Words from the Rock
I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.
Matthew 19:23–24 NCV
Most people just scratch their heads at the image of a camel going through the eye of a needle. It sounds crazy-impossible. But it could be that Jesus was really describing a particular entrance into the walled city of Jerusalem.
It seems that, due to security reasons, the only way to enter the city late at night was via an inconvenient entry that had been designed to prevent enemy invasions. The entrance was more like a large hole in the wall, big enough for people to pass through one by one. Perhaps a small, well-mannered, coordinated donkey—if it wasn’t carrying a load—might be enticed to step through. But a camel—ridiculous.
Keep in mind that camels were usually the transportation of the very wealthy (like royalty or merchants), and they were usually loaded down with lots of valuable possessions. If it were even possible to get a large, awkward, and possibly ill-tempered camel to climb through this passageway (and that’s assuming a lot), its rider would still have to unload all those expensive goods, setting them on the darkened street where bandits could be lurking. Then imagine as this frustrated rich man attempts to shove, push, or pull his camel through the tight hole. And what if the camel got stuck?
The point to all this? Jesus is saying that riches (money and material possessions) can be a stumbling block to anyone. What you love becomes your master. If you love material stuff more than Jesus, you will serve those things more than you serve Jesus. Which would you rather give your life to?
My Prayer
Dear God,
Help me to keep you as my number one priority. If material possessions ever distract me from loving you, please give me the strength to get rid of them.
Amen.
Final Word
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5 NIV
Stone for the Journey
I choose to love God more than anything else.