Mark 10:39 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized,

NIV: "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with,

NASB: They said to Him, 'We are able.' And Jesus said to them, 'The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.

CSB: "We are able," they told him. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with.

NLT: Oh yes,' they replied, 'we are able!' Then Jesus told them, 'You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering.

KJV: And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:

NKJV: They said to Him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized;

Luke's account of Jesus' third prophecy of His death and resurrection mentions that God hides the meaning of Jesus' words from the disciples (Luke 18:34). Although the disciples remember Jesus' words later (Luke 24:6–8), and they have some inkling of the danger of the situation (John 11:16), they do not fully understand what Jesus is saying. If they had, there is no telling how the next few days would have been altered; it's likely the triumphal entry, Jesus' teaching in Jerusalem, and the Last Supper would have happened very differently. The Twelve do not permanently receive the Holy Spirit and His guidance until after Jesus' ascension (Acts 2:1–4; see John 16:7). God, it seems, may choose to hide His plan from even those of us with the Holy Spirit, when the knowledge would incite us to ruin that plan with our presumption or fear.

James and John do suffer, although not exactly like Jesus. James is the first of the Twelve to be martyred when King Herod kills him with a sword (Acts 12:1–2). The Bible does not record John's fate. Tradition says that at one point he is placed in a cauldron of burning oil. He not only survives, he continues preaching while still in the pot. He is then exiled to the island of Patmos where he writes the book of Revelation. Eventually, he is released and dies of old age.

There is nothing humans can do to add to or fulfill Jesus' work on the cross. We are incapable of doing anything to earn salvation (Ephesians 2:8–9). Paul does speak of our necessary sacrifice, however: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church" (Colossians 1:24) The work Christians do is not to fulfill the gospel, but to "make the word of God fully known" (Colossians 1:25). Whenever we drink the cup or accept the baptism of suffering and sacrificial leadership, it is not to "do" the work of salvation from sin. Rather, it is to spread the news that Jesus has already completed it.

Mark 10:35–45 describes the arrogant request of James and John to have positions of power and authority in Jesus' coming kingdom. This comes after learning that Jesus values the powerless like women and children (Mark 10:1–16), that those with earthly power and wealth can have a hard time following God because they can tend to value their possessions more (Mark 10:17–22), and that part of Jesus' plan for His kingdom is to die a horrible death (Mark 10:32–34). Neither Luke nor John record this account, but Matthew adds that James and John's mother is involved in the request (Matthew 20:20–28).

In this passage, Jesus again confronts the Pharisees by clarifying God's views on marriage and divorce. He reminds the disciples not to dismiss the spiritual perspective of children. This chapter also records Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler, who becomes an object lesson in why wealth makes it hard for people to rely on God. After this, Jesus deftly sets aside an arrogant request from James and John, and again predicts His impending death. Just prior to the triumphal entry of chapter 11, Jesus is sought out by Bartimaeus, whom He heals of blindness.

In between chapters 9 and 10, Jesus resumes His public teaching as He travels to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles (Luke 9:57—18:14; John 7—10). We meet Him here across the Jordan in Perea and follow as He makes His way west again to Jericho. This chapter surrounds a third prophecy of Jesus' death (Mark 10:32–34) with lessons on His value for those others often dismiss: women (Mark 10:1–12), the powerless (Mark 10:13–16), those who value God more than the world (Mark 10:17–31), servant-hearted leaders (Mark 10:35–45), and those with bold faith (Mark 10:46–52). Next is the triumphal entry and the beginning of Passion Week.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.