No. Jesus continues in this verse by noting that the sitting at his right hand or at his left is not his to give, but is for those for whom it has been prepared (by the Father, Matthew 20:23). In this answer Jesus does not speak first of all about the question who confers these places; in that case it would have been formulated differently (It is not up to me to grant it, but to the Father
).
The way the answer is in fact formulated places the emphasis on the manner of giving. It is not a matter of giving to specific persons (by Jesus) but of being destined for some (by the Father). The question is not if the place of the throne is bestowed on someone, but if it fits a person. God the Father has destined these places for people who satisfy certain conditions, and therefore it is not up to Jesus simply to hand them out.
For what kind of apostles have these places then been reserved? That they are not yet told. First Jesus moves the attention from himself as the possible giver to the question whether the sons of Zebedee are indeed the proper candidates in God’s eyes. In the following discussion with all the apostles it will become clear that the best places are reserved for the best servants.
With this exegesis it is not necessary to notice with Gould1 a difference between Mark and Matthew. Also in Matthew (who adds the words by my Father
) the grounds for the allotment are at issue. It is God who has established these. This is also implicit in Mark’s wording (it has been prepared
means: God has prepared
).2
40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”