“If You can?” echoed Jesus. “All things are possible to him who believes!”
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
- KJV Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
- NKJV Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
- NASB But Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can’? All things are possible for the one who believes.”
- NLT “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus echoes the father's 'if you can,' declaring that all things are possible to one who believes. He shifts the question from his power to the man's faith.
Overview
Jesus gently challenges the father's doubt, redirecting 'if you can' back to him: the issue is not Jesus' ability but the father's trust. This does not make faith a magic force but calls for reliance on the One who is able. It invites the man, and every reader, to bring even weak faith to the limitless power of Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- John 11:40Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
- Heb 11:6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
- Mark 11:23“Truly I tell you that if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen, it will be done for him.
- Matt 17:20“Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
- Matt 21:21–22“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.
- Luke 17:6And the Lord answered, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
- 2 Chr 20:20Early in the morning they got up and left for the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Hear me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be upheld; believe in His prophets, and you will succeed.”
- John 4:48–50Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”
- Acts 14:9This man was listening to the words of Paul, who looked intently at him and saw that he had faith to be healed.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 9:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.