Camels and the Eyes of Needles -- Mark 10:23-31

Introduction

Years ago, when I was in my late teens, I liked to tell people, “Trust me.” I’ve always been good at trivia and knowing obscure things. Someone would ask a question along those lines, and I would have an answer. It wasn’t unusual for my answer to be followed by a question of, “Are you sure?” or “Really?” accompanied by a look of doubt on my questioner’s face. My response was almost always, “Yeah, I’m sure. Trust me.”

I worked with a lady who heard me say that a number of times, and one day she presented me with a t-shirt that she said reminded her of me. On the shirt was a little green creature, with a broad grin of yellow teeth and long yellow fingernails. His hands were clasped together, and his face suggested that he wanted nothing more than to stab someone in the back. Underneath this picture was the words, “Trust Me.”

It seems as I get older, there are fewer and fewer people and things that I believe I can really trust. And I don’t think I’m alone in this regard. More and more, I question and doubt what I hear, what I read, what I see.

But no matter how jaded or cynical I may become, I do know there is always one thing I can trust. I can always trust the words of Jesus. I can always trust the word of God.

Background

The passage we look at today follows on the end of Jesus’ encounter with the Rich Young Ruler. When told to take all he had, sell it, give the proceeds of the sale to the poor and follow Jesus, the young man turned away in sorrow, because he had great wealth. It was a wealth he trusted in—it defined him, it allowed him to have the things he wanted. It even gave him a false sense of being closer to God.

As Jesus watched the young man walk away, He used the occasion to teach His disciples and us a valuable life lesson.

Central Truth: A reliance on anything other than God for salvation is a false hope.

1. A Harsh Truth (23-25)

As the Rich Young Ruler walked away from Jesus, Jesus turned to His disciples and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God” (v. 23). Jesus no doubt knew His proclamation would create shock and amazement with His hearers, and He was right. Seeing the disciples’ faces, Jesus expanded on His original statement.

“Children, how hard it is 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” (vs. 24-25).

Why was Jesus’ word so shocking? Why did He single out the wealthy in this matter? It was popular theology to assume that the God showed His favor by blessing the righteous with wealth. The richer one was, the closer was his fellowship with God.

The Old Testament is filled with examples of God’s favored having great wealth. Abraham had vast flocks, a result of God’s blessings (cf. Genesis 13:2). Jacob grew wealthy as God blessed him following his marriages to Leah and Rachel (cf. Genesis 30:25-43). David had great wealth, and Solomon was the wealthiest man in all the world.

Perhaps the greatest example of God showering wealth upon His blessed followers is Job. Job had great wealth when God pronounced Job as righteous. God allowed all Job’s wealth to be taken from him in his trials, but after Job proved faithful throughout the ordeal, God blessed Job with double the wealth he had from before (cf. Job 42:12).

So it was reasonable to assume that wealth was a sign of God’s favor, and if God so favored a person, it only seemed logical that such a person was close to the kingdom of God.

But Jesus understood the truth about wealth and our relationship with God. He understood that it isn’t unusual for a wealthy person to become dependent on their wealth, for people to come to a reliance on that wealth in all seasons of life. Jesus spent a great deal of time warning against loving money over God, warning against the false idol of great riches and possessions. Jesus knew that the only real way to earn God’s favor was to follow Him in obedience that grows out of faith and love for God. Anything else was superfluous.

Why did Jesus use such an insane word picture as a camel going through the eye of a needle to make His point? There are those who claim that the ancient cities of Jesus day would close all the gates around the city. If a person came to the city late at night, they would have to enter through a smaller doorway. It was claimed this doorway was referred to as the eye of a needle. In order for a camel to enter through that small gateway, the camel would have to be completely unloaded of his burdens, then crawl through the narrow space to enter the city.

I don’t know if that’s true or not. I am of the opinion that Jesus meant a literal needle and a little eye of that needle to truly grab the disciples’ attention. The ridiculousness of trying to push such a large, stubborn animal through such a small opening would clearly demonstrate the absolute impossibility of the rich entering into heaven.

1. A True Answer (26-27)

This isn’t the first time Jesus said something that amazed His disciples. It wouldn’t be the last. One might think that the disciples had gotten used to it by now. Apparently not wanting to make themselves seem ignorant in Jesus’ eyes, they began to ask among themselves, “Who then can be saved?” (v. 26).

