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I've heard different theories as to what specifically Jesus said or meant when he claimed "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." From Mark 10:25 (<- the same as today's date!)
1) Some people say there was a secret entrance in the wall of Jerusalem that the Romans didn't know about that a camel could pass through if it lowered itself and jettisoned some cargo. Hence a rich person would have to humble themselves and give away some to charity. The secret entrance was called....the eye of the needle.
2) Some people say it is mistranslated and it really reads cable and not camel. So Jesus meant rope rather than a thread of camel. Remember, Jesus spoke Aramahic and the New Testament was written into Greek, and then translated into English....and things get lost along the way. A cable, or rope, cannot fit through the eye of the needle.
3) Jesus was using hyperbole...like "take the plank out of your eye" which is too big to be in an eye.
It seems like he is just trying to flip an old concept taught at the time that God made the rich...rich...and therefore were the most likely to go to heaven. But what is the best reasoning for the origin of this saying.
Last edited by QuakerBaker; 10-25-2019 at 05:37 AM..
I don't know of the origin of the saying, or the original Greek. I've always understood it to mean that the pull of riches and worldly pursuits is so strong that it makes it nearly impossible for a person to focus on the kingdom of heaven. The two just can't compete. A few of Jesus' other sayings have clarified this for me--like a person can't serve two masters, where your treasure is there will your heart be, if thine eye be single...
Life experience has also shown this to be true. Not only do riches have a seductive effect and make people want more and more like a drug, but they also trap a person in a certain lifestyle that can be hard to leave, and that requires a lot of time/energy to maintain.
On the other hand, I don't believe a person has to be dirt poor in order to be spiritually minded. When one is too poor, life can be ruled by illness, anxiety, survival, hardship, working 3 jobs...and one doesn't have the time and energy to devote to spiritual things like study, fellowship, and prayer/contemplation.
For me, it's about the conditions in one's life that will enable a person to focus on the important things, i.e. spiritual development. Jesus warns us of a major obstacle: riches.
Its natural and to be expected that many people will try to find an alternative interpretation for this verse, because it conflicts with popular opinion today...people today like the idea of being rich/having alot of money.
A Needle in the old Eastern countries, was a small and narrow gait in a walled city, that they would only open at night or at certain times during the day. Only a man could walk through it and a camel couldn't get through it unless it was unloaded first and it's pack inspected. The man talking to Jesus was rich because of ill-gotten gain. Jesus knew this about him and told him to give the ill-gotten gain to the poor and follow him. There is nothing wrong with being wealthy, otherwise.
Last edited by glenninindy; 10-25-2019 at 12:11 PM..
A Needle in the old Eastern countries, was a small and narrow gait in a walled city, that they would only open at night or at certain times during the day. Only a man could walk through it and a camel couldn't get through it unless it was unloaded first and it's pack inspected. The man talking to Jesus was rich because of ill-gotten gain. Jesus knew this about him and told him to give the ill-gotten gain to the poor and follow him. There is nothing wrong with being wealthy, otherwise.
That idea became popular within the past few years and circulated the Internet as well as the sermon circuit, but I'm not sure it has any basis in fact.
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