction of a city (Wars, iv. 3, 3), by the LXX. for terrifying in Isa. 21:4. Our Lord Himself had already used it in dim mysterious reference to His coming passion (Luk. 12:50, where see Note). There was enough, then, to lead them to see in their Masters words an intimation of some great suffering about to fall on Him, and this is, indeed, implied in the very form of their answer. We are able, they say, in the tone of those who have been challenged and accept the challenge. That their insight into the great mystery of the passion went but a little way as compared with their Masters, lies, of course, in the very nature of the case. When the beloved disciple, in after years, taught by his own experience and by his brothers death (Act. 12:2), thought over the words, Let this cup pass from Me (26:39), he must have seen somewhat more clearly into its depth of meaning.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
22. Ye know not what ye ask How often is it that our desires, and perhaps even our prayers, would ruin ourselves if granted. Hence Christians are generally, with much justice, careful how they specify before God in prayer the particular blessing they desire. They may in their ignorance ask things that God sees not best. So the prayer of Salome and her children was a prayer for unfitting objects lying in an imaginary future. Are ye able to drink To attain an important place in my ascension glory would require an immediate suffering of my cross; are ye able to encounter it? The half unconscious yet presumptuous reply, “We are able,” was no doubt uttered under the impression that the struggle was to take place at Jerusalem, in which, perhaps, they were to fight by his side, and they profess themselves willing for the trial. Drink of the cup A common image in the Bible, especially for encountering any bitter trial or suffering.
So our Lord himself prayed: “Let this cup pass from me.” Mat 26:42. Baptized with the baptism that I am It utterly mistakes the force of this expression to make it mean immersed with the immersion that I am immersed with. To be baptized by suffering is to be purified with suffering. It is more nearly cognate to the baptism by fire than by water. Suffering purified and consecrated the Saviour to his glorified royalty. So was Isaiah baptized with the touch of fire; that is, purified and consecrated to his prophetic office. And so the Saviour asked of these ambitious brothers whether they were able to undergo the same terrible purgation to be consecrated to the same glorification. We are able Not ignobly did these two sons of Zebedee fulfil this daring profession. James early underwent the “baptism of blood” by martyrdom at the hand of Herod. Act 12:1. John indeed survived all the apostles; but all antiquity ascribes to him the glory of living in the spirit of heroic martyrdom. But this present expression, “We are able,” was simply the language of human firmness apart from the divine aid. and therefore deeply defective, compared with the Christian heroism of these holy apostles after the pentecostal day.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They say to him, “We are able.”
Jesus then turns to the two young men who are standing there, possibly a little embarrassed, but certainly hopeful. They are totally involved with the request. And He points out to them that they do not know what they are asking. For if they did they would have recognised that they were now seeking places of intense and continual suffering.
So He asks them whether they think that they really will be able to drink the cup that lies immediately ahead for Him (the ‘I’ is emphatic), the cup that He is about to drink and of which He must drink (Mat 26:39; Mat 26:42). This picture of the cup as a symbol of the drinking of suffering and of the undergoing of the wrath of God is a regular one in the Old Testament. The Psalmist declares, ‘In the hand of the Lord there is a cup and the wine is red’ and it is for all the wicked of the earth (Psa 75:8). Isaiah tells us that Jerusalem had ‘drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of His fury’ (Isa 51:17). God tells Jeremiah to ‘Take the cup of the wine of this fury at my hand and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it’ (Jer 25:15). See also Jer 49:12; Lam 4:21; Eze 23:31-34; Hab 2:16; Psa 60:3; Isa 51:17; Isa 63:6; Oba 1:16). In the words of Job, ‘let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty’ (Job 21:20). A similar picture is taken up in the New Testament (Mat 26:39; Mat 26:42; Rev 14:10; Rev 16:19; Rev 18:6). It is the cup that Jesus must drink to the full and it is to be given to Him by His Father (Joh 18:11). It is a cup the content of which we will never be able to appreciate in spite of all the information that we have been given and the passage of two thousand years of study.
