You Know Not What You Ask - Matthew 20:22

Matthew the apostle wrote how, “Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death. And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again. Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshiping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What do you desire? She said unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on your right hand, and the other on the left, in your kingdom”, and in chapter twenty and verse twenty-two of his book, Matthew shares how Jesus said, “you know not what you ask” where we read:

But Jesus answered and said, You know not what you ask. Are you 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 verse reads, “But Jesus answered and said, You know not what you ask”. Matthew began with the words, “but Jesus” or “moreover and Jesus whose name means Jehovah is Salvation and it the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate” “answered” which means “responded” “and said” or “and uttered, declared and proclaimed”, “you know not what” which means “the mother of the children of Zebedee did not understand, perceive, notice, discern or discover that which” “you ask” or “the mother of Zebedee wanted and desired”. Matthew shared how Jesus told “James and John's mother” that she did not understand what she was asking of Him.

The verse continues, “Are you 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.” Matthew added the words, “are you able” or “are the disciples capable of and by virtue of their own ability” “to drink” which means “to receive into the soul what serves to refresh, strengthen and nourish unto life eternal” “of the cup” or “the drinking vessel which depicts one's lot or experience whether joyous or adverse in diverse appointments whether favorable or unfavorable” “that I shall drink of” which means “that Jesus received into the soul what served to refresh, strengthen and nourish unto life eternal”, “and to be baptized” or “and be dipped repeatedly, immersed and submerged” “with the baptism” which means “with the dipping, immersion and submersion” “that I am baptized with” which refers to “that which Jesus was dipped, immersed and submersed”? “They say” or “the disciples, James and John uttered, declared and proclaimed” “unto him” which means “to Jesus”, “we are able” or “we are capable and have virtue of their own ability”. Matthew wrote how Jesus questioned whether James and John were able to partake of the same fate He was going to face both in spirit, soul, mind and body, and their answer was “yes”.

When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus knew this mother was unaware of what she was asking for her boys. Jesus' fate was to “suffer” for the sake of mankind, and her boys would be subject to the same suffering if they were destined for the positions she desired. Jesus directed His question toward James and John to discover whether they thought they could endure the same “cup” and “baptism” as He. Jesus knew they could not, but of course, they believed they could. God desires a relationship with every person, and though they may have to endure hardship even as Jesus, believing and trusting in Jesus as a personal “Savior and Lord” is available for all.

Next time Matthew writes,, “when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.