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For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s
eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Luke 18:25
Jesus used the illustration of the Needle's Eye and the camel because it was an entrance into the city of Jerusalem. All the people would have been familiar with the wicket gate and could see it every day as they entered the city through the Joppa (Jaffa) gate. It was a visual example that applied the truth of the children, the requirement for the rich young ruler, and the camel being unloaded. All of them had to come with nothing of their own. Only the sacrifice that God provided would make people fit to enter the kingdom of God.
Peter seemed to understand the concept Jesus was talking about when he said in Mark 10:28, "See, we have left all and followed You." It was in the past tense, and something they chose to do. The harmony and continuity of Mark 10:13-31 depends on all the elements in these verses fitting together and making sense. If we deny the Needle's Eye as a wicket gate, then we destroy the entire purpose behind using the illustration.
If we believe this passage is simply teaching the impossibility of men coming to salvation (a camel going through the eye of a sewing needle), then we also go against much of Scripture. Throughout Scripture, we see the sovereignty of God in salvation and the accountability (responsibility) of man in salvation (see Luke 13:24).
Both of these doctrines are taught in the Bible and specifically in Mark 10. Philippians 2:12 is a good example of how we must view salvation: "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." The use of the descriptive words, "how hard it is" (verse 24) and "easier for the camel" shows us the accountability and responsibility side of things.
On a website called "Hebrew New Testament Studies," the author makes this statement about the Needle's Eye as a door or gate. "A lovely story and an excellent parable for preaching but unfortunately unfounded. From at least the fifteenth century, and possibly as early as the 9th but not earlier, this story has been put forth; however, there is no evidence for such a gate, nor record of reprimand of the architect who may have forgotten to make a gate big enough for the camel and rider to pass through unhindered."
The teaching of the Needle's Eye as a gate or door has probably been around since the city of Jerusalem was established. Although many of the walls, gates and doors were destroyed when the city was conquered in the past, the city was rebuilt. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are an example of this.
The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary shows a picture of the Needle's Eye within the Jaffa Gate. It goes on to make this statement, "Small doors such as this were common features of the gates of ancient cities; humans could pass through easily, but large animals, such as camels, had to be unloaded and kneel to get through, even then with difficulty." One of the reasons for these small doors was the fact that people who needed to enter the city after dark could do so, but the small door made it easy to defend.
The evidence for a wicket door or gate called the Needle's Eye is overwhelming. The story of how God preserved the historical record of this is amazing and God-glorifying. Next week, we will begin our defense of the historical gate and its importance. In closing, I would like to ask one question: do our lives glorify God?
Contact the author at thoughtsonword@gmail.com if you have any comments or questions.
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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published four books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016, Eye of a Needle in 2017, Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019 and A Bridge Between in 2023. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children's book.