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"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." -Jesus Matthew 19:24

2ion 7y ago
"It is easier for a rich man to enter Heaven seated comfortably on the back of a camel than it is for a poor man to pass through the eye of a needle." - Supply Side Jesus, https://imgur.com/gallery/bCqRp https://imgur.com/gallery/bCqRp
- threatofrain 7y ago
  Also if he who is first shall be last, then isn't it a pretty conservative choice to be middle class in wealthiness?
- conanbatt 7y ago
  That comic is hilarious!
camhart 7y ago
Why do you think it's more difficult for a rich person? Does giving a tithe encourage or discourage the behaviors that make it difficult to make it to "Heaven"? Think on it.
- weare138 7y ago
  Jesus never advocated giving tithes or even churches for that matter.
  - knicholes 7y ago
    What about The Widow's Mite or Matthew 22:21 Jesus said "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."?
zippie 7y ago
I see this quoted a lot whenever there is discussion of wealth. However, as with all verses, the context is important as well as the follow up verses. This is not in defense of. 17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, 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.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:17-26 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Matthew%2019:17-26&version=NIV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Matthew%2019:17-...
- darkerside 7y ago
  This can be read as meaning that your wealth will be left behind when you die, so you are no longer rich.
- anonsivalley652 7y ago
  Actually, I think a more apropos saying is: Unless the children were looting their elder's estate before the burial, there's no U-Haul behind a hearse.
- xtracto 7y ago
  As an atheist I love reading these passages.. it is amazing how people in this day and age are trying to find "meanings" from a book full of the stories of one person... who lived 2000+ years ago.. imagine if someone tried to find meaning in Beckhams biography 2000 years from now...
anonsivalley652 7y ago
For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. - Matthew 13:12 ^-- which should not be interpreted as rich people are "righteous" and poor people are "bad," but rather people tend to worship the rich and abuse the poor.
mml 7y ago
It’s “the eye of the needle”. It was a very narrow gate into Jerusalem, which camels had difficulty traversing.
- kragen 7y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_a_needle#Gate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_a_needle#Gate > The "Eye of the Needle" has been claimed to be a gate in Jerusalem, which opened after the main gate was closed at night. A camel could only pass through this smaller gate if it was stooped and had its baggage removed. This story has been put forth since at least the 15th century, and possibly as far back as the 9th century. However, there is no widely accepted evidence for the existence of such a gate.[7][8]
- godelski 7y ago
  And it is hard for a rich man to pass through because they have many possessions. These are things you can't take to heaven. These are things you should not covet. This and many other of Jesus's teaching demonstrate that to be holy and good is to focus not on the material, but on helping your fellow man. There's nothing saying you will get barred from heaven if you're rich. But there's plenty that says you should give away your wealth and spend all your time helping others. You know, kinda like what Jesus did...
  - claudeganon 7y ago
    According to the text, Jesus was an itinerant carpenter or stone mason (depending on the vagaries of translation). He wasn’t a billionaire philanthropist. And by the telling of Acts, his followers lived in communal poverty. The problem with much of mainstream American Christianity is that it tries to reconcile the greed and amorality of Capitalist wealth accumulation with its own teachings and they are fundamentally irreconcilable. Or, if you want, by its own scripture: “No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
- whokal 7y ago
  This. The imagery is that a rich person carrying too much stuff would have difficulty going through the gate whereas a poor person wouldn’t. More reflection is required for a deeper understanding.
maxlybbert 7y ago
“All things (e.g., a camel’s journey through a needle’s eye) are possible, it’s true. But imagine how the camel feels, all squeezed our, in a long bloody thread from tail to snout.” I’ve seen this attributed to C.S. Lewis, but I’ve never tracked it down.

2ion 7y ago

"It is easier for a rich man to enter Heaven seated comfortably on the back of a camel than it is for a poor man to pass through the eye of a needle." - Supply Side Jesus, https://imgur.com/gallery/bCqRp https://imgur.com/gallery/bCqRp

threatofrain 7y ago
Also if he who is first shall be last, then isn't it a pretty conservative choice to be middle class in wealthiness?
conanbatt 7y ago
That comic is hilarious!

camhart 7y ago

Why do you think it's more difficult for a rich person? Does giving a tithe encourage or discourage the behaviors that make it difficult to make it to "Heaven"? Think on it.

weare138 7y ago
Jesus never advocated giving tithes or even churches for that matter.
- knicholes 7y ago
  What about The Widow's Mite or Matthew 22:21 Jesus said "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."?

zippie 7y ago

I see this quoted a lot whenever there is discussion of wealth. However, as with all verses, the context is important as well as the follow up verses. This is not in defense of. 17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, 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.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:17-26 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Matthew%2019:17-26&version=NIV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Matthew%2019:17-...

darkerside 7y ago
This can be read as meaning that your wealth will be left behind when you die, so you are no longer rich.
anonsivalley652 7y ago
Actually, I think a more apropos saying is: Unless the children were looting their elder's estate before the burial, there's no U-Haul behind a hearse.
xtracto 7y ago
As an atheist I love reading these passages.. it is amazing how people in this day and age are trying to find "meanings" from a book full of the stories of one person... who lived 2000+ years ago.. imagine if someone tried to find meaning in Beckhams biography 2000 years from now...

anonsivalley652 7y ago

For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. - Matthew 13:12 ^-- which should not be interpreted as rich people are "righteous" and poor people are "bad," but rather people tend to worship the rich and abuse the poor.

mml 7y ago

It’s “the eye of the needle”. It was a very narrow gate into Jerusalem, which camels had difficulty traversing.

kragen 7y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_a_needle#Gate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_a_needle#Gate > The "Eye of the Needle" has been claimed to be a gate in Jerusalem, which opened after the main gate was closed at night. A camel could only pass through this smaller gate if it was stooped and had its baggage removed. This story has been put forth since at least the 15th century, and possibly as far back as the 9th century. However, there is no widely accepted evidence for the existence of such a gate.[7][8]
godelski 7y ago
And it is hard for a rich man to pass through because they have many possessions. These are things you can't take to heaven. These are things you should not covet. This and many other of Jesus's teaching demonstrate that to be holy and good is to focus not on the material, but on helping your fellow man. There's nothing saying you will get barred from heaven if you're rich. But there's plenty that says you should give away your wealth and spend all your time helping others. You know, kinda like what Jesus did...
- claudeganon 7y ago
  According to the text, Jesus was an itinerant carpenter or stone mason (depending on the vagaries of translation). He wasn’t a billionaire philanthropist. And by the telling of Acts, his followers lived in communal poverty. The problem with much of mainstream American Christianity is that it tries to reconcile the greed and amorality of Capitalist wealth accumulation with its own teachings and they are fundamentally irreconcilable. Or, if you want, by its own scripture: “No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
whokal 7y ago
This. The imagery is that a rich person carrying too much stuff would have difficulty going through the gate whereas a poor person wouldn’t. More reflection is required for a deeper understanding.

maxlybbert 7y ago

“All things (e.g., a camel’s journey through a needle’s eye) are possible, it’s true. But imagine how the camel feels, all squeezed our, in a long bloody thread from tail to snout.” I’ve seen this attributed to C.S. Lewis, but I’ve never tracked it down.