But the two eager young men who stand before Him have no inkling of this. They think rather, either of the cup of the exertions and trials that will be involved in establishing the Messianic Rule, or the cup of authority and power which they will drink at the King’s table. And they feel capable of drinking both. So they boldly declare, ‘we are able’. The one thing that they had no thought of was an ignominious cup. However, these words will soon catch up with them, when they will be given the opportunity to prove them, for in a few days time, at the first whiff of His cup, they will forsake Him and flee along with the others. That at least the twelve were united about. But this must be said for them, that they remained together and did not flee from Jerusalem.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The answer of Jesus:
v. 22. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto Him, We are able.
v. 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. Incidents of this nature must have tried the patience of Jesus very sorely, but in His gentleness He tried to correct their carnal idea of the Messianic kingdom by pointing out what the honor which they sought involved. Turning to the sons, He frankly tells them that their conception of the future kingdom of Christ is altogether wrong, that their petition plainly shows their utter ignorance of the spiritual character of the Kingdom. Besides, there was a large measure of arrogant selfishness in their ignoring the probable claims of the other disciples. He tries to open their eyes to their foolishness by asking whether they believe themselves able to share in the fate which would come upon Him according to God’s plan of redemption, whether they can drink the bitter cup of suffering, wrath, and damnation which He must drink, Mat 26:39-42, whether they can bear to be submerged in that baptism of blood which would fall to His lot in His last great Passion. Instead of considering this prospect very carefully, they give Him their decided answer at once, declaring their ability thus to share in His Passion. Strange blindness! They knew not what they were taking upon themselves. Slowly, sorrowfully, and impressively Jesus lifts the veil of the future and predicts for them suffering after His own manner. “The great question connected with the sufferings of the Cross was not one of human heroism, or of the capability of endurance, but of inward, divine, and holy preparation. As yet the two disciples were incapable of making this distinction. Hence the Lord declined their sharing His sufferings in the former sense; while at the same time He pointed forward to the period when they should have part in them, in the higher and only true sense. The reply of Christ must therefore be regarded in the light of a correction implying an admission of their calling to suffer with Him; the fact of their being at present unable, in the spiritual sense, to share in His sufferings, being graciously presented in the form of an affirmation that the time for this should arrive. ” As for the granting of their petition, however, He could give them no satisfaction, could not grant their request. That was not a matter to be decided at this time, in an almost offhand way, but comes under the provision of the Father. His answer does not imply that the Father possessed an authority which He, the Son, did not share. He merely wishes to impress upon them that He will not abuse His power like an earthly ruler in giving posts of honor and authority according to arbitrariness and pleasure, but that the Father has from eternity prepared for them, whom by grace He has chosen unto salvation, a part of the future glory and dominion of His Son. This is true of all disciples. It is necessary that they first suffer with Christ; that is the way to glory. But they can never earn the glory of heaven by the sufferings of this present time. That is God’s free gift in Christ Jesus to them that are His.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Mat 20:22. Ye know not what ye ask “You are ignorant of the nature of the honour that you are asking: however, since you desire to partake with me in my glory, I would know if you be willing to share with me in my sufferings, for the sake of the Gospel;” insinuating that the road to greatness in his kingdom lay through the depth of affliction and persecution on account of truth. It was customary among the ancients to assign to each guest at a feast a particular cup, as well as dish, and by the kind and quantity of the liquor contained in it, the respect of the entertainer was expressed. Hence cup came in general to signify a portion assigned, whether of pleasure or sorrow; and many instances occur in which it refers to the latter. See ch. Mat 26:39; Mat 26:42.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 20:22 . , . . .] You do not understand what is involved in your request ; you do not seem to be aware that the highest stages of (2Ti 2:12 ; 1Co 4:8 ) in my kingdom cannot be reached without previously sharing in such sufferings as I have to endure. Jesus addresses the two disciples themselves .
] said with reference to moral ability.
] , figurative description of his fate generally, and of his sufferings in particular. See the exposition of Isa 51:17 ; Jer 49:12 ; Martyr. Polyc. 14.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
“But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. (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.”
