Mark 10:40 (LSB)

Passage

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.”

Nearby Context

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.”

Mark 10:41 And hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John.

Mark 10:42 And calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "right", "left", "mine", "give", "been", and "prepared". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "right" and "left", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 39's "And they said to Him We are..." into verse 41's "And hearing this the ten began to...", so "right" and "left" 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 "right" and "left" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.