Passing Through

 

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

PASSING THROUGH

Mark 10:24-31

24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 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."  26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."  28 Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!" 29 "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields — and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first." 

NIV

There have been those who have decided to make the eye of the needle into what it may not actually mean. There is a thought that the church of the Holy Sepulchre was built over an ancient gate in the wall of the old city of Jerusalem called the “needle gate”, but that has not been proved. When we take his words within the context of Jesus’s response to the rich young man about going and selling everything and then come and follow Jesus, we have to see this statement about the camel and the eye of the needle as a hyperbole. However, if we were to say there was such a gate, it would have been like many of the gates within walled cities which have a large opening that would allow the main trade traffic access to the markets, which would include camels loaded with goods. At night for security reasons these gates would be closed, however, they would also have a small door just large enough for one man to pass through, so it would permit a traveler to still enter the city for lodging. Perhaps one camel, if he were to be unloaded of all its goods, might squeeze through and this may be what Jesus was meaning in that in order to enter the kingdom of God this rich young man, and all others would need to unload the trappings of the world or the idol of wealth. That is still the meaning if Jesus meant a sewing needle, and then its meaning would be even greater, as we are absolutely positive a camel could never pass through one of those eyes. We even have difficulty getting a small thread through those small eyes of a needle. His disciples understood his meaning because they ask as to who then could be saved, for not a single camel could ever get through the eye of a needle. Here is one of the greatest truths in all of scripture, at least in our mind's eye. It is impossible for us to do anything to get saved, but it is possible with God for us to be saved. Our salvation has nothing to do with our efforts, our abilities, or any amount of our doing good things or deeds. All our efforts are likened as to trying to get ourselves to pass through an eye of a needle, we just cannot do it. That is the same with the kingdom of God. We cannot get in, we are left looking in from the outside if we try to get in by something we have or did. Jesus is the only way in, period, and all we can do is accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. All things are possible with God, we just need to sit back and let God do that which he does, save us. We will leave the rest of what Jesus said until later, for now, let us be content to know that God can do all things, and we cannot do anything to enter into the kingdom, except believe in Him. Once we believe, then we will pass through the eye of the needle.