A Camel in the Eye of a Needle

"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

The phrase, "camel through an eye of a needle," is not exactly typical of our language today. This saying comes from the story of the rich man/ruler asking Jesus what else he must do to inherit eternal life - as is written in 3 narratives: Luke 18:18-30, Mark 10:17-31, Matthew 19: 16-30. In the attempt to understand what Jesus means, there have been a few popular interpretations.

Kneeling under the Camel Gate. One of the most common explanations I've heard in church, is that Jesus is referring to a small gate or low entrance into Jerusalem, known as the Camel Gate. The lesson is that the camel can pass through the gate if it kneels down and crawls through. Therefore the rich man can likewise get into heaven if he humbly kneels before God. There is at least a possibility that the rich man can get into heaven. This is all fine and dandy and probably a harmless interpretation, but there's some serious problems. First, it misses most of Jesus' point (which we'll get to). Second, there is no Camel Gate - or at least it has never been found. The Roman ruins of Jerusalem have been well studied by archaeologists and there are several grandiose Roman gates/entrances. All of them would easily fit the tallest of all camels, so why would someone take their camel through some tiny obscure "Camel Gate?"

The Rope Interpretation. Another theory states the Aramaic word for 'camel' is the same as the word for 'rope', and that Jesus could be describing a rope (made of camel's hair) passing through a larger wooden needle (used for 1st century industrial projects). The point of this interpretation is, again, to create a possibility that the rich man can enter the Kingdom. A rope has a much better chance of passing through the eye of a needle than does a camel. And, for the modern reader, it lessens the 'weirdness' of the comment. Again, there are issues with this interpretation. We don't know if the gospels were ever written in Aramaic first. All of the oldest writings of the New Testament and early church fathers are in Greek and clearly say the word "camel."

The Impossiblity. This interpretation simply takes Jesus' phrase at face value; as a Jewish metaphor for describing something impossible. Jesus even explains it himself. His sentences, both preceding and following his camel comment, state "how hard it is" and that "with man this is impossible."

Its important to note Jesus' phrase, "eye of the needle," is not the only ancient instance of this expression. The Talmud uses the phase similarly to connote an impossible situation. Instead of a camel, it mentions an "elephant passing through an eye of a needle" as being analogous to seeing a "palm made of gold." In 2 other instances, the Talmud uses this metaphor to make very strong points. It was common for them to use exaggerated language, or hyperbole, and paradoxes to teach a lesson. Of course, Jesus also loved to use hyperbole to make his points (i.e. 'remove the plank in your eye', 'cut off your right hand' and 'gouge out your eyes if they cause you to sin', 'hate your father and mother if you are to be a disciple', etc).

Concerning the Rich Ruler, Jesus uses this verbal technique to astonish his disciples. They "were amazed" at such talk and they asked,"who then can be saved?" In the Jewish culture of the time, Jesus was making an inconceivable and radically deep statement. While making a point about riches and the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven, He was also attacking the entire Jewish religious system and culture as a whole. The understanding of the Jews of the time was that the rich people are blessed because they do the right thing and follow all the commandments. They are godly and "good," and therefore blessed with wealth. As a result, the rich took great pride in their exalted status. Salvation was guaranteed. The poor, on the other hand, suffer because they sinned or their parents sinned in the past (i.e. see blind man story in John 9:2). Jesus did not agree. Just as He often lashed out against the respected religious leaders for "straining out gnats but swallowing a camel" (another hyperbole), he attacks the concept of the rich having an automatic get-into-heaven card. Despite the prevailing cultural thought, Jesus makes it clear that they are NOT saved by their good works, wisdom, or wealth.

The Rich Ruler started the whole discussion by asking what he can DO to inherit eternal life. Before shocking the crowd with his answer, Jesus first responds by giving him a lesson on who is "good". Nothing you do makes you good, only God is good. To test his heart, Jesus gave him one difficult option: to essentially to give up his life completely, his rule and his wealth, and to then follow Him. To the rich man, the option was equivalent to 'passing a camel through the eye of a needle,' and he just couldn't do it. He was not WILLING to give it all up. Most likely it was his pride, but Jesus is looking for a humble heart before God.

So who then can be saved?

Fortunately for the Rich Ruler, the book of Mark says that "Jesus looked at him and loved him." So who knows what ultimately happened to the man. Jesus said, "with man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." A reliance on riches, or the knowledge and wisdom used to gain them, or on following commandments and doing good works does not get you into the Kingdom of Heaven. A rich man entering the Kingdom of Heaven is impossible WITHOUT God. The wealth itself is not bad, but all of our worship and reliance must be on God who changes and humbles men's hearts. So, good news for the faithful rich people like Joseph of Arimathea, Lydia, Abraham, and Melchizedek!

Top photo is from Bible Picture Gallery.
2nd painting by Christian Dare Art .