A Literal Needle? A Real Camel?

Ray Pritchard

Apart from God no one can be saved.

That's the whole point of the camel through the eye of a needle. Have you ever heard anybody explain this by saying that the eye of the needle represents some kind of tiny passageway into the city of Jerusalem where you had to kneel down to go through it? I don't think that's what it means at all. When Jesus says the eye of a needle, He means the eye of a needle. Like the needle you do sewing with. When He says camel, He means a great big old smelly, ugly camel that you ride across the desert. "Look at a camel and the eye of a needle. It is easier to get a big ugly camel through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to go to heaven."

Why? Because rich people trust in their riches. It's easy for a poor person to get saved because a poor person says, "If Jesus doesn't come through for me, I'm sunk." A rich man says, "If Jesus doesn't come through for me, that's okay. I've got my pension. I've got my stocks and bonds. I've got my options. I've got my golden parachute. I've got my safety net. If he doesn't come through, it doesn't matter. I'm taking care of things myself."

It is impossible, Jesus says, for a rich man to be saved, which leads to a very logical question: "Who then can be saved?" The answer comes in Luke 18:27: "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Here is the good news of the gospel: Even rich people can be saved if they will give up their trust in their riches. The richest people on earth can be saved, but they've got to stop trusting in their riches and they've got to start trusting in Jesus Christ and Him alone.

Whenever you stop trusting in money and the things that money can buy and turn your life over to Jesus Christ, then and only then will your heart be satisfied.