but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
James and John, two of Jesus' twelve disciples, had just asked for the top seats in the coming kingdom. So why does He say those seats are not His to grant, and what does "prepared" tell us about who gets them?
The Request Behind the Answer
James and John believed the kingdom was coming — that part was faith. What spoiled the request was where they placed themselves in it.
Hamilton SmithThere was true faith that the kingdom would be set up. But, as so often with us, a good deal of unjudged flesh was pushing its way into the realm of faith. They saw the kingdom as a chance for their own advancement, not as the place where the glory of Christ would shine. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh," whether it be in obscure saints or leading apostles.
"Not Mine to Grant"
The refusal is not weakness. It is the Lord keeping the Servant's place He had taken.
J. N. DarbyHe had a cup to give them to drink. At least He could lead them to drink it, and tell them they would have it. But He claimed no right to hand out favours in His kingdom. All moral perfection was His, and all the more because of this very position. What is real does not push itself forward like that. He came as His Father's Servant, and He held that place perfectly. All this is in the spirit of perfect submission and nothingness, so that the Father, and He only, may be perfectly glorified.
Commentators differ here. Some read the words as giving up the right to appoint at all. Others hold that the Lord still hands out what the Father has settled.
William KellyIt was His to give only to those for whom the Father destined it. Christ is the administrator of the rewards of the kingdom. As He was the Servant in suffering, He also shall dispense the rewards and glories of the kingdom.
What "Prepared" Means
The word cuts both ways. A place is prepared for people, and grace prepares people for the place.
J. N. DarbyHe does not have the right to hand out promotion in His kingdom. He leaves the choosing to the Father. He gives the special glory that belongs to special work to those for whom it is prepared, and whom grace has prepared for that glory. His portion is the cross; and the cross can give the glory, if anyone will follow Him as His disciple.
The Son leaves this to the Father for a reason. He receives His own kingdom the same way.
F. B. HoleJesus answered with a question. It showed that honour in the coming kingdom will match how far someone has shared His sufferings and rejection. At the same time He showed that rewards in the kingdom go according to the Father's award. The Son of Man Himself is going to receive the kingdom from the hands of the Father, as Psalm 8 and Daniel 7 showed. So the saints too will receive their place in the kingdom at the Father's hand.
What He Does Give
He withholds the seats and offers the cup instead. That is not a smaller gift — it is the only road there is.
Hamilton SmithMoreover if He could assure to them the privilege of suffering for His Name's sake, He could not give them a place at His right hand in the kingdom. He had taken the place of the Servant, and He leaves to the Father to say who shall have a place of special privilege in the day of glory.
The two men were never told they would miss what they asked for. One of them lived to see what the right and left of Jesus looked like.
George DavisonThe Lord tested these men, but He did not tell them they would not be in the place they sought. He also did not tell them that they would. Their request was quite all right in itself, but the Lord applied the test. John was one of the few who stood by the cross. He saw a criminal on the right hand of the Lord and another on His left. Did he think then about this desire of his — this is what I asked for, a place on His right hand, a place on His left; is this what it means for me to get that place in glory?
The Freedom It Gives Us
The Lord had nothing at His own disposal. So His followers can stop campaigning for position.
J. N. DarbyWonderful self-renunciation! It is for the Father, for us, that He works. He disposes of nothing. He can give to those who will follow Him a share in His sufferings: everything else shall be given according to the counsels of the Father. But what real glory for Christ, and what perfection in Him! What a privilege for us to have this motive only… And what a purifying of our carnal hearts He sets before us here, making us act only for a suffering Christ, sharing His cross, and leaving our reward with God!
Summary
- Prepared, not requested. Asking does not win the seats. They go to those for whom they are prepared, and whom grace has prepared for them.
- Prepared by the Father. The Son of Man receives His own kingdom from the Father's hand, so the saints receive their places the same way.
- Prepared through the cup. He refuses the seats and grants the cup. Honour in that day matches how far someone shared His rejection.
- Prepared in a Servant's hands. He claimed no right to hand out favours. He kept the Servant's place. Commentators differ on whether He will still hand out what the Father has settled.
- Prepared for us, not by us. Since He kept nothing for Himself, we can act for a suffering Christ alone and leave the reward with God.