20:20,21
The mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to ask if they could sit at His right and left hands in His kingdom. Mark has it that James and John themselves asked. What is likely is that they put their mother up to the task. On the plus side at least they now realised that Jesus was coming into His kingdom, even despite the cross. However, they had clearly not grasped the part about the first and last etc.
20:22,23
Moreover, the two disciples hadn’t a clue what they were actually asking for. His glory was on the cross, and they were in effect asking to be on the crosses either side of Jesus! That was certainly not what they intended. And Jesus told them that they did not know what they were asking for. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”. Then we get another surprise. In their present state they certainly were not able to share in Christ’s sufferings, but soon they would. James would be the first martyred, John would live to old age, but suffer much along the way. And Jesus would enable them to do this. However, they would not be on the other two crosses. The occupants of these two places had already been chosen by the Father. The cross was a planned event.
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