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She was probably expecting, like many others, th a t the Lord was about to es tablish His earthly kingdom.—Morrison. v. 22.- Are ye able? There was a condition of sharing Christ’s glory with Him of which His petitioners had little dreamed. We must be sharers of Christ’s suffering if we would be sharers of His glory (2 Tim. 2:12; Rom. 8:17). —Torrey. The test of greatness which- Jesus propounds is not great outward success but endurance for Him. Among the heroes for whom He is twining im mortal garlands there is many a pale and shattered creature, tossing on a mean bed, breathing in imperfect Eng lish loftier praises than many an an them resounding through cathedral arches.—Chadwick. v. 23. Ye shall drink. After crosses and losses men grow humbler and wiser.:—Franklin. They did drink. James was the first apostle who was honored (Acts 12:1, 2). John, after go ing through all the persecution of the in fant church, lived to be the victim after all the rest had got to glory.—J. F. & B. It is but a cup, not an ocean. It is bitter perhaps but ye shall see the bot tom of it. It is a cup in the hand of a Father (Jn. 18:11). It is but a bap tism—dipped but not drowned, per plexed but not in despair.—Henry. My cup. How completely alone the Saviour was so far as man was con cerned, in His work of atoning. Of all He foresaw in His death, His disciples saw nothing. Even His repeated an nouncement of it was not taken in by their minds. How exclusively also He is to be looked to in regard to salvation- Even the nearest to Him could not share in working it out. How therefore should they help in it afterward except' by pointing to Him?-—Lewis. Fo r whom it is prepared. Those are prepared who are “made conformable unto His death.” Fellowship in His sufferings is the quali fication of sharing His dignity. v. 24. Moved with indignation. Not in the sense of holy indignation but as partaking of the same spirit of ambition which had prompted the request.— Lange. Going as they did with the in tervention of their mother and without the knowledge of anyone else, was like trying to steal a march on the rest.--- Lewis. v. 26. Whosoever will be great. Je sus taught that true greatness is in char acter, not condition. It is the funda mental principle of His kingdom that lervice constitutes supremacy. He left
their own petty COMMENTS FROM ambitions t h a t MANY SOURCES they h a d n o t Keith L.,Brooks heeded what He had been saying. —Torrey. v. 19. Third day He shall rise. Some say Christ died simply as a martyr, that His death was the result of circum stances that were too strong for Him. How can this be reconciled with the fact that the burden of His message from the very first concerned His coming death and resurrection? The shedding of His blood and His resurrection were His own program, the fulfillment of the prophecies. He came to give His life a ransom. His death was His own choice, God’s program. There was no other way of saving the world. He died a victor, not a victim.:—Morgan. He did not foretell His coming death with out adding that He would be resur rected. Does it appear th a t He died as a martyr? He came to die and not to live. His death was the object of His incarnation and He proved this by rising again from the dead.-—K. B. His verac ity is a t stake, if He did not literally rise.—Denney. Did He not literally rise again? If th a t death was the close of the only perfect life, we are faced with an insoluble mystery—the permanent triumph of wrong over right and the im possibility of believing in tru th and righteousness in the world.—Robinson. v. 20. Desiring a certain thing, She desired th a t the Lord should utter a word of authority in order th a t all dis puting among the disciples might be foreclosed and her sons’ future promi nence secured.—Horn. Com. v. 21. What w ilt thou? As on the one hand there are some who do not use, on the other hand, there are some who abuse the encouragements Christ has given us to prayer.—Henry. Our prayers .should be definite and clearly conceived in the mind, simply expressed in words (Eccl. 5 :2 ). Then our mo tives are more important than our words. The motivés here were earthly and vainglorious. Great petitions may be offered in earnest prayer from little and unworthy motives. On the other hand, small things may be asked from high and holy motives.—Cook. Grant my two sons. It is always our peril th a t we hunger for place more than for char acter. They wanted to be kings’ cup bearers. He offers them to drink of His cup. They call for sovereignty, He asks for sacrifice.—Jowett. In thy kingdom.
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