I used to have a hard time with that passage. I used to think that Jesus was saying that it is impossible for a rich man to get into heaven. I thought that if I worked hard to earn a nice living then I would not get in to heaven. This is not what He is saying. First, "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." Jesus is not using needle in the sense of a needle and thread. A needle is a small gate or doorway at the entrance to a city. It seems that it would be very difficult for a camel to enter through a small opening, especially with the load that one would be carrying, but not entirely impossible. So why is Jesus teaching us this lesson? I think it is because He realizes that we sometimes put too much focus on things and possessions. We judge worth by what we have. God does not judge us by what we possess or the amount of money to our name, He looks to the inside, to the things that will remain long after we are gone. There is no amount of money that will get us into His gates, we cannot buy our way in. It is only because of Him that we will one day be blessed enough to enter. It takes a lot to be a follower of Jesus; sometimes it means suffering today for a better tomorrow, for a life eternal.
-Jenni
No comments:
Post a Comment