Camel and the eye of a needle

In Matthew 19:23-26 Jesus is not talking about camels coming through gates into cities or cables rather than camels as some suggest.

Rather, Jesus is saying ‘Think of the smallest hole you can - a small city gate? Smaller. A fox hole? Smaller. A fishing net gap? Smaller. A roof leak? Smaller. The eye of needle? Yes! Think of that as the gate into the kingdom.

Then think of a common large animal. A cat? Bigger. A dog? Bigger. A lion? Bigger. A cow? Bigger. A camel? Yes. (Why not an elephant? Jesus is speaking to the poor and they may not have heard of an elephant.) Think of that as a person who is rich.

Now imagine trying to get a great big camel into a tiny needle eye. You know how difficult it is to get thread in the eye of a needle; a camel is ridiculous. There is humour here, of course! By nature rich people cannot get into the kingdom, they cannot become Christians. The problem is not the riches themselves but the tendency to hold on to their riches and rely on them. We are not thinking simply, of course, of the materially wealthy. Money and possessions are not the only things that people rely on. You can be rich in other ways: you can be clever, popular, talented. They can all keep you out if you are not careful.