And Jesus looking upon them said,
With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
All Commentaries on Mark 10:27 Go To Mark 10
Theophylact of Ochrid
AD 1107
Therefore the Lord intended by these words to raise the mind of the young man, so that he might know Him tobe God. But He also implies another thing by these words, that when you have to converse with a man, you should not flatter him in your conversation, but lookback upon God, the root and fount of goodness, and do honour to Him.
But because there are many poor who are not humble, but are drunkards or have some other vice, for this reason He says, “And come, follow me.”.
He says not here, that riches are bad, but that those are bad who only have them to watch them carefully; forHe teaches us not to have them, that is, not to keep or preserve them, but touse them in necessary things.
It may be that by camel, we should understand the animal itself, or else that thick cable, which is used for large vessels. It goes on: “And they were astonished above measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? "Since the number of poor people is immeasurably the greater, and these might be saved, though the rich perished, they must have understood Him to mean that all who love riches, although they cannot obtain them, are reckoned in the number of the rich. It goes on: “And Jesus looking upon themsaith, With men it is impossible, but not with God”; which we must not take tomean, that covetous and proud persons can enter into the kingdom of Heaven with their covetousness and pride, but that it is possible with God that they should be converted from covetousness and pride to charity and lowliness.
Or we must understand that by, “with men it is impossible, but not with God,” He means, that when we listen to God, it becomes possible, but as long as we keep our human notions, it is impossible. There follows, “For all things are possible with God”; when He says “all things”, you must understand, that have a being, which sin has not, for it is a thing without being and substance .
