Fifth Sunday of Lent
Can Ye Drink of the Cup That I Drink of?
Mark 10:32b-45
From The Explanation of the Gospel of St. Mark
by Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria
32-34.
And they were on the road going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before
them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And
He took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should
happen unto Him, saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem: and the Son of
Man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and
they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles:
and they shall mock Him, and shall scourge Him, and shall spit upon
Him, and shall kill Him: and the third day He shall rise again. Why
does He foretell the things that will happen to Him? To prepare and to
calm the minds of the disciples, so that having heard of these things
beforehand they would more easily endure them, and not be overwhelmed
all at once in their anguish. He also foretold these things so that they
would know that He suffered them of His own will. Although He knows
these things beforehand, and is able to flee from them, He does not do
so, thus making it abundantly clear that He willingly gives Himself over
to His sufferings. The Lord takes the disciples aside privately to
speak with them alone. For His Passion is a mystery to be revealed only
to those closest to Him. And this is why on the road He leads the way
before them all, wanting to separate His disciples from the rest of the
crowd. But also, by leading the way, He shows that He hastens to His
Passion, and does not evade His death which is for our salvation.
Although He lists all these sorrowful things that will happen, yet there
is one consolation, that He will rise on the third day.
35-39.
And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto Him, saying, Master,
we want that Thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall ask. And He
said unto them, What do ye want that I should do for you? They said unto
Him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on Thy right hand, and the
other on Thy left hand, in Thy glory. 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? And they said unto
Him, We can. Another Evangelist says that the mother of the sons
of Zebedee approached Christ (Mt. 20:20). It is likely that both events
took place. The apostles were embarrassed, and had their mother go
first, and then they themselves approached Christ in private. This is
what the Evangelist means here when he says that they come unto Him,
that they approach Him in private, apart from the others. Let us learn
what it was they asked. They thought that His going up to Jerusalem
meant that He was going to ascend the throne of an earthly kingdom, and
that after He had become king He would suffer those things which He said
He would suffer. With this understanding, they are asking to sit at His
right hand and His left. This is why the Lord rebukes them for asking
for something foolish. Ye know not what ye ask,
He says. You are thinking that My kingdom is an earthly kingdom, and
you are asking for an earthly throne. But it is not so; rather, these
things are beyond your understanding. To sit at My right hand is
something so great that it goes beyond what even the angelic hosts can
do. You are craving honor and glory, but I am calling you to die. By baptism and cup
He means the cross. For a cup of wine is something a man gladly
accepts, and it quickly puts him to sleep. And baptism is something
which is done to cleanse sins. But James and John gave their promise
without understanding what He said, thinking that He was speaking of an
actual cup of wine, and the washing of the body which the Jews performed
before they ate.
39-40.
And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink
of; and with the baptism that I am baptized with shall ye be
baptized: but to sit at My right hand and at My left hand is not Mine
to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. Martyrdom,
He is saying, will be yours, and you will die for Truth's sake. (For
bold confession of the Truth James was beheaded in Jerusalem in 45 AD,
and John was cruelly tortured in Rome and then exiled to the island of
Patmos. Tr.) But to sit at My right hand and at My left is not Mine to
give. Two questions may be asked: first, has it been prepared for anyone
to sit there? Second, is the Master of all unable to bestow this seat?
In answer we say that no one will sit at His right or at His left.
Although in many places of Scripture you hear mention of sitting upon a
seat in heaven (Mt. 19:28, Lk. 13:29, Eph. 2:6, etc.), understand that
this refers to great honor, not a chair. It is not Mine to give
has this meaning: it is not for Me, the Just Judge, to bestow this
honor as a favor, for that would not be just. Instead, this honor has
been prepared for those who have contested and struggled for it. It is
as if a just king had set a day for a contest of athletes, and then some
of his friends come to him and say, "Give us the crowns." The king
would say, "The crowns are not mine to give; rather, a crown is prepared
for that contestant who shall compete and win." So too with you, 0 sons
of Zebedee, you shall be martyrs for My sake; but if there is one who,
along with martyrdom, exceeds you in every virtue, he shall precede you
in honor.
41-45.
And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James
and John. But Jesus called them to Him, and saith unto them, Ye know
that they which are thought to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship
over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But it
shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall
be your servant: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be
slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to
serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. The disciples
are still subject to human weaknesses, and here they are stung with
envy. This is why the ten were displeased with the two. When did they
begin to be indignant? When they realized they had not been received by
the Lord, and thought they had been pushed away. As long as the ten were
shown honor by the Lord, it did not bother them that the Lord held
these two in special honor. But here when they see these two asking for
honor, the others could no longer endure it. Although they act in this
imperfect way now, later you will see each one of them conceding the
first place of honor to the other. Christ heals them, first calming them
by calling them to Himself, and then showing them that to grasp for
honors and to desire the chief place is the behavior of Gentiles. For
the Gentile princes lord it over others in a tyrannical and domineering
manner. But it is not so with My disciples, He says; instead let him who
would be great serve all the others, for the mark of a great soul is to
endure all things and to serve everyone. The example of this is near at
hand: the Son of Man Himself did not come to be served but to serve,
and, what is even greater, He came to give His life as a ransom for
many. What could be greater and more marvelous than a man who not only
serves, but even dies for the sake of the one he serves? Yet the Lords
serving and His humble lowering of Himself to be with us has become the
exaltation and the glory of Him and all creation. Before He became man,
He was known only to the angels; but after His incarnation and
crucifixion, His glory is even greater and He reigns over all the earth.
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