And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. (Mar 10:27)

Rev. J. Kevin Lloyd Sept. 2006

It would do us good to meditate on those four words that are emphasized in this text. “All things are possible.” If any other man besides Jesus had said these words they would seem almost insincere and at best overly optimistic. As incredible as this statement seems, we can take shelter in it because of who said it. ALL things are possible? This is not some man-made philosophy or simple homespun wit and wisdom. This is the word of God. All things ARE possible! When I was boy, several of us children would gather at Nannie’s house on summer break and after school while our parents were at work. On rainy days, after we had pulled every story from Nannie that she was willing to tell, there wasn’t much to entertain us. We often resorted to an old set of World Book Encyclopedias to inspire us with ideas. We would gener ally read about all the different animals in those books, and then crawl around Nannie’s house pretending to be one of those creeping critters. I still have some of those statistics in my memory. One in particular was a description of the size of the Blue Whale. According to the encyclopedia, the Blue Whale was large enough for a Brontosaurus (the largest dinosaur), an African elephant, and a man to stand on its back with “plenty of room to spare”. Needless to say, the Blue Whale has a large platform to stand on. But this statement from Jesus has an even larger surface for us rest upon. In fact it is larger than the Ocean that the whale swims in. In it is a promise that is bigger than the Universe that we all live in. This truth is as big as the God who spoke it and stands behind it. All things are possible! Surely friend you can find a place on this promise to stand. Though many souls have found a refuge on this ground, there is plenty of room to spare. For with God… all things are possible for you too. The power of this statement would be undeniable if Jesus had only said it once; for it is impossible for God to lie. Yet what enhances this truth is the fact that Jesus spoke it on three separate occasions. In the context of these three events, Jesus sets the perimeter of this promise. As big as this promise is, there are certain conditions that come from the context of these events that show us the realm in which we may legitimately appeal to its power. We shall first examine the text which is last in chronology. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. (Mar 14:35-36)