Matthew 20:21-23

Matthew 20:21: “And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye 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.”

In other words, there is a high price to be paid for certain Kingdom privileges. Some things are not free; some honors can only be purchased at a very high cost of suffering. This, once again, flies in the face of the idea that “everyone gets the same reward in Heaven”. After all, if everyone gets the same thing then those who suffer are not given more than those who don’t – but that is clearly not what Jesus is saying here. It seems that there are special honors that are reserved for those who suffered terribly. This should not come as a surprise; after all, Jesus said that those who are persecuted for His name should be “exceeding glad, for great is your reward in Heaven”. Those who never suffer for His name will miss out on blessings that will be given to those who do suffer.

This is not to say that you must suffer to be saved; the Bible is clear that all you must do is repent and believe. There are some who truly believe and then die immediately afterward. Even though they never suffered, they are still saved. There are others who God blesses with peaceful, meaningful lives, and there is nothing wrong with that. God has different destinies for different people – and that is His doing, and His decision.

Matthew 20:23: “And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

This is an interesting statement. Jesus doesn’t hint at who it might be that will be given that honor. The disciples clearly wanted it, but Jesus could not make any promises. I have no idea who it might be; after all, the text doesn’t give any hints, it would be foolish to speculate when even Jesus Himself did not. Apparently, though, the cost of that honor is extremely high, and there are few who can bear its price.