Mark 10:23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" (24) The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! (25) 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."
(26) The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" (27) Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
Let’s view verse 23 from the Amplified Bible because it does a better job of clarifying this verse. And Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “With what difficulty will those who possess wealth and keep on holding it enter the kingdom of God!”
Note that this is an exclamation stating that it is going to be difficult for those who possess wealth and keep on holding it (or perhaps having it hold onto them) to enter the kingdom of God. In our language today we would say it will be hard for those whose wealth controls them to enter into the kingdom of God.
24) The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
The disciples were amazed, bewildered, and perplexed (AMP) at Him saying this. Perhaps because they thought the rich could easily win God’s favor by giving alms or gifts at the synagogue or using their money in ways that would buy them favor with God. They were puzzled by the remark.
But He reemphasizes His remark by restating that it is hard to enter the kingdom of God.
(25) 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."
This is a scripture which has been preached and recycled and repreached again and again over the years. I want us to take a good look at it so that we can really understand what Jesus is saying.
Jesus clearly says that it is easier for a camel—the largest animal in that part of the world—to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
For years now—at least the past couple of decades there has been teaching and preaching going around that Jesus was speaking figuratively here. They say that what He was implying was that the eye of the needle was not an actual eye of an actual needle but rather a small gate in the wall of the city. Most of you have heard this teaching but I will briefly cover it here for those who have not. The teaching said that Jesus was speaking of a small personal sized gate in the wall of the city which they called the needle gate. The teaching goes on to say that if a traveler arrived at the city after the big main gates were closed at nightfall he had to enter the city through this small personal gate. If the person had a camel carrying his goods then he was suppose to unload the camel and make it crawl through the small “eye of a needle” gate and then reload the beast on the other side. This so called eye of the needle gate was the one they said Jesus was talking about when He spoke of a rich man having a harder time getting into heaven than a camel passing through the eye of a needle.
But if this teaching is true then scripture must be wrong! Why? Well, in this instance to understand what Jesus meant we must look at the Greek to see what words are used that make up the phrase “a needle.” Matthew and Mark in their Gospels both use the Greek word “rhaphis” from rhapto which in translation means ‘to sew.’ Luke, a doctor, clearly identifies what Jesus meant when he used the Greek word “belone” which means a dart, a sharp point, hence, a needle. Luke, being a doctor says a needle, an item he would be very familiar with. What we need to notice here is that both of these Greek words DO NOT in any way describe a gate in a wall of any shape or kind. They talk of a dart like sharp pointed object used to sew—hence an actual needle.
Note: (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words-1996.) Vines [under the word needle] also indicates that the idea of a small gate is a modern one and there is no ancient trace of it.
I used multiple resources as well as the internet to check into this teaching and this is the conclusion I have come to. There are no historical or archaeological findings that have been identified as the "eye of a needle gate”, it simply did not exist." Some teachers and preachers have claimed this was a reference to a small gate in the city wall, but there is no evidence for that conclusion other than the author’s imagination. It is sad that this misinformation was so completely accepted based on someone’s teaching and preaching and no one took the time to check it out to see if it was true—they just kept spreading a wrong teaching. See why I tell you to check things out? See why I encourage additional bible study resources? See how easy it is to get on the wrong track if you just believe what you hear without checking it out?
The really sad part of this is the teaching about the so called needle gate is that it said that a person COULD enter in through that gate when Jesus clearly said IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. That is the biggest problem with the so called needle gate teaching it teaches that a camel can go through the eye of a needle. That directly opposes Jesus teaching! Look at it again and I pray you will see what I am saying. Which do you choose the words of Christ or the words of a popular teaching? Your choice should be easy.
So when Jesus said: (25) 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." That is exactly what He meant to say.
So according to this rich men are stuck and should they think otherwise they should remember that Jesus said it in verse 23, implied it in verse 24 and then said it again in verse 25—so He meant what He said. But let’s look at verse 26.
MK 10:26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" (27) Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
And the disciples are even more amazed (shocked and exceedingly astonished—AMP) than they were in verse 24. So they said to Him and to one another, ‘then who can be saved?’
So His reply translates to something like this, man, no matter how rich cannot save himself—and we might add that even the middle and lower classes cannot save themselves either. It is impossible for them to do on their own. But with God all things are possible-including salvation. It is not something we can buy. And because one is rich it is no indication that he is closer to God than the average person as the disciples may have thought.
Jesus was not saying that one cannot be rich. Nor was He saying that God rejects rich people because they are rich. We know that Abraham, Job, King David, and King Solomon were very wealthy men. Jesus’ point was that when one is wealthy that person may be willing to "serve God" but in a lip service or token way and not completely because his wealth controls his mind. Many, in fact, are never content with their wealth but constantly seek to increase it no matter how wealthy they are, to these riches have become a god. When it comes to depending on God for the forgiveness of one’s sins, the rich may find it harder to admit they are nothing when they think they have everything. The man Jesus was talking to (the rich young ruler) was pursuing God according to his own heart thinking perhaps that he was earning his way into eternal life with good deeds and perhaps supporting the synagogue and giving to charity. But when it came right down to actually giving God control of that wealth and doing with that wealth as Jesus directed him to he could not part with it.
We know that many who are rich do not depend on God as they should. They do not see their need for Him. Most do not become Christians. They just don’t believe that God owns everything in this world, including what He has given to the rich. I think that most of us see that riches can get in between a person and God.
So where do we find the answer to this situation? The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write this instruction to Timothy who would be his protégé after his death. He is telling Timothy how to minister in the church; these are his instructions for Timothy to relate to the wealthy.
1Timothy 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. (18) Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. (19)In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Shouldn’t these instructions Paul sent to Timothy to relate to the wealthy of that day still apply to the wealthy of today? Yes, indeed they should! This is Holy Spirit inspired council that is very down to earth and to the point.
A FINAL CAUTION: I also want to add that one should not be surprised when he teaches this subject as I have described it that people will become upset. They do this because they have always been taught the analogy of the camel going through the so called eye of a needle gate. Sometimes unteaching something that has been taught wrong is the toughest challenge a bible teacher can face. God go with you.
