Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
- BSB “If You can?” echoed Jesus. “All things are possible to him who believes!”
- 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 saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
- Heb 11:6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
- Mark 11:23For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
- Matt 17:20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
- Matt 21:21–22Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
- Luke 17:6And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
- 2 Chr 20:20And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
- John 4:48–50Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
- Acts 14:9The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving 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.