If You Can Believe: Conditional Syntax and the Power of Faith in Mark 9:23

ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· τὸ εἰ δύνασαι πιστεῦσαι, πάντα δυνατὰ τῷ πιστεύοντι.

The Conditional That Shifts the World

In Mark 9:23, Jesus responds to a father’s desperate plea with a phrase that balances on a grammatical edge: τὸ εἰ δύνασαι πιστεῦσαι. The ambiguity here—intensified by the abrupt syntax and word placement—has sparked centuries of discussion. Is Jesus quoting the father’s doubtful words with irony, or offering a conditional statement full of promise? The answer lies in the Greek structure. And in that grammar, we hear a truth that echoes through every struggle: faith is the door through which divine power flows into human helplessness.

Grammatical Focus: Elliptical Conditional Syntax

Greek conditionals typically follow structured protasis-apodosis logic: “If X, then Y.” But here, τὸ εἰ δύνασαι πιστεῦσαι defies full syntactic clarity. Scholars identify it as an elliptical first-class conditional, with the particle εἰ (“if”) followed by the present middle/passive indicative δύνασαι (“you are able”) and aorist infinitive πιστεῦσαι (“to believe”). The definite article τὸ may nominalize the entire clause: “as for the ‘if you can believe’…”

This elliptical construction serves a rhetorical function: it throws the father’s conditional plea back at him. Jesus isn’t affirming or denying his ability. He’s reframing the real issue—not whether He can act, but whether we will trust. The sentence leaves space, uncertainty, and challenge—a divine invitation embedded in grammatical form.

Detailed Morphological Analysis

1. δύνασαι
   • Root: δύναμαι
   • Form: Verb – present middle/passive indicative, 2nd person singular
   • Literal Translation: “you are able”
   • Notes: Indicates present capacity or potential. In context, it carries an edge of doubt when paired with εἰ
2. πιστεῦσαι
   • Root: πιστεύω
   • Form: Verb – aorist active infinitive
   • Literal Translation: “to believe”
   • Notes: The aorist emphasizes the act of believing as a decisive moment, not an ongoing state
3. εἰ
   • Form: Conjunction – conditional particle
   • Translation: “if”
   • Notes: Introduces a protasis (conditional clause); here, elliptical in structure
4. πάντα
   • Root: πᾶς
   • Form: Adjective – neuter plural nominative/accusative
   • Literal Translation: “all things”
   • Notes: Accusative subject of the implied verb (e.g., “are possible”)
5. δυνατὰ
   • Root: δυνατός
   • Form: Adjective – neuter plural nominative/accusative
   • Literal Translation: “possible”
   • Notes: Attributive to πάντα — “all things [are] possible”
6. τῷ πιστεύοντι
   • Root: πιστεύω
   • Form: Present active participle, masculine dative singular
   • Literal Translation: “to the one who believes”
   • Notes: Dative of advantage; identifies the person to whom the possibility belongs

Table of Key Forms

The Syntax of Surrender

Jesus’ reply does not offer a formula—it offers an invitation. The broken grammar mirrors the broken man who utters it. The subjunctive atmosphere, the ellipsis, the sharp echo of the father’s own uncertainty—all of it forms a single grammatical act of grace: “If you can believe… everything is possible.”

This is not prosperity rhetoric. It is not saying that belief guarantees outcome. It is deeper: belief makes space for divine action. The subjunctive mood keeps the miracle in God’s hands—but the invitation remains. Will we step into that space? Will we trust when outcomes are unseen?

Greek grammar here teaches a kingdom paradox: the real miracle is not what happens to you, but what happens in you—when you dare to believe.