A Camel And A Needle
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus told them again, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in their riches to enter the kingdom of God! 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.” (Mark 10:24–25)
I can never seem to get the thread to go through the eye of the needle when I need to sew a button on my shirt or patch the ripped seam of my pants. I usually spend more time trying to put the thread into the needle than I spend actually sowing.
When a rich young man came to Jesus and asked him what he must do to be saved, Jesus told him he must sell all of his possessions and give them to the poor. The man thought that he could save himself by his good deeds. He was convinced that he had kept the commandments enough to please God. But the young man’s priorities were on his wealth and not whole on God and doing his will. The young man had broken the first commandment without realizing it. Jesus showed him that he loved his wealth more than he loved God. The young man went away sad, and the disciples were astounded. To make his point Jesus told the disciples that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.
It is impossible to fit a whole camel through the eye of a needle. It is even more impossible for those whose priorities are on earthly things to enter the kingdom of heaven. In fact, it is just as impossible for those who are poor to enter the kingdom of heaven. When we try to enter into the presence of God on our own, we cannot go a few seconds without sinning and excluding ourselves from entering his kingdom. We place our priorities on the things that we can see and touch. We focus on our earthly situation and do not always put God first in our lives. But Jesus did. His whole life revolved around pleasing God. He was even willing to give up his life for sinners because that was the very reason he came into this world. He made it possible for us all to enter the kingdom of heaven. He made it possible for us to stand before God and please him. He gave up his life for our misdirected priorities. We do not have to and cannot do anything for our salvation. Amen.
The song for today is “Jesus Paid It All” performed by Celtic Worship