Through The Eye of the Needle

If Jesus had been around in this our age, I imagine that He would have been a high-profile minister. Maybe a bit controversial because of His straight-forwardness, but He would have been quite famous and in high demand.

He WAS famous and in high demand during His time. I mean, Jesus had charisma (do you know what it takes to leave all and follow a person upon single request?!), taught in a way that no one had ever taught before Him (Matthew 7:29, Mark 1:22), healed the sick with no stress, and was something of the life of the party (he did turn water into wine, lol).

His fame and reputation caused Him to come in contact with a lot of people: some of them “encounters of the third kind”. The synoptic gospels all record the account of one such encounter. The story of the man who asked questions that brought answers he wasn’t prepared for: the story of the Rich Young Ruler. It’s quite the tragic story. And as it’s repeated by each of the synoptic gospels, it means it’s a story we must pay attention to.

There are some minor variations across the three accounts, but the story is largely the same. It starts with our man trying to butter up Jesus (by calling Him “Good”) and then asking for the way to eternal life with God. Jesus promptly calls him out on his flattery and gives him an answer this young man was familiar with: keep the commandments.

This young man had reportedly kept all these commandments since he was a child- the model son of Israel. Yet, there was a problem. This young man, one way or the other, knew that there was something lacking in his relationship with God. It’s probable that it was this sense of incompleteness that drove him to Jesus even though he’d been living straight as an arrow.

“…all these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?”

(Matthew 19:20b, KJV)

What did Jesus say?

“… if you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, Follow Me.”

(Matthew 19:21b, NKJV)

The Bible records that this young man went away sorrowful because he had lots of possessions. It then tells us that Jesus had something to say about his condition.

And again I say unto you, 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 19:24b, KJV)

There are many theories as to what exactly Jesus might have meant by this statement. The most common one is that Jesus was alluding to a gate in Jerusalem called the Needle’s Eye, through which merchant camels could pass only if they were stripped of all their possessions.

Another theory is that the word translated “camel” was actually referring to camel hair thread. Yet another school of thought holds that Jesus was being literal: it would be impossible for a rich man to “make heaven”.

Key to understanding the whole “camel through a needle” thing is reading it in context of the preceding and succeeding verses, and also in light of what Jesus said and did at other times in His ministry.

After Jesus gives His “camel through the eye of the needle” analogy, He then says:

“… with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

(Matthew 19:26b, KJV)

So regardless of whichever school of thought you belong to, the moral of the story is that as far as man’s efforts are concerned, it’s impossible for a rich person to enter God’s Kingdom (or be saved, or be perfect in God’s eyes) – but WITH God, it becomes possible.

So we see that the problem with this young, rich gentleman wasn’t the fact that he was wealthy; Jesus had disciples that “packed cash”. The problem was that he wasn’t with God, or better still, his heart wasn’t with God. It didn’t matter that he was a devout person.

Jesus apparently saw that all of the acts of worship he performed didn’t come from a heart that was with God. It came from a heart that trusted in something other than God to save him in times of difficulty. This young man may not have known it, but he trusted in his wealth to be his salvation.

And I believe that God saw that this man really wanted to do the right thing, hence the burden on his heart to present himself to Jesus. It’s sad that things ended how they’re recorded to have ended.

The story about the rich young ruler isn’t exclusively for the rich and wealthy.
What are you really trusting in? What might be that person, need, or thing that has taken the place of God in your life?

With your heart set on someone or something else, it would be impossible to live the Kingdom life, now or in the hereafter. Jesus calls you to drop these things and follow Him.

With God holding your hand, you have all you need to thread the needle’s eye and tread the straight and narrow way to Life.