Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." (Mark 10:27)
On the basis of Jesus’ statement about the impossibility of the rich to enter the kingdom of God, the disciples thought that the door of salvation had been shut once and for all. However, Jesus said to his disciples, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
The story which began with the question of a rich man who says, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” now flows into the story of the spring of salvation. If we see the theme of this story according to such stream, the theme is not about the question of rich and poor but of salvation. The text says two dimensions of salvation; impossibility of man and possibility of God. It says that salvation is impossible with man but not with God.
You may think that the above explanation is too plain; but it is not so. Think of it a little more seriously. The word ‘with man this is impossible’ indicates the limitation of man’s activity. We have nothing to deal with the salvation of man and the world. Strictly speaking, in most cases it is true that human achievement which is the product of his creative work also turn into a destructive one. Scientific development gives man comfort and convenient facilities for our daily lives, but at the same time, it destroys human lives. A glaring example of the destructive effect of science is seen in the impact of dynamite.
The word, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God" means that human cognition cannot define salvation. The questions, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” or “Who then can be saved?” have already set salvation forth as if a man could get it by himself. However, it is not so. Salvation is absolutely the discretion of God. Right now, we do not know this at all. It is because salvation is from God alone and it is an exclusive handiwork of God.
On the basis of Jesus’ statement about the impossibility of the rich to enter the kingdom of God, the disciples thought that the door of salvation had been shut once and for all. However, Jesus said to his disciples, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
The story which began with the question of a rich man who says, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” now flows into the story of the spring of salvation. If we see the theme of this story according to such stream, the theme is not about the question of rich and poor but of salvation. The text says two dimensions of salvation; impossibility of man and possibility of God. It says that salvation is impossible with man but not with God.
You may think that the above explanation is too plain; but it is not so. Think of it a little more seriously. The word ‘with man this is impossible’ indicates the limitation of man’s activity. We have nothing to deal with the salvation of man and the world. Strictly speaking, in most cases it is true that human achievement which is the product of his creative work also turn into a destructive one. Scientific development gives man comfort and convenient facilities for our daily lives, but at the same time, it destroys human lives. A glaring example of the destructive effect of science is seen in the impact of dynamite.
The word, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God" means that human cognition cannot define salvation. The questions, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” or “Who then can be saved?” have already set salvation forth as if a man could get it by himself. However, it is not so. Salvation is absolutely the discretion of God. Right now, we do not know this at all. It is because salvation is from God alone and it is an exclusive handiwork of God.
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