The Baptism and the Cup

Jesus and His disciples are on their final journey to Jerusalem. Christ is on His way to die and the disciples walk behind Him, amazed and afraid. Jesus takes His disciples to the side and for the third time predicts His coming death. The first time He had done this Peter had rebuked Him. This is because Peter was unwilling to take up his own cross and follow after Christ. The second time Christ had predicted His death the disciples did not understand but were too afraid to ask Him about it. The disciples were unwilling to reveal their ignorance and humbly ask Him what He meant. The disciples were in many ways showing their immaturity, but yet at the same time they were arguing among themselves about who among them was the greatest. James and John ask Jesus to grant them that they may sit on His right hand and on His left hand. Yet the whole time they were unwilling to enter themselves! They wanted Christ to go through His baptism of suffering and they wanted only the benefits of it. They wanted to sit in His glory. Jesus responds by asking them if they were willing to drink the cup He was already drinking or be baptized in the baptism He was already being baptized in. Christ was drinking the cup and baptized with this baptism from the manger to the cross! All Christians must drink of the cup and be baptized in this baptism individually! All must individually enter in! All Christians must deny themselves take up their cross daily, and follow Christ! All Christians must be baptized into His death! All Christians must be baptized in the Holy Spirit and fire! But each must enter in individually. Not at some obscure, future, time, but now! And God has prepared a cup to drink.

[The Baptism and the Cup ]