Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 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.
23. Ye shall drink indeed of my cup ] James was slain by the sword of Herod Agrippa I. (Act 12:2). John suffered many persecutions, but died a natural death. The rebuke of Jesus is very gentle; His soul knew what suffering was in store for the two brothers.
it shall be given ] These words are not in the Greek text, but may be understood from the infinitive “to give” in the first clause. By another interpretation “but” = “except,” and the sentence would run, “it is not mine to give except to those,” &c., but it is more than doubtful whether the Greek word can have this meaning.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 23. Is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.] The common translation, in which the words, it shall be given to them; are interpolated by our translators, utterly changes and destroys the meaning of the passage. It represents Christ (in opposition to the whole Scriptures) as having nothing to do in the dispensing of rewards and punishments; whereas, our Lord only intimates that, however partial he may be to these two brethren, yet seats in glory can only be given to those who are fitted for them. No favour can prevail here; the elevated seat is for him who is filled with the fulness of God. The true construction of the words is this: – , ‘ , To sit on my right hand and on my left, is not mine to give, except to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. According to the prediction of Christ, these brethren did partake of his afflictions: James was martyred by Herod, Ac 12:2; and John was banished to Patmos, for the testimony of Christ, Re 1:9.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Mark hath the same, Mar 10:39,40. Our Saviour here tells them, that as he was first to suffer and then enter into his glory, so they that should be glorified with him should also first suffer with him; for none shall be crowned but those who strive lawfully, 2Ti 2:5; and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, 2Ti 3:12. But who should be highest in the kingdom of glory his Father must determine, upon whose will the disposal of his kingdom, and the preferences in it, depended. This text hath been abused by those who have denied Christs Deity, and equality to the Father, as if it served their purpose, because Christ here denieth it in his power to dispose of the kingdom of heaven; but besides that, he elsewhere asserts the contrary, Joh 10:28; 17:2. Christ doth not here speak of what was in his power, but what was his office as Mediator; so his work was to encourage them to fight the good fight, not to dispense out crowns to them. Or else he speaketh of himself as man, as he speaketh, Joh 14:28. Nor indeed doth Christ here deny that it was in his power, but only that it was in his power to give this preference to any except those for whom his Father had prepared it. Note, the Greek is, , that is, is not mine to give, but to them for whom it is prepared; so that those words, it shall be given to them, which our translators put in, were better left out. All this was before ordered and determined by God, and he could only dispose of the kingdom of God according to the eternal counsel. A (which we translate but) hath here the force of , (unless, ) as in Mar 9:8; 2Co 2:5. Besides that, to show the order of the Trinity in working, acts of power and providence are usually ascribed to the Father, though by other scriptures it appears that the Son in them cooperates with the Father.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And he saith unto them, ye shall drink indeed of my cup,…. Not of the selfsame, but of what was like unto it; meaning, that they should endure much persecution for his name’s sake, as all that will live godly in Christ Jesus must expect in one shape or another. Thus James, who was one of these persons, was slain with the sword by Herod; John, the other, was imprisoned, and beaten by the order of the Jewish sanhedrim, was banished into the isle of Patmos by Domitian; and, some say, was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil, though saved in it: so that these words seem to be a prophecy of what they should suffer for Christ, instead of enjoying places of worldly honour and profit under him, they were seeking for.
And be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: this clause is here, and in the former verse, omitted by the Vulgate Latin, and Ethiopic versions, and in some Greek copies, and is thought to be transcribed hither out of Mark’s Gospel; but the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions have it, and so has Munster’s Hebrew Gospel, and it appears in many Greek copies. James, being bathed in his own blood, when killed with the sword, and John being cast into a vessel of scalding oil, these are fitly expressed by a baptism.
