John Chrysostom, On the Request of Zebedee's Sons' Mother

thinking this, they make this request. For having broken themselves off from the company of the disciples, and having centered everything on themselves, they ask for precedence and to be first among the others, thinking that matters had already reached their end, and that everything had been accomplished, and that it was henceforth a time for crowns and rewards; which was in itself a sign of the utmost ignorance. And that these things are not conjecture, nor plausible arguments, I will bring you the proof from Jesus himself, who knows the secrets. For when they asked these things, hear what he says to them: You do not know what you are asking. What proof is clearer than this? Do you see that they did not know what they were asking for, discussing with him about crowns and rewards and precedence and honor, when the contests had not yet even begun? He hints at two things, then, by saying, You do not know what you are asking: one, that they are talking about a kingdom of which Christ had no account; for he had not promised this one below and the perceptible one; and another, that in seeking precedence already and the highest honors, and wishing to appear more brilliant and more distinguished than the others, they are not even seeking these things at the right time, but very unseasonably indeed. For that time was not one of crowns, nor of prizes, but of contests and struggles and toils and sweats and wrestling-pits and wars. What he says, then, is something like this: You do not know what you are asking, discussing these things with me, having not yet toiled, nor stripped for the contests, while the world still remains uncorrected, while impiety prevails, while all men 48.775 are perishing; you have not yet leaped from the starting-line; you have not yet stripped for the wrestling matches. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? here calling his own cross and death a "cup" and a "baptism"; a cup, because he approached it with pleasure, and a baptism, because through it he cleansed the world; but not only for this reason, but also because of the ease of the resurrection.

For just as one who is baptized in water rises up with great ease, not being hindered at all by the nature of the waters; so also he, having descended into death, ascended with greater ease; for this reason he calls it a baptism. And what he says is something like this: are you able to be slaughtered and to die? For now is the time for these things, for deaths and dangers and toils. They say, We are able, not even knowing what was being said, but promising in the hope of receiving it. He says to them: You will indeed drink the cup, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; thus speaking of death; for James was beheaded with a sword, and John died many times. But to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. And what he says is something like this: You will indeed die, and you will be slaughtered, and you will be honored with martyrdom; however, to become first is not mine to give, but for the contestants to receive, through greater earnestness, through greater eagerness. And so that what I am saying may become clearer, let us suppose there is a certain judge of the games; then a mother, having two sons who are athletes, to approach the judge of the games with her children and say: command that these two sons of mine receive the crown; what then will he himself answer? This very same thing, that it is not mine to give; I am a judge of the games, not awarding by favor, nor by the supplication and prayer of those who approach, but by the outcome of the deeds. For this especially belongs to a judge of the games, not to give the prizes simply and as it may happen, but honoring manliness. This indeed is what Christ also does; not taking away the things of his essence, did he speak thus, but making this clear, that it is not his alone to give, but also for the contestants to receive. For if it were his alone, all men would have been saved, and would have come to the knowledge of the truth;

νομίσαντες, ταύτην αἰτοῦσι τὴν αἴτησιν. Ἀποῤῥήξαντες γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν μαθητῶν, καὶ εἰς ἑαυτοὺς τὸ πᾶν περιστήσαντες, ἀξιοῦσιν ὑπὲρ προεδρίας καὶ τοῦ πρῶτοι γενέσθαι τῶν ἄλλων, νομίζοντες ἤδη τὰ πράγματα εἰληφέναι τέλος, καὶ τὸ πᾶν κατωρθῶσθαι, καὶ στεφάνων εἶναι λοιπὸν καὶ ἀμοιβῶν καιρόν· ὅπερ καὶ αὐτὸ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀγνοίας ἦν. Καὶ ὅτι οὐ στοχασμὸς ταῦτά ἐστιν, οὐδὲ λόγων πιθανότητες, παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, τοῦ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα ἐπισταμένου, τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ὑμῖν ἐπαγάγω. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ταῦτα ᾔτησαν, ἄκουσον τί φησι πρὸς αὐτούς· Οὐκ οἴδατε τί αἰτεῖσθε. Τί ταύτης σαφέστερον τῆς ἀποδείξεως; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐκ ᾔδεισαν ὅπερ ᾐτοῦντο, περὶ στεφάνων καὶ ἀμοιβῶν καὶ προεδρίας καὶ τιμῆς αὐτῷ διαλεγόμενοι, οὐδέπω τῶν ἀγώνων οὐδὲ ἀρχὴν εἰληφότων; ∆ύο τοίνυν αἰνίττεται διὰ τοῦ λέγειν· Οὐκ οἴδατε τί αἰτεῖσθε, ἓν μὲν ὅτι περὶ βασιλείας διαλέγονται, ἧς οὐδεὶς ἦν τῷ Χριστῷ λόγος· οὐ γὰρ δὴ περὶ ταύτης ἐπήγγελτο τῆς κάτω καὶ τῆς αἰσθητῆς· ἕτερον δὲ ὅτι προεδρίαν ζητοῦντες ἤδη καὶ τιμὰς τὰς ἀνωτάτω, καὶ τῶν ἑτέρων βουλόμενοι λαμπρότεροι φανῆναι καὶ περιφανέστεροι, οὐδὲ ἐν καιρῷ ταῦτα ζητοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἀκαίρως. Ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐκεῖνος οὐχὶ στεφάνων, οὐδὲ ἐπάθλων, ἀλλ' ἀγωνισμάτων καὶ παλαισμάτων καὶ πόνων καὶ ἱδρώτων καὶ σκαμμάτων καὶ πολέμων. Ὃ οὖν λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Οὐκ οἴδατε τί αἰτεῖσθε, περὶ τούτων μοι διαλεγόμενοι, οὐδέπω καμόντες, οὐδὲ ἀποδυσάμενοι πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας, ἔτι τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀδιορθώτου μενούσης, τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐπικρατούσης, τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων 48.775 ἀπολωλότων· οὐδέπω τῆς βαλβῖδος ἐξεπηδήσατε· οὐδέπω πρὸς τὰ παλαίσματα ἀπεδύσασθε. ∆ύνασθε πιεῖν τὸ ποτήριον ὃ ἐγὼ μέλλω πίνειν, καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι βαπτισθῆναι; ποτήριον ἐνταῦθα καὶ βάπτισμα καλῶν τὸν σταυρὸν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὸν θάνατον· ποτήριον μὲν, ἐπειδὴ μεθ' ἡδονῆς αὐτὸν ἐπῄει, βάπτισμα δὲ, ὅτι δι' αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐκάθηρεν· οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὴν εὐκολίαν τῆς ἀναστάσεως.

Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ βαπτιζόμενος ὕδατι, μετὰ πολλῆς ἀνίσταται τῆς εὐκολίας, οὐδὲν ὑπὸ τῆς φύσεως τῶν ὑδάτων κωλυόμενος· οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς θάνατον καταβὰς, μετὰ πλείονος ἀνέβη τῆς εὐκολίας· διὰ τοῦτο βάπτισμα αὐτὸ καλεῖ. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· δύνασθε σφαγῆναι καὶ ἀποθανεῖν; τούτων γὰρ ὁ καιρὸς νῦν, θανάτων καὶ κινδύνων καὶ πόνων. Λέγουσιν ἐκεῖνοι, ∆υνάμεθα, οὐδὲ εἰδότες τί ποτε ἦν τὸ λεγόμενον, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἐλπίδι τῆς ἀπολήψεως ὑπισχνούμενοι. Λέγει πρὸς αὐτούς· Τὸ μὲν ποτήριον πίεσθε, καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα, ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι, βαπτισθήσεσθε· τὸν θάνατον οὕτω λέγων· καὶ γὰρ Ἰάκωβος ἀπετμήθη μαχαίρᾳ, καὶ Ἰωάννης πολλάκις ἀπέθανε. Τὸ δὲ καθίσαι ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, καὶ ἐξ εὐωνύμων μου, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν δοῦναι, ἀλλ' οἷς ἡτοίμασται. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἀποθανεῖσθε μὲν, καὶ σφαγήσεσθε, καὶ μαρτυρίῳ τιμηθήσεσθε· τὸ μέντοι πρώτους γενέσθαι, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν δοῦναι, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀγωνιζομένων λαβεῖν, διὰ πλείονος τῆς σπουδῆς, διὰ μείζονος τῆς προθυμίας. Ἵνα δὲ ὃ λέγω γένηται σαφέστερον, ὑποθώμεθα εἶναί τινα ἀγωνοθέτην· εἶτα μητέρα ἀθλητὰς ἔχουσαν δύο παῖδας, προσελθεῖν μετὰ τῶν παίδων αὐτῆς τῷ ἀγωνοθέτῃ, καὶ λέγειν· εἰπὲ ἵνα οὗτοι οἱ δύο υἱοί μου τὸν στέφανον λάβωσι· τί τοίνυν αὐτὸς ἀποκρινεῖται; Τὸ αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν δοῦναι· ἀγωνοθέτης εἰμὶ, οὐ χάριτι βραβεύων, οὐδὲ ἱκετηρίᾳ καὶ δεήσει τῶν προσιόντων, ἀλλὰ τῷ τέλει τῶν πραγμάτων. Τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστα ἀγωνοθέτου, τὸ μὴ ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε διδόναι τὰ βραβεῖα, ἀλλ' ἀνδρείαν τιμῶντα. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ποιεῖ· οὐκ ἐξαίρων τὰ τῆς οὐσίας, οὕτως εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο δηλῶν, ὅτι οὐκ αὐτοῦ μόνου ἐστὶ δοῦναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀγωνιζομένων λαβεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ αὐτοῦ μόνου ἦν, πάντες ἄνθρωποι ἂν ἐσώθησαν, καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἦλθον·