This Sunday, we took a look at the story of a wealthy,
powerful man who asked Jesus how to gain eternal life (Luke 18:18-30). Jesus reminds
him of the commandments; the ruler is certain he has kept them well. So Jesus
tells him to go sell everything he owns, and give away the money.
If this ruler was truly looking for a sure way to know
that he would spend eternity with the God he loved, what a relatively easy
command! Post everything on eBay, put it up on Craigslist, or go old school and
have a garage sale, and he’s all set: eternal life is secure.
The rich man doesn’t seem quite as geeked about it though;
instead, he becomes very sad, prompting Jesus to say, “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.” (Luke 18:25)
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| Photo credit: Flickr user worapol sittiphaet |
Of course a camel can’t fit through the eye of a needle! Even
if you’ve never seen a camel, how many things would actually fit through the
eye of a needle? If it’s that hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of
God… then isn’t it impossible for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God?
Perhaps you have heard the story of the Needle Gate (or
the Eye of the Needle Gate). It can be traced back to sermons and writings from
at least two centuries ago (some sources trace it back to the 9th
century). In Jerusalem, there was a very small gate in the city wall referred
to as the Needle Gate. When the larger city gates were shut, this narrow
passageway was large enough for one person to enter, while remaining very easy
to guard. The story explains how people would dismount and unburden their
camels – removing saddles, bags and anything else they were carrying, and then
shimmy the camel through the narrow passage.
Perhaps Jesus wasn’t referring to a literal needle and
camel, but rather to this narrow gate. Instead of an impossible task – squashing
an actual camel through the eye of an actual needle – Jesus was telling us to
unburden our worldly wealth in order to get into heaven.
A quick Google search reveals there is no record or
evidence of a Needle Gate. What’s more, in several places ancient Jewish
literature uses the image of an elephant or camel going through the eye of a
needle as a hyperbole for things that are impossible. The Needle Gate story
appears to be an invented sermon illustration, not a historical accuracy. Sorry
if you were enjoying it!
Why does a story like this get started and propagated? Is
it appealing because the made up story is more comfortable than the truth? The
story of the needle gate allows us to think that we can do the things needed to
gain eternal life. Even though we might say that our salvation is by God’s
grace alone, we often think our efforts and hard work actually make us right
before God. (Pastor Dirk digs into this mental-glitch in his sermon series on
Galatians – God Alone. Check it out if you missed it last summer!)
The needle gate story is appealing, because it gives us something
to do; it gives us the control. If we can summon the effort and
self-discipline, we can get it done.
No amount of effort or discipline will help me fit a
camel through the eye of a needle. Impossible things require faith.
When Jesus says that it’s as hard for a rich man to enter
the kingdom of God as for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, He’s
saying it’s impossible. It’s impossible for that rich young ruler to live a
perfect law-abiding, sin-free life. It’s impossible to stack his good deeds
high enough for him to reach God. It’s
impossible for him to reprioritize his own heart.
But it’s ok; God can do things that are impossible. (Luke
18:27)
God can reach down and move our sinful hearts. God can
make a way for broken, imperfect people to be righteous before Him through
Jesus’ sacrifice. With God, the rich young ruler can enter His kingdom. With
God, not through his own efforts.
As Pastor Dirk pointed out, Jesus was not offering a box
to check to gain eternal life: the issue on the table wasn’t selling everything
to gain heaven. Rather, knowing the man’s heart, Jesus was inviting him to surrender
an area of his life that hindered a passionate, open relationship with God. He
loved his stuff; it probably got in the way of his love for God. “Sell
everything” wasn’t the answer to gaining eternal life; eternal life would be
found in giving everything over to God, and trusting His way and His plan.
This is the sticky, difficult part about our faith: it’s
never about whether we’ve done what it takes to inherit eternal life. It’s
always been about our hearts and our relationship with Christ. It’s not about our
ability to complete a checklist; it’s through God’s grace and love that we have
relationship with Him.
God can do the impossible; ask Him to give you discernment
about what the impossible “sell everything” might be in your life. Trust His
love and goodness that can and will change your heart to love Him more.
[Robin Bupp is married to Caleb, and they are from many places east of the Mississippi (but are calling Michigan home for the foreseeable future). A former high school science teacher, Robin is slowly turning the two Bupp kiddos into tiny nerds while they teach her lots of things, especially humility and patience.]
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