But to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine, to give; in the sense in which they asked it, since he was no temporal prince; nor was his kingdom of this world; nor had he any such external favours, or worldly honours: and as to the true and spiritual sense of such a phrase, it was not a point to be fixed now by him, as man, and according to his own will; as who should reign with him in the kingdom of heaven, who should sit down on the same throne with him, and enjoy all the glories and happiness of the world to come; and though, as mediator, all this glory was given to him, and he had it in his hands to give to others, yet to none
but those for whom, says he, it is prepared of my Father: for this is the true reading and sense of the last clause; signifying, that eternal life, or the heavenly glory, is a kingdom prepared by his Father, from the foundation of the world, and not for anybody, and every person, but for some only, according to his Father’s sovereign will and pleasure; and that this is an affair that was fixed by him, in his eternal counsels and purposes, and in the covenant of his grace, and not to be adjusted now; nor was the designation of it to be, nor will the distribution of it be according to the merits of men, but the free grace of God; and though he, as mediator, was appointed to bestow both grace and glory on men, yet only on those the Father had given to him, for whom grace was laid up in him, and glory prepared.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Ye shall drink (). Future middle from . Christ’s cup was martyrdom. James was the first of the Twelve to meet the martyr’s death (Ac 12:2) and John the last if reports are true about him. How little they knew what they were saying.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
23. You shall indeed drink my cup. As they were disciples, it was proper that they should be assimilated to their Master. Christ warns them of what will take place, that they may be prepared to endure it with patience; and, in the persons of two men, he addresses all his followers. For though many believers die a natural death, and without violence or shedding of blood, yet it is common to all of them, as Paul informs us, (Rom 8:29; 2Co 3:18,) to be conformed to the image of Christ; and, therefore,
during their whole life, they are sheep appointed to the slaughter, (Rom 8:36.)
Is not mine to give (658) By this reply Christ surrenders nothing, but only states that the Father had not assigned to him this office of appointing to each person his own peculiar place in the kingdom of heaven. He came, indeed, in order to bring all his people to eternal life; but we ought to reckon it enough that the inheritance obtained by his blood awaits us. As to the degree in which some men rise above others, it is not our business to inquire, and God did not intend that it should be revealed to us by Christ, but that it should be reserved till the latest revelation. We have now ascertained Christ’s meaning; for he does not here reason as to his power, but only desires us to consider for what purpose he was sent by the Father, and what corresponds to his calling, and therefore distinguishes between the secret purpose of God and the nature of that teaching which had been enjoined on him. It is a useful warning, that we may learn to be wise with sobriety, and may not attempt to force our way into the hidden mysteries of God, and more especially, that we may not indulge excessive curiosity in our inquiries about the future state; for
It hath not yet appeared what we shall be, till God shall make us like himself, (1Jo 3:2.
It is also worthy of our notice, that these words do not imply that there will be equality among the children of God, after they have been admitted to the heavenly glory, but rather that to each is promised that degree of honor to which he has been set apart by the eternal purpose of God.
(658) “ Ce n’est pas a moy a le dormer ;” — “it does not belong to me to give it.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(23) Is not mine to give.The words in italics are, of course, not in the Greek, and they spoil the true construction of the sentence. Our Lord does not say that it does not belong to Him to give what the disciples asked, but that He could only give it according to His Fathers will and the laws which He had fixed. Considered as a prediction, there was a singular contrast in the forms of its fulfilment in the future of the two brothers. James was the first of the whole company of the Twelve to pass through the baptism of blood (Act. 12:2). For John was reserved the weariness and loneliness of an old age surviving all the friendships and companionships of youth and manhood, the exile in Patmos, and the struggle with the great storm of persecution which raged throughout the empire under Nero and Domitian.
To them for whom it is prepared of my Father.He does not say who these are; but the reappearance of the same words in Mat. 25:34, throws some light on its meaning here. The kingdom is reserved for those who do Christ-like deeds of love; the highest places in the kingdom must be reserved for those whose love is like His own, alike in its intensity and its width.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
23. Ye shall Ye shall undergo sufferings patterned after mine. Not mine to give As a matter of present favour, apart from the divine plan of human redemption. To them The faithful believers. For whom Upon condition of their faith, it is prepared, in the plan of salvation, of my Father. The kingdom of heaven is a reward, prepared by God for his faithful children. The assignment of its abodes is fixed by the laws of the kingdom itself. It was not, therefore, to be settled by Christ on mere human favour, as caprice or affection might dictate. So, though he loved the rich young ruler who asked the mode of earning eternal life, he could not therefore save him.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘He says to them, “You will indeed drink my cup. But to sit on my right hand, and on my left hand, is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared of my Father.” ’
All this Jesus knows. But as He looks at them, He loves them, and He is indeed aware of what they must suffer for His Name’s sake. So instead of pointing out that they are mistaken and have no idea what they are promising, He descends to a certain extent to their level and acknowledges that they will indeed drink of His cup, at least to some extent. For both will in future be called on to suffer in the cause of Christ. Both will shortly endure regular imprisonment and beatings (Act 4:3; Act 5:18; Act 5:40), and James will later be beheaded by Herod Agrippa 1 (Act 12:2), while John will suffer in other ways, as will all the disciples. It would be a bold person indeed who would suggest that John would pass through the tribulations of the first century AD and remain unscathed, and the traditions of John’s sufferings in the mines on the Isle of Patmos may well contain some truth (compare Rev 1:9).
