Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am about to be baptized?” They said, “We are able.”
“The cup” and “the baptism” here are metaphors that symbolize Jesus’ sufferings and the trials of the cross. In the Old Testament, the cup often meant the portion and destiny that God has prepared (for example, Isa. 51:17), and here it refers to the cup of suffering that Jesus must drink for the salvation of humanity. Baptism likewise symbolizes the deep trial of the cross, into which his whole being must be “immersed,” like one who is plunged into water. When Jesus asks, “Are you able to drink this cup,” he is in fact inviting them to consider whether they are ready to share his destiny in sufferings and devoted sacrifice. Their answer, “We are able,” expresses zeal and loyalty, but not full understanding; they still do not grasp what awaits them. Nevertheless, that sincere willingness is later fulfilled: James dies as a martyr (Acts 12:2), and John endures long sufferings in exile. This word reminds us that the path to God’s glory always passes through devotion, sacrifice, and patience.