Matthew 20:20-23 NRSVue
20Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. 21And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
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Some thoughts on this scripture
Reflection
The life and convictions of Jesus would lead him to drink the bitter cup of
rejection, suffering and death. Being close to him would mean something like
this for his followers. He often reminded them of this. To live out the
gospel makes its own demands on everyone's life. Prayer is a way of offering
ourselves to share in this side of Jesus' life now and to meet the challenges
of discipleship.
Reflection
Even though the disciples lives closely with Jesus it took some a long time
to grow into an understanding of his vision. I realise that Jesus recognizes
that I too can be slow to understand, and allow myself to experience his
compassionate, loving gaze.