Whether James and John or their mother first asked about sitting on the thrones on either side of Jesus is irrelevant. What matters is the question Jesus asked in response, “Can you drink?” They, of course, believed that they were able to do so. How hard is it to drink? They, however, didn’t know what they were saying yes to. They thought it was just about taking a sip from the same goblet as Jesus. They did not understand what he was talking about. They did not realize that he was speaking about the cup of suffering that he would soon be drinking. They were thinking about a cup of glory, after all, they were fixated with thrones and earthly kingdoms. They had no idea about the kingdom that awaited him or them, or what it would take to get there.

We, like James and John are not afraid to drink from the cup of glory. The cup of suffering is another thing all together. In both Mark’s and Matthew’s gospels, Jesus follows up his statement about the cup with a statement about service. The cup of suffering may not necessarily be a cup that leads to martyrdom, but it is always a cup to calls us to service of others. It is always a cup that challenges us to think of others and their place in the Kingdom before we think of ourselves and our place in that Kingdom.

Unlike James and John, we already know what cup Jesus offers up. We know that it is both the cup of glory and the cup of suffering – the cup of salvation and the cup of sacrifice – the cup of redemption and the cup of service to others. And knowing this, Jesus asks us, “Can you drink from this cup knowing its consequences?” – a question that needs to be taken seriously and seriously pondered. Can I drink the cup of sacrifice, the cup of suffering, the cup of service to others?