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 19:24

I’m going to start out by saying there are differing opinions about the meaning of this verse. One school of thought is that the word “Camel” was interpreted incorrectly, and the correct word for it should have been “thick rope”. Another is that Jesus was using hyperbole to convey the extreme difficulty of a rich man entering into heaven. My personal belief is that the needles eye is the passage way into the city that remains after the larger gate has been closed for the night. If a fully loaded camel arrived in the city after the large gate had been closed, they would have to “thread” their camel through a small doorway. This was a difficult task because it requires the camel to basically contort itself through the door as the owner guided him. Most of these camels were loaded down with the owners’ possession, so that also had to be dealt with.

My husband and I were chatting last night about interpreting the word correctly. He spoke about the need to understand the times, customs and traditions the people writing the books were living in when they wrote them. I mentioned the analogy of the Camel passing through the eye of a needle being a phrase that while it could be taken literally, it has a greater meaning if you know that during that time the people called the needles eye the doorway to the city that was left open after the big gate was closed and that a fully loaded camel that arrived late would have to be contorted through this doorway…. it was hugely difficult, but not impossible.

Then my husband dropped the bomb… he said…” And who is it that arrives to the door with a fully loaded camel carrying his worldly possessions? A rich man. And in order to enter, he will have to unload his camel of those possessions first!”

In all the years I’ve pondered this verse and analogy, it never once occurred to me that the camel, and its burden, were the possessions of a rich man who must unload in order to enter into the city. I never made that connection.

This parable just took on a deeper meaning.

The man has a choice… he can unload his camel and enter in the narrow gate… or he can remain outside the city. His choice will reflect what he values more.

Matthew 19:16-26
¹⁶ And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?¹⁷ And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.¹⁸ He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,¹⁹ Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.²⁰ The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?²¹ Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.²² But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.²³ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.²⁴ 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.²⁵ When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?²⁶ But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

The problem with wealth is it undermines faith and distorts love. If I was in need of prayer for something vital in my life, I would go to someone who has had to live their life by faith. Poor Christians are richer in faith than wealthy ones are… because poor Christians get what they need by depending on God, and the wealthy ones never really need to. Poor people live the struggle and are often far more generous than wealthy people are. It’s not that wealthy people are immoral because of their wealth, but they lack insight as a result of never having to struggle. Even those who do give to the poor often do so with an air of judgment against the poor, as though the poor are poor because they’re foolish. This lack of insight is not their fault, though. Wealthy people can’t wrap their heads around what it means to be really down and out… to be homeless and hungry. This leaves them with an area where thy have never exercised their faith in God but also… a blindness in their compassion. Unless you’ve experienced frozen feet that made your toes feel like they were going to break clean off… all because you lack warm, dry socks and can’t afford the 3 dollars to buy a pair… you will not feel the urgency to supply them to those in need. To the wealthy, clean, warm socks are insignificant, something that they never think about and take for granted.

I remember having to take a very painful shot in my arm… the kind I had to sign a waiver to receive because I was taking it in my arm and doing so could cause issues. The reason I had to take this shot in my arm instead of my behind where it was supposed to go was embarrassment over not having decent underwear on. I should have checked my pride, but… Instead, I chose to take this shot in the arm over showing my tattered underwear. This is a poor persons’ problem… and a wealthy person will never understand it from the poor point of view.

The other thing that gets shorted out when you are wealthy and never know what it is to need things, is joy. When God answers a prayer or supplies a need, there is a joy that makes the struggle worthwhile. The person who gets a new pair of warm socks feels the comfort of them intensely…this simple 3 dollar pair of socks is a game changer. A wealthy person never knows lack and need…so they never have the joy of having these needs met by the Lord.

It may seem like wealth holds a person back because of his greed…but poor people can be greedy too… and those who don’t know the Lord as their savior often are…but it isn’t the greed that does them in, it’s the way their wealth leaves their faith weak…and how they don’t have to rely on God for their livelihood…