And they said: Grant to us that we may sit, one on thy right hand and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.
οι δε ειπον αυτω δος ημιν ινα εις εκ δεξιων σου και εις εξ ευωνυμων σου καθισωμεν εν τη δοξη σου
9 Church Fathers comment on this verse
What was their request? They perceived Christ's journey to Jerusalem, which He had shared with His disciples, as His approach to claim the earthly kingdom. They thought that upon His exaltation, He would endure the tribulations He had previously prophesied. In this mindset, they sought positions to sit at His right and left.
Consider the profound significance of what took place: they spoke of glory, yet He sought that humility precede exaltation, with humility itself creating the pathway to the heights. Even His disciples, one desiring to be at His right and the other at His left, were also in pursuit of glory (cf. Matt. 20:20-23). They were aware of their destination but failed to recognize the means to reach it. The Lord called them to the right path, so they might return to their true home. The true home lies above, while the path is below. The ultimate home is life in Christ, and the path is the death we share with Him (cf. Matt. 6:25; Mk. 8:35; Lk. 9:24, Lk. 7:33). The dwelling is found in Christ, whereas the journey involves suffering alongside Christ. Why does one who dismisses the path seek the dwelling?
After witnessing Moses and Elijah alongside the Lord, James and John were filled with longing and requested, “Grant us the privilege to sit ... one on Your right and the other on Your left,” emulating the figures they had seen on the mountain. They expressed, “We desire that You would fulfill our request.” His response was, “I will do to you” (cf. Mk. 10:35-36), yet He did not fulfill their wish. This wasn’t due to ignorance of their request; rather, He recognized that they would remain silent unless He assured them, “I will do to you” (cf. Mk. 10:36). He articulated this to avoid postponing their inquiry. However, once they and others revealed their intentions, He took the opportunity to instruct them collectively.
As the Lord posed this query openly before His companions, recognizing their distress, He declined their petitions to avoid inciting discord among them. He understood their request was unreasonable, especially since He had already fulfilled all their prior requests. To go against His initial affirmation would undermine the truth of His subsequent promises. However, in truth, He did grant Simon’s plea, as he sought for the collective, inquiring, “What then will there be for us?” (Matthew 19:27), rather than merely for himself. had Simon requested only for his individual benefit, the Lord would have likewise turned him down. Simon's request encompassed everyone, and the Lord blessed all, ensuring no one felt disheartened by Simon's appeal; instead, it uplifted all. Furthermore, the Lord refrained from granting the brothers’ request because it was not beneficial for them at that moment. They sought different things than what they heard from the Lord’s mouth. For He stated, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and they will take Him and hand Him over to be crucified” (cf. Matt. 20:18). Yet, they, having abandoned the love they had for Him in favor of suffering humiliation and death alongside Him, began to express a self-serving affection, requesting, “Let us sit on Your right and left.”
Why does the Evangelist Matthew record that the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her children, worshipping Him and requesting favored positions for her sons (Matthew 20:20), while Mark chose not to include any mention of the mother? Matthew indicates that both the mother and her sons sought Jesus, affirming that while Mark’s account includes the question, “Can I drink the cup that I drink?” (Mark 10:38), the response of Christ was directed to the sons rather than their mother, as Matthew also supports. Although the mother voiced the request, it was made in consultation with her sons. Mark, valuing succinctness, chose to highlight the sons in their approach to Christ, who, being fully aware of their hearts, understood their request.
They likely accompanied their mother for two reasons: first, they may have felt embarrassed to personally ask Jesus for such honorable positions, and second, they believed that a mother’s plea would hold more persuasive power before the God-Man. What prompted these two apostles to approach Jesus in this manner? Upon hearing Him refer to His kingdom and announce that His apostles would each take their places on thrones, they mistakenly assumed this referred to an earthly realm. Furthermore, witnessing His entry into Jerusalem alongside His mention of coming suffering led them to believe He would soon establish His reign on an earthly throne before enduring any pain. Therefore, they requested to be seated at His right and left in His kingdom. How did the God-Man respond to this request?