It’s a reasonable question, considering the popular belief about God showing His blessings through wealth. And it’s reasonable that they would ask the question among themselves. I’ve been in classrooms where a teacher raises a difficult issue, and, instead of asking the teacher, we start to whisper among ourselves in the classroom.

If we can’t rely on the outward manifestation of God’s blessings to get us into His kingdom, then what is there for us? Few of us have ever seen a camel up close and personal, much less watching it pass through the eye of a needle. Still, it doesn’t take a genius to know that such a thing is impossible. Is that what Jesus is telling us, that it’s impossible to get into the kingdom of God? But if it’s impossible, then why is He here in the first place?

And while we’re on the subject of wealth and God’s blessings, why hasn’t anyone noticed that Jesus literally had nothing but the clothes on His back to call His own? Here is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Surely, He of all people will enter God’s kingdom, and yet He’s a poor as a church mouse.

Yet the question remains, if the rich can’t get into the kingdom of God, who can?

Jesus’ response is simple but profound: “With man this is impossible; but not with God; all things are possible with God” (v. 27).

Jesus is using this opportunity to teach the disciples and us that any reliance on man’s activity to enter the kingdom is a lost cause. We cannot rely on our riches, our family history, our church affiliation, our good works—nothing we can do will get us into God’s kingdom. “With man this is impossible.”

If we want to enter into God’s kingdom, then we must turn to God for the answer. What does God want from us? “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent” (John 6:29). That belief is not an intellectual assent to the existence of Jesus. Many people already accept His existence. They are willing to concede He was a great teacher or a prophet. That’s not enough. The belief in the Son is faith—faith that He alone has the words of God, and that He alone is the means by which we enter the kingdom.

“With man it is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Salvation comes from Him and only Him. It comes through a faith that believes in Him to the point that we willingly seek and do His will. We trust in the possibilities that are found only in God.

1. A True Reward (28-31)

Going back to the misplaced issue of the wealthy having a leg up with God, while Jesus seems poor as dirt, I think we find part of the answer to the question why no one tried to connect the two when we look at Peter’s statement. “We’ve given up everything for You” (v. 28).

And they had. Peter, James, John and Andrew had given up their fishing careers. Matthew had walked away from a lucrative tax collection practice. Each of Jesus’ disciples had turned away from their livings to walk with Jesus and learn from Him.

In the back of their minds was the establishment of the kingdom. Once Jesus reestablished the kingdom of David, they would all benefit from the perks of court life. They would all have fancy houses, nice clothes, good food. They would live the good life with Jesus.

And Jesus assured Peter that he would live the good life by following Jesus. Just not in the way Peter and the others were expecting it. Jesus tells them they will receive in this lifetime a hundredfold of the things they surrendered to follow Him. And I’ve discovered this to be true.

Since I became a Christian, I have discovered many brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers. My family has grown exponentially. I am welcome in homes all the time. My church family is a very real source of love and comfort, support and encouragement. Jesus is right that we receive a hundredfold in this lifetime. And we have the promise of eternal life in the age to come. We have a taste of that life here and now.

I find it interesting that at the end of this great promise is the warning that, “But many who are first will be last, and the last first” (v. 31). In keeping with the overall context of the passage, I believe Jesus is reminding the disciples and us that the presumptions we have regarding our relationship with Christ need to be set aside. Christ is so far beyond our understanding and expectations that we often mistake our importance when we seek to place Him in our comfort zone. The Rich Young Ruler and the disciples all seemed to have made that mistake. Jesus wants us to realize that we can assume we are right where God wants us, but unless we are acting out of our love for Him and in obedience to Him we are missing the mark. The first shall be last, and the last shall be first is consistent with Jesus’ concept of leadership, of fellowship, of relating to Him.

Conclusion

The world defines greatness by power, possessions, prominence. Jesus turns that upside down with His warning. Greatness in the kingdom of God is found in our being in right relationship with God. It is found not in what we have, but in Who has us. As we consider this passage, we need to ask ourselves: Am I letting God define our relationship, or am I trying to force Him into my preconceptions? Is God where I want Him, or am I where God wants me?