Eye of the Needle

A reader of the blog recently asked the following question: “Jesus said, ‘It is easier for a camel to go thru the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ What is the thrust of that statement? What would be your answer? This is a passage about which many myths circulate!” Here’s my take on that…

This passage is found in Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, and Luke 18:18-30.

As a kid, I often pictured a double-humped camel trying its best to squeeze through the loop of a sewing needle. (Yeah, pretty impossible!) In recent years, I’ve heard that the “eye of the needle” was a passageway through Jerusalem that was very difficult for travelers to navigate while riding camel-back. (Very difficult, but not necessarily impossible.) My overall take is that this passage is not a condemnation of wealth, in general—although I’ve commonly heard it used to scorn those who have gained financial success.

In Jesus’ day—just as today—I believe people faced many moral and spiritual challenges, either to obtain wealth or sustain it. With wealth comes great issues. One of the greatest issues is the temptation to rely on one’s money more than God. When your finances give you access to the best doctors money can buy, for example, would you be as likely to drop to your knees and pray to God for your healing? Then there are the issues of greed, pride, and wastefulness. God has called each of us to be careful stewards of what He has given us, but if we are surrounded with plenty, how many of us have the fortitude to try to safeguard it all? Finally, immorality and sins of the flesh can become much more accessible when you have the funds to gratify them.

I simply believe it takes a more focused, deliberate kind of piety to accumulate and maintain wealth—and then continue to lead a moral, just, and righteous life. Some say that in this society, it’s downright impossible or pretty difficult, at best. However, in all three gospels, Jesus declares in the passage that what is impossible for man is possible with God. While we look at someone like Bernie Madoff and shake our heads at the shame of his fortune, in my opinion, through the grace of God there is still hope for the wealthy!

Thanks to reader Dennis Rigstad for his great question! What are your thoughts? Leave a comment!