Mark 10:40

But to sit on my right hand or on my left hand is not mine to give; but it is for them for whom it hath been prepared.

The Arian allegations founded on this verse should be rejected. We disagree with McMillan who interpreted this as saying that "they were asking him about something over which he had no control."[38] A glance at any rendition of the literal Greek shows that the limitation was not in Jesus, for it is implied that such honors, when given, would still be given by Jesus.

The Greek has these words: "But to sit at my right hand, or at the left, is not mine to give except for whom it is prepared."[39] The addition of "it is for them" by the translators is incorrect. The clear meaning is that Jesus could not give such honors except to them for whom they were prepared. This writer once asked a wealthy man who was more than two hundred times a millionaire for a certain gift and he replied that "It is not mine to give," meaning not that he did not have the power to make the gift, but that my particular request was not in line with his purpose. This is exactly the meaning of Jesus' "not mine to give" in this verse.

[38] Earle McMillan, op. cit., p. 130.

[39] The Emphatic Diaglott (Brooklyn, New York: Watch Tower Society), p. 166.