Can God Do All?(Mark 6:5)

Can God Do All?

In the Bible, we are told that God can do all (Matthew 19:26); however, in Mark, it says: "And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them," (Mark 6:5 NASB1995). 

Some use this verse to claim Jesus is unable to do everything; however, this is a misunderstanding of the text. As Dr. Gill writes on this passage: "And he could there do no mighty work, ... Or miracle; not that Christ had no power in himself to work miracles, though their unbelief and contempt of him were very great; but it was not fit and proper that he should do any there, since such were their prejudices against him ... Christ is omnipotent, and he has given proof of his almighty power, by the miracles which he has wrought; and though he wrought no mighty work "there", yet he wrought many elsewhere, which sufficiently attest the truth of his proper deity: the emphasis lies upon the word there; though he did not work any considerable miracle in that place, he did in others; which shows, that it was not a defect of power in him, that was the reason of it, but something else; and Matthew gives the reason of it, and says, it was "because of their unbelief," (Dr. Gill, 2018).

Christ had the ability to perform miracles, but it was not fit to do so. Just as Jesus teaches later on: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces," (Matthew 7:6 NASB1995). Jesus provided miracles, but this act went to a place where it no longer was fruitful, so he then stopped.

Works Cited:

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

Wolever, Terry. John Gill's Exposition of the Old and New Testaments: Some Background on the First Three Editions. United States, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2018.