Mark 10:38 (LSB)

Passage

But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

Nearby Context

Mark 10:36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

Mark 10:37 And they said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.”

Mark 10:38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

Mark 10:39 And they said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.

Mark 10:40 But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jesus", "said", "asking", "able", "drink", "baptized", and "baptism". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jesus" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "And they said to Him Grant that..." into verse 39's "And they said to Him We are...", so "jesus" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jesus" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.