What a tender answer of Christ! And true enough both James and John drank of the same cup though not to the dregs, as Jesus did in the alter exercises of their life. James was the first of the Apostles who bore testimony to Christ by his blood, Act 12:2 . And John tells the Church in his banishment, of his sufferings for the testimony of Jesus. Rev 1:9 . I beg the Reader not to overlook our Lord’s expressions, concerning the sitting at his right hand in glory. It is not mine to give but for whom it is prepared of my Father. For I beg the Reader to notice, that the words put in between those words of Christ, it shall be given to them, are not in the original, neither ought they to have been introduced in the translation. And the doctrine without them is the pure doctrine of the Gospel. It is not mine to give but to those whom the Father hath given to me, in an everlasting covenant which cannot be broken. But all whom the Father hath given me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. And elsewhere Jesus expresseth the same blessed truth: for speaking to his Father he saith: A s thou hast given him power over all flesh: that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. Joh 17:2Joh 17:2 .
And what a glorious consideration is it that such a provision is made for the Lord’s redeemed ones in the eternal purpose, council, and will of Jehovah: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: nothing disposing to the gift of such unequalled mercy but the divine favour: and neither depending upon the merit of man, nor any of the after arrangements of life. Oh! the glories of grace! Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
Ver. 22. Ye know not what ye ask ] Ye ask and miss, “because ye ask amiss,” Jas 4:1 . A prayer for things not lawful begs nothing but a denial, as Moses did, in praying to enter into the land, Deu 3:25 ; as Job did in that peevish request of his, that God would “let loose his hand, and cut him off,” Job 6:8-9 ; as the disciples did in that overly curious inquiry, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?” Act 1:6-8 . Our Saviour answers that that is not fit for them to know. But a better thing he could tell them, that they should shortly after be clothed with the Holy Ghost. God sometimes in much mercy crosseth the prayers of his people, as he did David’s, for the child’s life, who, if he had lived, would have been but a standing monument of David’s shame. Was it not better for him to have a Solomon? The saints have their prayers out, either in money or money’s worth, provided they bring lawful petitions and honest hearts.
Are ye able to drink of the cup, &c. ] Afflictions are frequently set forth by this metaphor of a cup; taken, say some, from an ancient custom that the father of the family should give to each under his charge a cup fit for his use, according to his size; or, as others think, from the manner of feasts, whereat the symposiarch, or “ruler of the feast,” as he is called, Joh 2:9 , prescribed what and how much every man should drink.
And to be baptized with the baptism ] Or plunged over head and ears in the deep waters of affliction. Of these we may say, as one doth of the Spa waters, that they are more wholesome than pleasant. Ever since Christ cast his cross into them, as Moses did that tree, Exo 15:25 , the property of them is altered, the waters healed.
They say unto him, We are able ] In your own conceit, at least, not else. For these two disciples, since they knew not what they asked, so they knew not what they answered. And yet Maldonatus hath the face to defend them in it, as if they here testified their alacrity, rather than betrayed their precipitancy: Sed exitus acta probavit; they showed their valour at Christ’s apprehension.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
22. ] One at least of these brethren saw the Lord on His Cross on His right and left hand the crucified thieves . Bitter indeed must the remembrance of this ambitious prayer have been at that moment! Luther remarks, ‘The flesh ever seeks to be glorified, before it is crucified: exalted, before it is abased.’
The ‘ cup ’ is a frequent Scripture image for joy or sorrow: see Psa 23:5 ; Psa 116:13 ; Isa 51:22 ; Mat 26:42 . It here seems to signify more the inner and spiritual bitterness, resembling the agony of the Lord Himself, and the baptism , which is an important addition in Mark, more the outer accession of persecution and trial, through which we must pass to the Kingdom of God. On the latter image see Psa 42:7 ; Psa 69:2 ; Psa 124:4 .
Stier rightly observes that this answer of our Lord contains in it the kernel of the doctrine of the Sacraments in the Christian Church: see Rom 6:1-7 ; 1Co 12:13 , and note on Luk 12:50 .
