“In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

Luke 18:25

Luke 18:25 is one of Jesus’ more troubling sayings, especially for those of us who have abundant financial resources. Though we might not be as rich as those who own magnificent mansions and opulent yachts, compared with most people in the world and with most people throughout human history, we are rich. And since, on a literal level, we know that camels are too big to pass through eyes of needles, Jesus' statement here is distressing.

When I was a young Christian, I was greatly reassured to learn from one of my Sunday School teachers that Jesus wasn’t envisioning something impossible. In fact, I was taught, there was in Jerusalem a gate known as the Eye of the Needle. The top of the opening was fairly low to the ground, so that if a camel were to pass through this gate, it would have to kneel down. Jesus, by referring to this well-known architectural element, was saying that rich people have to humble themselves if they are going to be saved. Whew!

Unfortunately, there was no such gate in Jerusalem, or anywhere else for that matter. Jesus was not saying what I learned in Sunday School. Rather, he was once again speaking hyperbolically, using exaggerated speech and humor to make a point. Can you imagine how silly it would be to try and get a camel, which is not a cooperative animal in the best of circumstances, to pass through a literal needle’s eye? Ridiculous!

Does this mean a rich person cannot enter the kingdom of God? Are we out of luck? That’s what those who heard Jesus worried about, saying, “Then who in the world can be saved?” (18:26). Jesus answered this question: “What is impossible for people is possible for God” (18:27). If he wanted to, though I don’t suppose he ever would, God could make a literal camel pass through a tiny little hole. More importantly, though, God could make a way for a rich person to enter his kingdom. God could do this. God actually does this.

Tomorrow, I want to reflect a bit further on this passage and consider why Jesus seems to be picking on the rich here. In the meanwhile, you might think about the following questions.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: What are the impossible things in your life for which you need God’s help? Have you asked for his help? Are you keeping on in your requests?

PRAYER: Gracious God, you have been called the “God of the impossible.” How true! You can do—and have done—what nobody in all creation, what no other power in the universe can do.

Indeed, you have done the impossible in my life, forgiving my sin, healing my wounds, giving me hope, showing me extravagant patience. You have answered prayers that I dared to speak and prayers for which I couldn’t even find the words.

O Lord, continue to do your work in and through me. Do the impossible! Allow me to be a channel of your grace and truth in this world, wherever I am, in spite of my flaws. Live in me as I live in you. Amen.