It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.
Jesus said this… why can’t Christians be more Christ-like?
A brother in Christ recently posed this question to me. It’s a fair question because, truth be told, far too many believers who advocate Christian wealth and prosperity try to hide from this scripture.
Those who don’t ignore it altogether are quick to point to Old Testament passages where God actually made righteous men like Abraham or Jacob wealthy. Or they point to New Testament scriptures that allude to the fact that many of Jesus’ followers were actually wealthy. Little more than a futile attempt to negate the truth of this verse.
I have even heard a teaching that suggests Jesus didn’t really mean the eye of an actual needle but rather a broken part in Jerusalem’s city wall which, while difficult to negotiate, could actually allow a camel to get through albeit with great difficulty. The teaching contends that this gap in the wall was called The Eye of the Needle by the locals.
For the record, I don’t subscribe to that idea because I see no scriptural basis for the theory. If we profess to be Christians who allow the Bible to guide our thoughts, speech and actions, then we need to seek our understanding from scripture.
In short, we need to own this scripture as believers. As my brother so rightly points out… Jesus said this!
The Eye of a Needle
Let’s take a look at the Matthew 19:16-25 passage.
16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, ‘Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?’ 17 ‘Why do you ask me about what is good?’ Jesus replied. ‘There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.’ 18 ‘Which ones?’ he inquired. Jesus replied, ‘’You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’ 20 ‘All these I have kept,’ the young man said. ‘What do I still lack?’ 21 Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’ 26 Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’
Matthew 19:16-26
For me, there are three key verses in this passage. The first is the one everybody knows. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.
This is certainly the verse that most of us focus on. I guess we do this because it is a clever catch-phrase that also illustrates a deep spiritual truth.
If ever there was a passage about the love of money, it is this one. The rich young man clearly knew that something was missing in his life and that he needed to be saved. Jesus showed him the way but the young man’s love of money prevented him from embracing the truth.
This leads Jesus to make the observation we all know so well. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle…
The second key verse is the disciples’ reaction to that statement. They were greatly astonished and asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’
I have been a Christian for most of my life. Every message I have heard on this passage stops at verse 24. The challenge is obvious and our pastors and teachers slam the message home. Rich people cannot enter the kingdom of God.
When we hear messages like this, our take-away is simple. For most of my life, my thought process has been as follows. This verse applies to rich people. I am not rich, therefore this verse doesn’t apply to me – but it is interesting and memorable.
Because we get hung up on verse 24, most of us miss what the disciples so keenly observed in verse 25. Who then can be saved?
Who, indeed? While our first-world culture sees shades of grey, the disciples appear to have had a far more binary view of the world. They saw the poor – and everybody else. The poor were those with disabilities or widows and orphans who were physically or socially incapable of generating an income. As such, they were unable to buy basic necessities like food, shelter or clothing. In the disciples’ eyes, if you were not poor, you were, by definition, rich. Hence their astonishment and the question Who then can be saved?
Instead of assuming that this verse does not apply to them, the disciples accept that it does! This creates a far more frightening thought pattern for them. I am not poor. Therefore I am rich. How then can I be saved?
In their minds, Jesus statement ruled out just about everybody the disciples knew from ever entering the kingdom of heaven, including themselves. And it should do the same for us.
I realize that most of us don’t feel rich or, indeed, consider ourselves to be rich. But this is just a glass-half-empty mentality. It is another example of The Devil’s Greatest Trick.
I was born in South Africa where any family with a household income of more than $500/month was in the top 5% income group in the country. That means, in most homes, both mom and dad work eight hours a day to earn roughly $250/month each. By that measure any family earning the USA national median monthly salary of $4,700 would be considered rich beyond measure.
Who then can be saved?
Fortunately, Jesus provides the answer in the third key verse in this passage. Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’
Conclusion – the Whole Picture
When I see the full picture, I am confronted with a frightening truth. The “rich” folk that Jesus refers to actually includes many more people than I might automatically think. It actually includes me even though, as someone who works hard for a living, I don’t think of myself as rich.
As someone who is already rich by the Biblical measure that the disciples used, I don’t have to hide from this scripture. Nor do I have to invent fantastic stories about merchants squeezing their camels through large cracks in the city wall after the gates have closed for the night, like a group of blokes trying to get a smelly sofa up some narrow stairs to an apartment.
I also don’t have to reach for other scriptures to prove how many of Jesus’ followers were actually rich. The answer is provided by Jesus himself, right there in the passage. With God all things are possible.
I need to be careful here. This does not diminish the value or truth of verse 24. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle... There is a clear warning in this passage to guard against the love of money in our lives. There is also a very specific warning to those who have money and are rich. Anyone who is already “rich” (i.e. not poor) needs to take heed. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. Fact! Jesus said this.
But even as he said this he also offered us the way to redemption.
As such, we need to guard our hearts and rely on God’s strength to carry us through. Never stop fighting the good fight. And when money becomes too important, we need to repent, turn back to God and make him the center of our lives once more.
Most of us will probably go through this cycle not once, but many times in our lives. Let us never forget this scripture. Let us never hide from it. Let us never assume that it does not apply to us. Rather, let us embrace it.
Only remember; never stop reading at verse 24. Rather meditate on this scripture in its entirety. Perhaps a better way to remember this verse in future is:
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.…Who then can be saved?….With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
As a parting note, this raises another interesting topic for me. Namely the difference between “rich” and “wealthy”? I have some thoughts on this…
… but I will save that for another post.