Some explain their answer as if they understood the Lord to speak of drinking out of the royal cup , and washing in the royal ewer : but the words , and , indicating a difficulty , preclude this.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 20:22 . Jesus meets this bold petition as He met the scribe’s offer of discipleship (Mat 8:19 ), aiming at disenchantment by pointing out what it involved: throne and suffering going together. , the cup, emblem of both good and evil fortune in Hebrew speech (Psa 11:6 ; Psa 23:5 ); here of suffering. , we are able; the prompt, decided answer of the two brothers to whom Jesus had addressed His question. Had they then laid to heart what Jesus had said shortly before concerning His passion, and subsequent resurrection, and made up their minds to share His sufferings that they might so gain a high place in the kingdom? Had they already caught the martyr spirit? It is possible. But it is also possible that they spoke without thinking, like Peter on the hill.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Ye. Ye two. know not = have no idea. Greek. oida. App-132.
ask = ask for. App-134.
the cup. Which would be at His right hand. A symbol of participation. Jer 25:15; Jer 49:12. Eze 23:33.
shall drink of = am about to drink of.
baptized. App-115.
baptism. App-115.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
22.] One at least of these brethren saw the Lord on His Cross-on His right and left hand the crucified thieves. Bitter indeed must the remembrance of this ambitious prayer have been at that moment! Luther remarks, The flesh ever seeks to be glorified, before it is crucified: exalted, before it is abased.
The cup is a frequent Scripture image for joy or sorrow: see Psa 23:5; Psa 116:13; Isa 51:22; Mat 26:42. It here seems to signify more the inner and spiritual bitterness, resembling the agony of the Lord Himself,-and the baptism, which is an important addition in Mark, more the outer accession of persecution and trial,-through which we must pass to the Kingdom of God. On the latter image see Psa 42:7; Psa 69:2; Psa 124:4.
Stier rightly observes that this answer of our Lord contains in it the kernel of the doctrine of the Sacraments in the Christian Church: see Rom 6:1-7; 1Co 12:13, and note on Luk 12:50.
Some explain their answer as if they understood the Lord to speak of drinking out of the royal cup, and washing in the royal ewer: but the words , and , indicating a difficulty, preclude this.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 20:22. , said) gravely, and with pity.- , ye do not know) Ye do not know what My glory is, what it is to sit on My right hand and on My left, to whom it is given, and what is required beforehand.- , what ye ask) sc. what it is that ye ask.[890]-; can ye?) He replies to the sons, instead of the mother, Are you equal to this?- , the cup) In St Mark He speaks also of the baptism; see the Gnomon on Mar 10:38-39. Some copies of Matthew have the clause concerning baptism, others are without it.[891]- , which I) Jesus already as it were then dwelt on His passion, and draws His discourse from it; and the speech of those two, whom He thus directs to follow Him, was, as it were, outstripping not only their ten fellow-disciples, but also the Lord Himself.[892]-, we are able) They did not even know sufficiently what they were answering; the Lord, however, bears with them, and accepts their confession;[893] cf. ch. Mat 24:39; Mat 24:37.
[890] One ought to know this, who wishes to ask.-V. g.
[891] In his Apparatus Criticus, Bengel says on this passage-
[892] What Beng. seems to mean is, The request of the two sons of Zebedee, as it were, went before even Himself, not to say the ten disciples, in proceeding to the Kingdom at once, whereas He was dwelling on the intermediate Passion: He therefore urges them to follow after Him, not to take the lead of Him, and to bear the Cross of His followers before receiving the Crown.-ED.
[893] Intending subsequently to perfect in them those things, which at that time were above their own comprehension.-V. g.
22 ) Comp. Aug. 1, 2; Colb. 5 et Colb. n. 4112; Cypr. Laud. 2, 4; M. 1, 2; Wo. 1, 2, et e Classe ii. undecim alii, pluresve, Pers. Rus. Syr. Er. et al. E. Marco. usq. ) edd. MSS. Arab. Hebr. Pers. Bus. Syr. Chrys., Opus imperf. Basilius Sel. Theophyl. () Origenes, Epiphanius, th. Copt. Lat. et inde Cant. Colbert. n. 2467, Steph. . Sax. Ambr. Hilar. Hieron., Tr. de Bapt. inter opera Cypriani.-(I. B.)
Rec. Text with C adds after , () . But BDLZbc Vulg. Memph. Theb. Orig. 3,717c, 719b (ascribing the words to Mark), Hil. 709, omit the words.-ED.
However the margin of Ed. 2 reckons that clause concerning the baptism among the readings better established in the following verse than in this verse.-E. B.
