25 “When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:25–26 (ESV)
Jesus explained to His disciples the impossibility of anyone being justified before God on the basis of their own personal merit. The Scriptures thoroughly emphasize this truth (Isaiah 64:6; Jeremiah 17:9; Ezekiel 36:26-27; Romans 3:9-20; Galatians 2:15-16; Ephesians 2:1-3; Colossians 2:13-15).
Upon hearing Jesus say this, the disciples were greatly astonished. To be astonished (ἐκπλήσσω; ekplesso) means to be continually astounded and amazed. Another meaning is to be in a state of panic. The adjective greatly (σφόδρα; sphodra) means exceedingly and extremely. You have a group of people who did not like what they heard and understood Jesus to say.
They responded by asking, “Who then can be saved?” Saved (σῴζω; sozo) means to deliver. This was the right question to ask. This is one of the few times the disciples correctly grasped the significance and meaning of Jesus’ words. They may not have liked His words, but they understood them. They wondered who could be delivered from their sin?
Jesus’ reply echoed the theme of divine grace. “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Impossible (ἀδύνατος; adynatos) refers to weakness, helplessness and powerlessness. Salvation is impossible for fallen man to achieve. However, salvation is not impossible with God. He can, and does, save people from the penalty, power and eventual presence of sin. He has the ability to do so.
John Calvin writes, “Christ does not extenuate the danger – though He perceives the terror which it excited in His disciples – but rather increases it. Though formerly he said only that it was difficult, He now affirms it to be impossible. He teaches them to rely on the grace of God alone.”
“The disciples were right to conclude that it is impossible, humanly speaking, for anyone—rich or poor—to be saved. But the transformation of the human heart is possible for the Lord. In today’s passage, then, we have a remarkably clear teaching from Christ on the necessity of divine grace. Without God’s grace, no sinner could ever be saved,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
The only hope any sinner has is in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone, applied to individual by God’s sovereign grace alone, through faith, according to Scripture alone for the glory of God alone.
Soli deo Gloria!
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