This kind of enigmatic reply by Jesus is His regular way of avoiding going into detail over things about which the disciples are mistaken, (compare also Luk 22:38; Act 1:6-7), but concerning which there is no point in giving an immediate explanation. He knew that there was much that they still had to learn and appreciate before they could be taught more fully.
But then He points out that, whatever they may feel themselves capable of, the privilege of being those closest to Him in authority is not within His gift. It is for those for whom the Father has prepared it. Initially at least we may well think that Acts reveals that it was Peter and Paul who were allocated these positions, with John taking one up once they were dead. But they did not see themselves in that way. And that was in a future that was at present not yet known. Jesus’ point, however, is that it is God Who will choose the future church leadership, not man, not even Himself. God prepares each man for the task that he has to do (Joh 15:16; Act 13:2; Gal 1:15).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 20:23. And be baptized with the baptism That is, “shall partake of my afflictions.” This metaphorical sense of the word baptism, is derived from the figurativeexpressionsoftheOldTestament,inwhichafflictionsarerepresentedunder the notion of great waters passing over, and being ready to overwhelm a person. In this view of the matter James and John were baptised with Christ’s baptism; for James was put to death by Herod, Act 12:2 being the first of all the Apostles who suffered martyrdom for Christ; and though the account which some gave of John’s being cast into a cauldron of boiling oil at Rome has been called in question by many, it is not to be doubted that he had his share in the persecutions, from which none of Christ’s Apostles were exempted. He was imprisoned and scourged by order of the council at Jerusalem, Act 5:18; Act 5:40 and banished to the isle of Patmos for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ, Rev 1:9. The last clause of this verse, is not mine to give, &c. should be translated, is not mine to give, unless to them for whom it is prepared, &c; ‘ being put here for , as it is Mar 9:8 see also Mat 17:8. Our Saviour meant that it was not in his power, consistently with his perfections, to give the chief places to any, but to those who were most eminent in their graces, particularly for their faith and fortitude; such only having a right to the chief places in the kingdom of heaven, according to the unalterable laws of the divine administration. “I can give the chief places of my kingdom to none, but to those, who, according to the immutable laws of my Father, are capable of enjoying them:” And in this view of the text, how poor a support does it afford to the Arian or Socinian cause!
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 20:23 . The disciples reply: , not because they did not quite understand what Jesus meant (Mat 20:18 f.), but because they were animated by a sincere though self-confident determination, such, too, as was afterwards sufficiently verified in the case of both, only in somewhat different ways.
, . . .] sc . : is not my business (does not behove me ) to give, but it will be given to those for whom it has been prepared (has been put in readiness, Mat 25:34 ; 1Co 2:9 ) by my Father. For with infinitive, comp. Plat. Legg . ii. p. 664 B: . Jesus thus discourages the questionable request by frankly declaring that the granting of what has just been asked is one of those things which God has reserved to Himself; that it is a matter with which He, the Son, must not interfere. For another instance of such reservation on the part of the Father, see Mat 24:36 ; Mar 13:32 . This evident meaning of the words is not to be explained away or modified. The former has been done by Chrysostom and his successors, also by Castalio, Grotius, Kuinoel, who took as equivalent to ; the latter by Augustine, Luther, according to whom the words as man (“secundum formam servi”) are to be understood, and Bengel, who modifies by erroneously supplying the words: till after my death . Further, the words . . are to be regarded as expressing the Lord’s unfeigned trust and confidence in the of the disciples; He feels confident that they will verify it by their actions . His words, therefore, are only indirectly tantamount to a prediction , and that not exactly of death by martyrdom , which was certainly the fate of James, Act 12 , though not of John, [5] but of suffering generally in the interests of the Messiah’s kingdom (Rom 8:17 ; 2Co 1:5 ). It is probable, however, that the apocryphal story about John swallowing a cup full of poison (see Fabricius, ad Cod. Apocr . I. p. 576; Tischendorf, Act. ap. apocr . p. 269), and that without being anything the worse (Mar 16:18 ), as well as the legend about the attempt to scald him to death in boiling oil (Tertullian, de praescr . 36), owe their existence and propagation to the present passage. Origen views our Lord’s words on this occasion in connection with the banishment of John to Patmos.