Rec. Text adds in Mat 20:23, with C, . But BDLZabc, and the others quoted in note, Mat 20:22, reject the words.-ED.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
cup
See, Mat 26:39; Mat 27:46; Luk 22:41; Luk 22:42; Joh 18:11; Isa 53:4-6; 2Co 5:21; Gal 3:13; 1Pe 2:24; 1Pe 3:18
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Ye know not: Mar 10:38, Rom 8:26, Jam 4:3
the cup: Mat 26:39, Mat 26:42, Psa 75:3, Jer 25:15-38, Mar 14:36, Luk 22:42, Joh 18:11
baptized with the: Mar 10:39, Luk 12:50
We: Mat 26:35, Mat 26:56, Pro 16:18
Reciprocal: Num 16:10 – and seek Deu 3:26 – Let it 1Ki 2:22 – why dost 1Ki 3:11 – hast not Job 35:13 – God Psa 110:7 – He shall Eze 23:32 – drink Luk 14:28 – counteth Luk 18:41 – What Luk 22:33 – I am 1Co 15:29 – what 2Co 12:8 – I besought Heb 6:2 – the doctrine Rev 14:10 – into
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
THE CUP IN SERVICE
Are ye able to drink of the cup ? They say unto Him, We are able.
Mat 20:22
It is a grand answer. Both these disciples are accepted. There is no promise given of crown or rule, but they shall be with Him in His sufferings.
I. The promise fulfilled.Both had the cup. Was it more bitter to one than the other? St. James was called to drink very soon after the Lord was gone, killed by the sword of Herod. By the baptism of blood he went to Jesus. St. Johns reward was different. It was his lot to wait, until when he was a hundred years old the call name, and he entered into the kingdom for which he had so long before desired. They drank, they were baptized, and they are with their Lord.
II. Its modern application.Jesus Christ is in the world still, and still He calls men to follow Him. Some have the thought of serving Him in His priesthood, others of entering the religious life as Sisters or Brothers. Some may have in mind service in the missions of the Church, not held back by the knowledge that many have there suffered and died. Others whose life is to be lived at home may have seen a light that pointed them to more faithful service there in devotion to Jesus, in the lot where He has called them. It is the cup of Jesus they all desire; it is work, suffering, danger for Him, and He will be with them in it. There is a thought for us all, not to be afraid of enthusiasm in our religion, not to be ready to check it in ourselves or others. Many fail; they have not learnt to say, We are able. And how many there are who have not responded to some special vocation of God we shall never know.
III. Not always the same cup.The cup was not the same for both the Sons of Thunder. So now there are different ways in which prayers are answered, and the gifts of God come in different ways. If another seems to have a special call, do not be jealous. God has a call for you, whether greater or less you do not know. Be true to your own call.
Bishop E. W. Osborne.
Illustration
The night before his consecration a Bishop of Mashonaland was presented with a beautiful cross engraved with the Greek word Dunametha, We are able. No man has greater need of enthusiasm in his work, far off in the interior of Africa. Think what that cross must be to him. In long journeys by train or in bullock-waggons, by the side of gold mines, amid, perhaps, reckless Europeans, or in native kraals, amid untaught, copper-coloured men and women; in heat by day and freezing cold by night, when baptizing with joy many followers of Christ, or hearing some sad story of dejection or disappointment, the cross and its message are ever there, We are able. It tells him of the two great souls who first said the words, and were accepted. It tells him of the call that came to him, and of his response when God chose him for a bishop, and so awakes in him, again and again, the spirit of enthusiasm, of devotion. And if ever in weariness and sorrow he waits on his knees for help, the cross upon his breast will tell him of the nearness of Him for whom he carries it, and he too will hear the voice, You shall indeed drink of My cup; but fear not, for I am with you. Will he not again rise up, and, joining himself in spirit with the other two, say humbly and confidently, We are able?
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
0:22
There was more than one reason for saying they did not know what they were asking for, one of them being their ignorance of what was in store for Jesus. But they thought they were prepared in mind to take whatever might come in their association with the king and doubtless they were sincere in their answer. While they had riot asked for that experience, Jesus asked them the question and got an affirmative reply.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
[The baptism that I am baptized with.] The phrase that goes before this, concerning the cup; is taken from divers places of Scripture, where sad and grievous things are compared to draughts of a bitter cup. You may think that the cup of vengeance; of which there is mention in Babylonian Beracoth; means the same thing, but it is far otherwise: give me leave to quote it, though it be somewhat out of our bounds: “Let them not talk (say they) over their cup of blessing; and let them not bless over their cup of vengeance. What is the cup of vengeance? The second cup, saith R. Nachman Bar Isaac.” Rabbena Asher and Piske are more clear: “If he shall drink off two cups, let him not bless over the third.” The Gloss, “He that drinks off double cups is punished by devils.” But to the matter before us.
