Proper 24: Gospel, Mark 10:23-31                                       

Mark 10:23-31

“For with God all things are possible.” That statement from the lips of our Lord sits right smack in the middle of our gospel this week. And people love to quote it. They LOVE to quote it. And it is a statement filled with great power. But as is so often the case, the statement is quoted with little to no understanding of the context from which it comes. To the point that even non-Christians will take it upon their lips to declare that whatever god they worship and trust can do anything they want. And there lies the real rub. For anyone. This comment of Jesus is usually applied to whatever we want. That isn’t what this statement means.

Jesus is reminding us that for someone who bows to the idol of money, the entrance to His Kingdom is impossible. You see, having another god is incompatible with the gospel. And Jesus, having just watched a “rich” young man walk away is cementing the above thought with his followers. The gospels are full of such talk from Jesus. But here He lays impossibility on them. And it frightens them, cf. v. 26. 

Jesus then reminds them that with God, what is impossible from the human perspective is indeed possible with God. But the context screams that this is all about salvation, all about receiving the promises of God’s Kingdom. And doing so only on God’s terms. You see, that is why it is possible with God. The rich, the poor, the busy, the angry and impatient … all of those enter God’s bliss on His terms. He catches their attention, changes their minds through the gift of repentance, grants them faith in the crucified and risen Jesus, and opens the door. He opens the door.

So this passage isn’t about attaching God’s infinite power to the petty things we may desire. It’s about what only He can give. And how He loves to give it. And it can be given to anyone to whom He wishes to give it. “For with God all things are possible.” Amen.