“For 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 18:25a, NKJV)
We have spent quite some time discussing the implications of Jesus’ conversation with the rich young man in Luke 18. The focus of the last few teachings was the issue of wealth (which directly ties in with our wider theme of covetousness), and a love for money and possessions. We also looked at what it truly means to enter the kingdom of God.
In this teaching, as well as the next, we want to explain how the powerful reference Jesus makes about a camel going through the eye of the needle often loses its power, as well as its meaning, through inaccurate translation, or linguistic gimmicks.
The impossible image of a camel trying to wriggle its way through the eye of a needle has captured the imagination for centuries. The expression is clearly hyperbolic, in other words it exaggerates to the greatest degree, to convey the absolute impossibility of the image.
At times Jesus uses this narration technique, in, for instance, his reference in Matt. 7:3-5, where He refers to the log or plank in your own eye, and the splinter in the eye of another. A good example of this also features a camel: “Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” (Matt. 23:24).
In the Middle-Eastern language one often finds this type of idiomatic language. The Arabs for instance have the following expression: “He will gobble up a camel, but choke on a gnat.” This merely means that a hypocritical person will be bothered by inconsequential things, but ignore matters of true importance. In the Persian language we for instance find the expression “It is easier for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle …” when the speaker wants to emphasise the impossibility of something. (Clearly the elephant was the largest animal they were familiar with, just like the camel was the largest animal in Palestine.)
Over the years an interpretation of the expression “like a camel through the eye of a needle”, which argued that it refers to an after-hour gate in the wall of the old Jerusalem, which, based on security reasons, was not the size of normal gates. This gate was apparently known as “the eye of the needle”, as a camel had to lay down his load (read symbolically as his “possessions”), and kneel (again, a beautiful image to use) to enter the gate.
This may be a very useful image in terms of a Sunday school talk or a sermon, but is alas not true. It is strange how this tradition – which is not supported by any literary, historical or geographical evidence or research, is widely believed. It is then casually used to show how possible it is for someone to enter the kingdom, completely negating the original intention of the text!
- Selah: Realise the dangers of accepting just any interpretation of Biblical passages.
- Read: 28-30.
- Memorise: 28:9-10 (very important for this teaching.)
- For a more in-depth understanding: Read more about the hyperbole: http://www.tentmaker.org/Biblematters/hyperbole.htm