So cruel a thing was the baptism of the Jews, being a plunging of the whole body into water, when it was never so much chilled with ice and snow, that, not without cause, partly, by reason of the burying as I may call it under water, and partly by reason of the cold, it used to signify the most cruel kind of death. The Jerusalem Talmudists relate, that “in the days of Joshua Ben Levi, some endeavoured quite to take away the washings [baptisms] of women, because the women of Galilee grew barren by reason of the coldness of the waters”; which we noted before at the sixth verse of the third chapter Mat 3:6.
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Mat 20:22. Ye know not what ye ask. Addressed to James and John, who had prompted their mother. The request could scarcely have been occasioned by jealousy of Peter. Had he been appointed primate, this would have been an opportunity for upholding him in that position. When John saw the crucified thieves on the right and left hand of his dying Lord, he knew what he had asked.
To drink the cup? A frequent Scriptural figure for the Providential portion assigned to any one; especially for a suffering lot. It refers to inward anguish here.With the baptism, etc. Omitted by the best authorities. It occurs in Mark, referring to the outward persecutions.
We are able. They were not the least courageous of the Twelve (comp. Joh 18:15), but they also forsook Him and fled (chap. Mat 26:56) in the hour of trial.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
As if Christ had said, “You do but abuse yourselves with fond and idle dreams; there is other work cut out for you in the purpose of God, than sitting upon thrones and tribunals; to think of suffering, would do you more service.”
And accordingly our Saviour, in his answer, tells these disciples,
1. That they were greatly ignorant of the nature and quality of his kingdom, which was not secular but heavenly: but the carnal notion of a glorious earthly kingdom upon earth, in which they should be delivered from the Roman power, was so deeply imprinted in their minds, that they frequently declared their expectation of it, notwithstanding all the assurances which Christ had given them of the contrary.
Observe, 2. The course which our Saviour takes to cool the ambition of his disciples; he tells them, they must expect here, not crowns on their heads, but a cross on their backs; they must first taste of his sufferings, before they talk of his glory; and patiently suffer for him, before they expect to reign with him; plainly intimating, that the cross is the way to the crown, suffering the way to reigning, and that those that suffer most for Christ, shall partake of highest dignity and glory from him.
Observe, 3. The presumptuous confidence which the disciples had of their own strength and ability for sufferings. Are ye able, says Christ, to drink of my cup? They replied, We are able. Alas! poor disciples! when it came to the trial, they all cowardly forsook him and fled. A bold presumption makes us vaunt of our own ability; holy jealousy makes us distrustful of our own strength. Those that are least acquainted with the cross, are usually the most confident undertakers.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Verse 22
Drink of the cup, &c.; share the sufferings which I must endure.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
20:22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to {d} drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the {e} baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
(d) “Taking the cup” is figurative speech for that which is contained in the cup. And again, the Hebrews understand by the word “cup”, sometimes the manner of punishment which is rendered to sin, as Psa 11:6 , or the joy that is given to the faithful, as Psa 23:5 , and sometimes a lot or condition, as Psa 16:5 .
(e) This is in reference to afflictions, as David commonly uses.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The disciples and their mother did not realize that the Cross must precede the crown. To share the crown they would have to share the Cross. Since they did not know what that involved for Jesus they could hardly appreciate what it would mean for them (cf. Mat 5:10-12; Mat 10:37-39). The "cup" in Old Testament figurative usage sometimes refers to blessing (Psa 16:5; Psa 23:5; Psa 116:13). Sometimes it is a metaphor for judgment or retribution (cf. Psa 75:8; Isa 51:17-18; Jer 25:15-28; Eze 23:31-34). It also pictures suffering (Isa 51:17-23; Lam 4:21). Jesus used this figure to represent the divine judgment that He would have to undergo to pay for the sins of humanity and its attendant suffering. The disciples evidently thought that all He meant was popular rejection.