Again
I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.” When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:24-26
Matthew 19 [20.] The young man said to him, “All these things I have observed from my youth. What do I still lack?”
Matthew 19 [21.] Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions. Jesus said to his disciples, “Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.”
Matthew 19 [25.] When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
Matthew 19 [26.] Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19 [27.] Then Peter answered, “Behold, we have left everything, and followed you. What then will we have?”
Meaning:
A rich young man had asked Jesus how to gain eternal life. When Jesus told him to sell what he had, give to the poor and follow him, “he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions” (Matthew 19:22). Watching him go, Jesus told his disciples that a rich man enters the Kingdom of Heaven “with difficulty” (Matthew 19:23). In these verses he presses the point with an unforgettable picture, the disciples react in shock, and Jesus gives them the answer of hope. Mark records the same conversation (Mark 10:24-27).
- “easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye”
The camel was the largest animal commonly seen in the land of Israel, and the eye of a sewing needle was the smallest opening anyone knew. Jesus deliberately joins the two to describe something impossible. Some have suggested that the “needle’s eye” was a small gate in Jerusalem’s wall, but there is no early evidence for such a gate, and the disciples’ reaction shows they understood Jesus to mean something impossible, not merely hard. Riches are not evil in themselves, but they easily become a rival god: “You can’t serve both God and Mammon” (Matthew 6:24). They give a feeling of security and self-sufficiency, and “the deceitfulness of riches” can choke God’s word in the heart (Matthew 13:22).
- “they were exceedingly astonished”
The disciples were shocked because many in Israel saw wealth as a sign of God’s favour. The Law promised blessing to those who obeyed (Deuteronomy 28:1-2), and the rich could give alms, offer sacrifices and devote time to study. If even the rich, who seemed so blessed, could not enter the Kingdom by their own means, what hope was there for anyone else?
- “Who then can be saved?”
The disciples’ question goes to the heart of the matter. Their question shows they had grasped the point: if salvation depended on human effort or advantage, no one could be saved. This is exactly what Jesus wanted them to see.
- “With men this is impossible”
Jesus looked at them and agreed. Salvation is impossible for human beings by their own strength, wealth or goodness. No one can buy, earn or force their way into God’s Kingdom. Every heart, rich or poor, must be changed by God.
- “but with God all things are possible”
Here is the hope. What people cannot do, God can. The words recall what God said to Abraham when Sarah laughed at the promise of a son in old age: “Is anything too hard for Yahweh?” (Genesis 18:14), and Jeremiah’s prayer: “there is nothing too hard for you” (Jeremiah 32:17). God can loosen the grip of wealth on a heart. Zacchaeus, a rich tax collector, met Jesus and said, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor” (Luke 19:8).
The Significance of Matthew 19:24-26
- Beware the pull of possessions
Jesus’ warning applies to anyone who trusts in what they own. “Those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare” (1 Timothy 6:9). The rich are charged not to be haughty, “nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on the living God” (1 Timothy 6:17).
- Salvation is God’s work
No one is saved by money, status or effort. Salvation is God’s gift and God’s power. That is humbling for the proud and full of hope for those who feel far from God.
Cross-References:
Mark 10:25: "It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom." Mark’s parallel.
Mark 10:27: "With men it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God." Jesus’ answer in Mark.
Genesis 18:14: "Is anything too hard for Yahweh?" God’s power to do the impossible.
Luke 12:15: "Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness," A man’s life is not his possessions.
Conclusion: Jesus used a startling picture to show that a rich man cannot enter God’s Kingdom by his own means. The disciples asked who then could be saved. Jesus answered that with men it is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Salvation does not depend on wealth or human effort, but on the power and grace of God.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible