One of Jesus’ famous sayings 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.” (Matthew 19:24).

What is the meaning of this saying?  What is the point that is being made? 

A teaching that has become popular in recent years is that Jesus was referring to a small door in the city gates for pedestrians, known as ‘the eye of the needle’.  For a camel to pass through such a door it would need to shed it’s load and scape through on its knees.  The application that gets made is that if people lay aside their abundance and humble themselves enough, then they can enter God’s kingdom.  However, there is no historical evidence for such a gate ever existing in the time of Jesus.  It is a relatively late interpretation which fits neither the historical nor literary context, so what is the actual meaning of the saying?

This saying works by bringing together the familiar and the extreme.  Ancients knew, as we do, that a needle has a small opening.  Let’s face it, sometimes it’s hard to get even a thread through a needle!  The camel was the largest animal in the area where Jesus was teaching – in fact, there’s a parallel saying from another region that uses an elephant (as that was the largest local animal).  So, this saying takes the familiar and the extreme to make a simple point – it’s not possible, the largest animal cannot pass through the smallest opening.  This is the ancient equivalent of our modern-day saying ‘there’s a snowball in hell’s chance’.  What’s the likelihood of the ‘rich’ entering the kingdom of God?  Jesus says there’s a snowball in hell’s chance of it happening.   

Now this isn’t simply pointing a finger at the financially rich, it’s not just an issue for the wealthy.  Straight after Jesus says this the disciples ask, ‘Who then can be saved?’  In that culture wealth, obtained morally, was seen as a sign of being in God’s good books.  So, if the best-of-the-best have a ‘snowball in hell’s chance’ then what hope does anyone have?  Jesus responds by looking at His disciples and telling them, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’  In other words, there is nothing anyone can do to secure entry into God’s kingdom.  Our status, our position in life, our achievements, even our religious devotions are as effective as trying to get a camel to fit through the eye of a sewing needle.  Many people hope for a better life beyond our current existence, but Jesus teaches that it’s a naïve and totally unrealistic hope, if we’re trusting in our efforts.  From a human standpoint, it’s impossible but with God all things are possible.  What we cannot do for ourselves God can do for us.  This is why Jesus came and it’s why He calls us to come to Him, because Jesus alone can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.   

We can have a real, secure and certain hope because of Jesus.  This September we are running a short 3-week course called Hope Explored, looking at how Jesus provides us with hope that will not disappoint.

We’ll be meeting on Thursdays 1pm for 90 minutes and there’s also the possibility of an evening course.   If you’d like to join Hope Explored or have further questions about Jesus and the Christian faith, please get in contact:
pauld@therfieldchapel.org