Tying God’s Hands

What is the one thing Jesus can’t do? Violate your willful unbelief, that’s what. He will not impose his Lordship on your refusal to give him a chance, yet amazingly, he will even help your humble admission of unbelief (“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24) Wrestling with doubt today? Try this simple, honest prayer: “Lord, help!”

Enduring Truth // Focus: Mark 6:5-6

Jesus could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.

This is one of the most amazing texts in the entire Bible. Jesus—the second person of the Trinity, the visible image of the invisible God; the one who existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation; the one through whom God created everything in the heaven and on earth, the things we can see and the things we can’t see—thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world; the one by whom all creation is held together (Colossians 1:15-17), the one who had raised the dead, healed the sick, delivered the demonized, fed the five thousand, and walked on water—this Jesus could do no mighty works in his own town because of the unbelief of the people who knew him.

And even he—the one who had seen it all—was amazed by their unbelief. I would dare say it must take an awful lot to stump Jesus!

What is the one thing Jesus can’t do? Violate a person’s willful unbelief, that’s what. He will help a person’s humble admission of unbelief (Mark 9:14-25), but he will not impose his Lordship on someone’s refusal to give him a chance.

Now before we get all huffy about Jesus’ neighbors, do you think we sometimes do that with Jesus, too? Haven’t we seen his glory; haven’t we tasted his goodness; haven’t we been touched by his love and grace and power, yet we still question his right of Lordship over our lives? You might say, “but I don’t do that!” Yes, you do—so do I! How? We do that when we give in to doubt, worry, fear, depression, anger—or engage in any number of other self-medicating, self-destructive acts—overspending, overeating, oversleeping, over-talking, over-sharing, over-indulging, sexually addictive behaviors, substance abuse…

Why would we surrender to any of those harmful and deceptive things when we have seen and touched the power and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ? Truthfully, I don’t know why we would. Sometimes my own propensity to resist Christ’s loving Lordship amazes me.

Here’s what I do know: If we will take an honest look at where we are resisting Jesus’ right to rule over us—both passively and willfully—and come to him with a humble request that he help our unbelief, even that crack in the door will be enough for him to do his mighty works in our lives.

Otherwise, you will be tying God’s hands. And that will amaze even him—and not in a good way. So offer him instead your humble, simple faith, and Jesus will likewise be amazed—and I mean in the best way possible:

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” (Luke 7:9)