The Eye of the Needle

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”  Matthew 19:24

Jesus had just finished telling the account of a wealthy young man who loved his possessions more than he desired to follow Jesus.  Jesus’ statement to His disciples about the camel and the needle has been explained by some as a reference to a gate in Israel that was called the “needle”.  A camel’s load would have to be removed, and it would have to get down on its’ knees to get through this gate.  However, this explanation somewhat indicates that one can throw off his baggage and squeeze his way into God’s kingdom on his own merit.

I believe Jesus was using the example of an actual sewing needle to illustrate the impossibility of salvation if anyone depends on anything else including his or her own merit or riches rather than “by grace through faith…the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).  Pride is the greatest stumbling block between man and God, but wealth runs a close second.  I think perhaps people try to explain this verse by referring to the needle’s gate because they might be hanging on to the mistaken idea that man somehow has to earn his salvation.

The disciples were shocked at Jesus’ statement.  They asked, “Who then can be saved?”  The prevailing thought among Jews in that day was that if a man was rich, it was a sign of God’s favor and practically an automatic ticket to heaven.  The Jews also believed that “good works” and obedience to the law qualified them for heaven.  (Actually, that idea is still in vogue today among many of the world’s inhabitants.  The idea that if one’s “good works” outweigh one’s sins makes one a shoe-in for heaven is not found in God’s word.)  None of the disciples were wealthy.  Matter of fact, they came from some of the lowest-paying jobs in Israel.

Jewish tradition had also taught that one who was poor, in bad health, or, God forbid, a Gentile, was out of favor with God and would have no place in God’s kingdom.  So now the disciples had been told by Jesus that it was impossible for a rich man to enter heaven, and they already assumed that a poor man couldn’t get in either, so then who in the world could?  Of course, Jesus assured them that God had made a way.  He stated, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”  (If memory serves me correctly, in the movie “The Blind Side”, on the archway at the private Christian school featured in the movie, this verse was engraved across the top, but it was misquoted.  It said, “With men this is possible, but with God all things are possible.”  Hollywood has a tough time with getting scripture correct.)

Christ is the One who makes it possible for anyone, rich or poor, Jew or Gentile, any race or nationality to become a child of the King.