[5] The statement of Gregorius Hamartolos (quoted by Nolte in the Tb. theol. Quartalschr . 1862, p. 466), to the effect that, in his , Papias declares that John was put to death by the Jews, cannot outweigh the testimony of the early church to the fact that he died a natural death. For the discussion of this point, see Hilgenfeld in his Zeitschr . 1865, p. 78 ff.; Overbeck, ibid . 1867, p. 68 ff.; Holtzmann in Schenkel’s Lex . III. p. 333; Keim, III. p. 44 f.; Steitz in the Stud. u. Krit . 1868, p. 487 ff.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
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.
Ver. 23. Ye shall drink indeed of my cup ] Illud solum quod suavius et limpidius. The saints sip of the top of God’s cup; as for the dregs, the wicked shall wring them out, and drink them up.
And be baptized, &c. ] Or ducked, washed (not drowned), as St Paul was in the shipwreck; or as the baptized child, which shakes off the water, or is dried after baptism. Afflictions, saith one, are called baptism, because they set God’s mark upon us (as baptism doth) that we belong to God; this for outward afflictions. And for desertion, it is called Christ’s cup, because we are sure to pledge him in that too, and be conformed unto him, as was Job, David, Heman,Psa 88:1-18Psa 88:1-18 , &c. Grace is no target against affliction; but the best shall have terrors within and troubles without, as sure as the coat is on their back or the heart in their belly.
Is not mine to give ] i.e. It is no part of my present office; or, I have no such commission from my Father to give precedencies to all that affect them. Christ hereby seeks to raise up the low grovelling spirits of his apostles to things supernatural, supernal.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
23. ] The one of these brethren was the first of the Apostles to drink the cup of suffering, and be baptized with the baptism of blood , Act 12:1-2 ; the other had the longest experience among them of a life of trouble and persecution .
The last clause of the verse may be understood as in the E. V., ‘is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father;’ so Meyer, a [153] .; or, taking as = (see reff.), ‘is not mine to give, except to those for whom,’ &c. So Chrys. &c., Grot. a [154] . If however we understand after ‘it shall be given by Me ,’ we may say with Bengel, ‘res eodem recidit, sive oppositione, sive exceptione.’
[153] alii = some cursive mss.
[154] alii = some cursive mss.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 20:23 . . . , as for my cup, ye shall drink of it: predictive of the future fact, and also conferring a privilege = I have no objection to grant you companionship in my sufferings; that favour may be granted without risk of abuse. , etc., but as for sitting on right and left, hand that is another affair. = is not a matter of mere personal favour: favouritism has no place here; it depends on fitness. That is the meaning of the last clause, . . . . = it is not an affair of arbitrary favour on the part of the Father any more than on my part. Thrones are for those who are fit to sit on them, and prepared by moral trial and discipline to bear the honour worthily: Chrys., Hom. lxv. The same Father illustrates supposing an to be asked by two athletes as assign to them the crowns of victory, and replying: “it is not mine to give, but they belong to those for whom they are prepared by struggle and sweat” ( ).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
shall = shall indeed. James (Act 12:2), and John martyred, according to tradition.
but it shall be given to them for whom, &c. Omit all these italics, and read “but [to those] for whom”. Compare Mar 10:40.
prepared: or, destined. of = by. Greek. hupo.
Father. App-98.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
23.] The one of these brethren was the first of the Apostles to drink the cup of suffering, and be baptized with the baptism of blood, Act 12:1-2; the other had the longest experience among them of a life of trouble and persecution.
The last clause of the verse may be understood as in the E. V., is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father; so Meyer, a[153].; or, taking as = (see reff.), is not mine to give, except to those for whom, &c. So Chrys. &c., Grot. a[154]. If however we understand after it shall be given by Me, we may say with Bengel, res eodem recidit, sive oppositione, sive exceptione.
