A camel and a needle
Opening Prayer
Lord of life, teach me to hold on to You and to nothing but You alone.
Read Luke 18:18-30
[18] A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” [19] “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good-except God alone. [20] You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'” [21] “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. [22] When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” [23] When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. [24] Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! [25] Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” [26] Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” [27] Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” [28] Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” [29] “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God [30] will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What was the man’s problem?Some Bible passages are difficult to understand. Some are easy to understand but terribly difficult to live out. This one fits that second category. A “ruler” (someone used to being in charge) drops in for a chat about the good life. He keeps the commandments, but then, he keeps everything… he is very wealthy. So Jesus comes up with a simple test: redistribution of wealth. The ruler fails the test. So, incidentally, do a lot of interpreters. Annoyed that Jesus sounds so extreme, some invented an “eye of the needle gate” that camels could still get through as long as they stooped and had their baggage removed. But there was no such gate. A camel through the eye of the needle is a metaphor for impossibility (27). It can’t be done. This is, to be blunt, not good news for rich rulers. But note that it is good news for Peter (28–30). So there is hope… if you are willing to accept Jesus’ terms.
Apply
Give something away. Then begin to develop a habit of doing so regularly.
Closing prayer
Father, all I have is from You. I trust You as the source of all and let go of claims on any of it.
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