Matthew 19:26
“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Jesus speaks this after the rich young ruler departs and the astonished disciples ask who can be saved, redirecting them to God's power.
What Does Matthew 19:26 Mean?
Jesus answers the disciples' alarm with a sweeping assurance: what is impossible for people is possible with God. The exchange follows His teaching that it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom, which left the disciples astonished, asking, "Who then can be saved?" They had glimpsed how far short human effort falls. Jesus does not soften the difficulty; instead He lifts their eyes from human limitation to divine power. "With men this is impossible" -- by our own resources, salvation lies beyond reach. "But with God all things are possible" -- what no person can achieve, God can accomplish. The verse anchors hope not in human strength but in the boundless power of God, who is able to do what we cannot. This is deeply freeing: the weight does not rest on our adequacy. At the same time, Jesus had just called the rich young man to follow Him, so the verse does not erase human response but locates the decisive power in God. Where human ability ends, God's possibility begins, and nothing lies beyond His reach.
In the Original Language
The Greek adynatos means impossible or powerless, set against dynatos, possible or powerful, with God as the source of all possibility.
Cross References
“For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
- Luke 1:37
“Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
- Genesis 18:14
“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 need or a calling exceeds your strength, look beyond your own ability to the God with whom all things are possible.