[153] alii = some cursive mss.
[154] alii = some cursive mss.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 20:23. , …, the cup indeed, etc.) This, together with the parallel passages, has been treated with singular industry by Thomas Gataker in his Adversaria Miscellanea, B. i. ch. 3, of which we shall take the chief points.-, …, to sit, etc.) There will, therefore, clearly be some who will sit on the right and left hand of Christ.- , …, except to those for whom) By this opposition or exception (for it comes to the same thing) Jesus does not deny that it is His to give (see Rev 3:21), but limits and declares to whom He will give it, as well as the time and the order, referring, as is His wont, all things to the Father. Jesus did not give it until, His passion having been suffered and concluded,[894] He had sat down Himself on the right hand of the Father. It is neither an earthly kingdom in which He gives it, nor does He give it to those who have not yet suffered. Under, therefore, the very appearance of a repulse, He gives a promise to James and John.
[894] Exantlat, having been drained to the dregs.-(I. B.)
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Ye: Act 12:2, Rom 8:17, 2Co 1:7, Col 1:24, 2Ti 2:11, 2Ti 2:12, Rev 1:9
to sit: Rather, “to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, except to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.”
for: Mat 25:34, Mar 10:40, 1Co 2:9, Heb 11:16
Reciprocal: Jos 19:51 – These are Eze 23:32 – drink Dan 11:33 – yet Zec 4:12 – What be Mat 26:35 – Though Luk 14:28 – counteth Act 1:7 – which Phi 3:10 – and the fellowship Heb 6:2 – the doctrine
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
0:23
The cup and baptism are used figuratively and refer to the persecutions that were destined to come upon Christ and his followers. They indeed were to have that experience as Jesus informed them. Since Jesus was to be the king it would naturally fall to someone else to do the seating of him on the throne. That is why he said of it that it is not mine to give. However, he did say that the Father would give the honor to them for whom it is prepared.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 20:23. My cup indeed ye shall drink. James was the first martyr among the Twelve; John died a natural death at an advanced age, but in a spiritual sense his was the longest martyrdom.
Is not mine, etc. Either, it is not a boon to be gained by solicitation; or, it is not in my power, but it will be assigned to those for whom it has been prepared, according to the eternal predestination of eternal positions in the kingdom of God. Yet these two might occupy the position. Christ affirms that His will as Ruler in His kingdom accords with the eternal purpose of God; a purpose which forbade their ambitious solicitation, because its individual objects were as yet concealed.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Observe here, Our blessed Saviour’s wonderful mildness and goodness towards his disciples; he doth not with passion, much less with indignation, reprehend them, either for their ambition or presumption, but makes the best of their answer, and encourages their good intentions; he tells them, they should have the honour to share with him in his sufferings, to pledge him in his own cup, and after a conformity to him in his sufferings, they might expect to be sharers with him in his glory.
Yet observe, That when Christ says, That to sit at his right hand, was not his to give; he means, as he was man, or as he was mediator; for elslewhere, as God, we find him asserting his power to dispose at the kingdom of heaven; I give unto them eternal life Joh 10:28
However, the Arians of old, and Socinians of late, do from this text infer, that God the Father has a power reserved to himself, which he hath not committed to Christ his Son; from whence they would conclude, that he is not the same God which the Father is, because he hath not the same power which the Father has.
Answer, But if Christ be here supposed to deny his power to himself, he must then manifestly contradict himself, when he says, I appoint to you a kingdom, and All power in heaven and earth is given to me. When Christ therefore saith, he could only give this to them for whom it was appointed of his Father; this doth not signify any defect in his power, but a perfect conformity to his Father’s will, and that he could not do this, unless the divine essence and nature abided in him. This the words rather shew, than that there is any want of power in Christ.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
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 {f} not mine to give, but [it shall be given to them] for whom it is prepared of my Father.
(f) The almightiness of Christ’s divinity is not shut out by this, but it shows the debasing of himself by taking man’s nature upon him.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Jesus answered the disciples on their own terms. They would experience suffering and rejection. James would become the first apostolic martyr (Act 12:2) and John would suffer exile (Rev 1:9), but Jesus would not determine who will sit on His right and left in the kingdom. The Father, under whose authority Jesus served, had already determined that (cf. Mar 10:40).