Mark 9:23

23 And Jesus said to him, `If thou art able to believe! all things are possible to the one that is believing;'

Mark 9:23 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 9:23

Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe
As the man put an "if" on the power of Christ, Christ puts an "if" on the faith of the man; and tacitly suggests, that power was not wanting in himself, but faith in him; and should that cure not be performed, it would not be owing to any inability in him, but to his own incredulity. The Arabic version renders it, "what is this thy: saying, if thou canst do any thing?" What dost thou mean by it? Thou oughtest not to doubt of my power; there is no reason for it, after so many miracles wrought; upbraiding the man with his unbelief; and the Ethiopic version renders it thus, "because thou sayest, if thou canst": wherefore to show that power was not wanting in him, provided he had but faith, it follows,

all things are possible to him that believeth;
that is, "to be done" to him, as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions supply: for all things are not possible to be done by the believer himself, but all things are possible to be done for him, by God, or Christ, or the Spirit of God: thus our Lord, as he elsewhere does, ascribes that to faith, which is done by a divine power.

Mark 9:23 In-Context

21 And he questioned his father, `How long time is it since this came to him?' and he said, `From childhood,

22 and many times also it cast him into fire, and into water, that it might destroy him; but if thou art able to do anything, help us, having compassion on us.'

23 And Jesus said to him, `If thou art able to believe! all things are possible to the one that is believing;'

24 and immediately the father of the child, having cried out, with tears said, `I believe, sir; be helping mine unbelief.'

25 Jesus having seen that a multitude doth run together, rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, `Spirit -- dumb and deaf -- I charge thee, come forth out of him, and no more thou mayest enter into him;'