It Is Easier For A Camel To Pass Through The Eye Of A Needle...

I wrote this in August of 2006 but the thoughts in this are still as revleant today as they were back then.


I was listening to the radio today and the topic of discussion was “If you (meaning the radio talk show host) state that the wealth a person accumulates is actually the wealth of the kingdom of God, can that person spend that wealth frivously when they buy big houses and fancy cars”. The radio host simply answered the question by saying “frivolous spending can only happen of the person who is spending the money is spending it in a way the owner of the wealth does not want it to be spent. He then decided to prove his point by stating the bible verses Matthew 16-24 which is the parable of Jesus speaking to a rich man on how to get to heaven. When the rich man asked Jesus what was the best way to get to heaven, Jesus basically told him to sell all of his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor and needy. the rich man walked away with his head down because he felt that he was not able to part with his possessions. Jesus then states that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to get into heaven. It was in that instant that I finally understood the misunderstanding most people have of that scripture.


I feel that I am now obligated to explain the true meaning of that particular scripture in the bible. First of all, let’s begin with this, when you as a lay person, read the bible it is best that you not only read the recommended verses, but also read the entire paragraph that the verse is contained in so you can get a better understanding of the verse that you were assigned to read. You should then also try to research the history of the times that the passage refers to and then apply the lesson to today’s life. If the person who called into the radio show or even the radio host were to actually read the entire paragraph as well as know the history of the days of the bible before the cruxifixation of Jesus, they would know that it was widely believed that the bigger and more expensive the offering to the temple the easier it would be to get into heaven. So it was thought that you could “buy” your way into heaven. Also as you can see, by that train of thought a wealthy man has more money and therefore if he makes his offerings correctly he would be guaranteed his ticket into the pearly gates. Also during this time the city of Jerusalem had a big wall surrounding it, that was much like the great wall of China, for its own protection just like most of the big and important cities of the day. At night the city would close the huge gates that people would travel through in order to come and go through the city. If a person wanted to enter the city after nightfall they had to enter through a door that was literally called “the eye of a needle” because  it was small and had a very narrow passageway. In order for a camel to pass through ”the eye of a needle” , (camels were the mode of transportation in that time) you would have to unpack all of its packages and even then it was a tight fit through the passageway. So when Jesus makes the statement that is harder for a rich man to enter into heaven that it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle he was actually referring to the door “the eye of a needle” and not an actual eye of a needle.


Second of all, Jesus was referring to that particular man because he had the ability to look into that man’s heart and realized that the rich man had his personal identity tied to his wealth. The man did not want to give up his wealth because he thought he was nothing and no one with out it. He was not able to trust in the grace and mercy of God to protect him and make him somebody of value and welcome him into heaven.


Wealth has nothing to do with how you get into heaven. King David was one of the wealthiest men on the plant earth yet the bible says that he was a man dear to God’s heart. Jacob was the wealthiest man in his region and after his redemption he became wealthier and still 5 times over. You may think I am a person who is well off writing this blog, but actually I am a person who lives off of about $1100 per month with a husband and four children in the household as well. So you see it doesn’t matter how wealthy you are, it is by works of grace and acts of faith that get you into heaven