Even though the disciples had been somewhat braced for somber tidings during their recent visits to Jerusalem, the teachings of Jesus regarding His suffering and death remained enigmatic to them. Their primary confusion centered on who would be bold enough to inflict such torment upon Him; this was already evident. However, they struggled to reconcile these afflictions with their understanding of the Messiah, whom they believed Jesus to be. Only a few recognized the essential nature of their role in relation to the Messiah, not yet grasping the profound link between His glory and His trials.
Only Peter, James, and John, who were privileged to witness the splendor of the transfigured Lord, had received insights from the heavenly realm through Moses and Elijah regarding His coming departure to Jerusalem. They also echoed the voice from the cloud that proclaimed, “This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him." Thus, these three apostles were likely more prepared to comprehend His message than the others. Yet two of them, James and John, despite having received this clear foretelling of suffering, approached the Lord along with their mother. They inquired if, upon the manifestation of His kingdom—which they envisioned from the glory of His transfiguration—they might sit on thrones beside Him, one to His right and one to His left. This notion of sitting on thrones was inspired by the Lord’s previous responses to Peter’s question about what would result from their sacrifices, “We have forsaken all things; what shall be done for us?” However, their longing for prominence was born from their own ambitions, likely amplified by their mother Salome, who had followed Jesus from Galilee. This request especially irked Peter. Yet they had the advantage of knowing that the Lord harbored a particular affection for John, and they themselves were deeply devoted to Him and envied His glory, albeit not necessarily in alignment with His true spirit. Meanwhile, Peter had experienced the unfortunate rebuke of being called Satan by the Lord on one occasion and had, at times, diminished the significance of his Lord.
The accounts in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark reveal the request made by the sons of Zebedee, highlighting that the apostles grasped very little of the Lord's teachings regarding His death and resurrection. According to Mark, this request came directly from the sons of Zebedee, while Matthew attributes it to their mother. This distinction lies in the fact that Mark focuses solely on the fundamental aspect of the matter, whereas Matthew also emphasizes the personal involvement of their mother, who advocated for her sons. Nonetheless, this request ultimately originated from James and John, and in His response, the Lord, as noted in Matthew, speaks directly to them.
James and John appeared to possess a mindset that differed from that of the other apostles; they interpreted the Lord's journey to Jerusalem in a unique light. Their thoughts were likely influenced by the Lord's recent promise to the twelve apostles, which indicated that they would occupy twelve thrones in His kingdom. They seemed to interpret this promise in a purely earthly, physical sense, believing that the kingdom of the Messiah was of this world; they may have thought that the Lord was imminently going to establish His reign in Jerusalem. Consequently, they were oblivious to His foretelling of His death. With this in mind, they approached the Lord, requesting that in recognition of the special affection He had shown them, He should grant them the seats of honor on the first of the twelve apostolic thrones, beside Himself.
The request made by Salome and her sons reflects a misunderstanding of their Master's message, yet they remained hopeful for the imminent arrival of His kingdom and glory. Envisioning this kingdom, they surely believed that as Jesus' closest companions, they would hold significant positions within it. Amidst these aspirations, Salome, the mother of apostles James and John, approached Jesus as He walked ahead, humbling herself before Him to make a request.
According to the Gospel of Matthew, Salome, with her sons at her side, presented her petition to Jesus. In contrast, the Gospel of Mark indicates that James and John themselves came to Jesus with this same request. This seeming inconsistency in the accounts can be reconciled by understanding that Salome initiated the request, and her sons subsequently repeated it, indicating their mother acted in full agreement with them.
James and John, alongside Peter, were selected by Jesus among the twelve apostles to witness His transfiguration and to be present at the resurrection of Jairus' daughter. This special selection led them to believe they would receive the highest honors in the Messiah’s Kingdom, feeling assured they would be foremost in His glory. Motivated by these convictions, they requested that Jesus elevate them above the other disciples in His kingdom.
Christ inquired about their wishes, and the mother, representing her eager and ambitious sons, requested that in His kingdom, one of them be seated at His right hand and the other at His left.
"In Your majesty": when You will be established as the glorious ruler of Your realm, when You will take Your place upon the magnificent throne of sovereignty (referring to the earthly kingdom, cf. Theophilus).
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 20 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS