Mark 10:27
“And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”
King James Version (KJV)
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After teaching how difficult it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God, the astonished disciples ask who can be saved. Jesus answers by pointing to God's limitless power.
What Does Mark 10:27 Mean?
Mark 10:27 is Jesus' reassurance that salvation, impossible by human effort, is possible with God -- for with Him all things are possible. The disciples had just asked in astonishment, "Who then can be saved?" after hearing how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom.
Jesus answers by "looking upon them" -- a deliberate, personal gaze that draws their attention to what He is about to say. "With men it is impossible" honestly acknowledges the limit. No one can save themselves by their own resources, status, or striving; the task is genuinely beyond human power. But the sentence does not end there: "but not with God: for with God all things are possible." The impossibility on the human side becomes possibility on the divine side. Salvation is God's work, accomplished by His power where ours falls short. This does not cancel human response, but it grounds all hope in God's ability rather than our own. The verse lifts the weight of an impossible demand and places it where it belongs -- on the One who can do what we cannot. To the discouraged disciple wondering if anyone can be saved, Jesus answers that with God the door no human could open stands open.
In the Original Language
The Greek "adynatos" (impossible) means without power or unable. "Dynatos" (possible) means powerful or able -- the contrast turns on power.
Cross References
“For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
- Luke 1:37
“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
- Matthew 19:26
“Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:”
- Jeremiah 32:17
Application
When a task or a salvation seems impossible by human effort, we can rest our hope in God, for whom nothing is beyond reach.
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