A Camel and The Eye of a Needle

Matt 19.23-24 talks about a camel going through an “eye of a needle.” There is no historical evidence that the “eye of a needle” is a gate in the ancient city of Jerusalem, and that was what Yeshua was referring to in this verse. But, repetition of this idea has given it “dogmatic” status in some circles. As the story goes in Scripture, Yeshua tells a man to give up his riches and follow him. The man becomes grieved because he was rich and decides not to follow Yeshua, prompting Yeshua to say that it is “hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven” and that it is “easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Now there are several things going on here. This verse is very similar to an old Jewish proverb. There is a midrash, which is a teaching or an interpretation, on the Song of Songs that says, “The Holy One said, ‘Open for me a door as big as a needle’s eye and I will open for you a door which may enter tents and camels (article by Marc Herbst, Manhassetlutheran.org).’ ” This saying shows God’s willingness and ability to accomplish his work in a person.

Some have suggested that if Yeshua was speaking Aramaic, the word “camel” is “g’amlah” and can mean camel or rope, and rope would make more sense than a camel. In Greek camel is “kamelon” and rope is “kamilon.” So, rope or cord is an alternative reading. Either way, the message is the same. In a proverb, Yeshua is saying that it is hard, but not impossible, for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven because it is the work of the Lord. Remember, he is not necessarily talking about salvation alone when he talks about the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is God’s rule in your life and it is hard for a rich man to totally give himself to what the Lord may want him to do because he is distracted by too many things. The parable of the sower and the seed in Matt 13.18-23 tells us about the one who hears the word, but the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becomes unfruitful. This is the idea Yeshua is getting at in this proverbial saying about camels and the eye of a needle, and it is very unlikely that he is referring to a particular gate in the walled city of Jerusalem

Posted in All Teachings, Articles, Idioms, Phrases and Concepts, Prophecy/Eschatology, The Festivals of the Lord, The Tanak, Tying into the New Testament

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