IT IS EASIER FOR A CAMEL TO GO THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE

This parable was spoken by our Lord to His disciples following the departure of the rich young ruler who was not prepared to surrender his riches to follow Christ. Here was an exceptionally successful and charming young man. He possessed both wealth and power, Luke 18. 18. He was not only religious, but earnest - he came running to the Lord, Mark 10. 17. He was respectful and reverent, kneeling down and addressing Him as ‘Good Master’. And Jesus, ‘beholding him loved him’, Mark 10. 21.

He came with a question, ‘What… shall I do that I may have eternal life?’ He came on the basis of doing, so the Lord tested him by the law which he professed to have kept, citing from its man-ward, table. The young man affirmed that he had kept ‘all these things’. His final word was ‘what lack I yet’?

The Lord replied with a play on his words. ‘One thing thou lackest, go thy way, sell all thou hast… and follow me’, Mark 10. 21. The omniscient Lord pointed to the one thing that stood between him and eternal life, his riches. ‘He went away sorrow­ful: for he had great possessions’. Then, the Lord ‘looked round about’ with an expression of great sadness and regret as He said, ‘How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the king­dom of God!’, Mark 10. 23, 24. The man was trusting in his wealth and works. But salvation is neither by works nor pur­chase. The disciples were exceedingly amazed. If this special person cannot be saved, who can? Christ replied, ‘With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible’.

He then quotes the proverb of the camel, the largest land beast in Israel, passing through the eye of a (surgeon’s) needle, Gr. belone, Luke 18. 25. It is a literal impossibility for man, by his own efforts, to gain salvation. The illustration may have had a double meaning. At sundown, the large main gate of Jerusalem was closed and only the postern or ‘needle gate’ was left open. Before the camel could go through, all loads had to be removed, and the camel itself had to stoop down. So, we must take salva­tion empty-handed, as guilty sinners, nothing of self to plead but the merit of Christ’s death.