What does the ''camel through a needle's eye'' quote mean?

[Jacobtm]

16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
   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.”

 18 “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,’[c] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’[d]”

 20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

21 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.”

 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

 23 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.”

[The Mikado]

Jacob, "sell everything you have and give the proceeds to a apocalyptic cult" is not a very progressive model for society either.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Rich people suck.

[TJ in Oregon]

I think to try and address this question, we also have to consider the next two verses directly afterward:

25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?”

26 Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

Jesus is giving them an example of something that would be impossible in the eyes of humans and explaining that it is possible with God. He’s not necessarily condemning rich people to hell, but just saying that being rich would make it a whole lot harder. Money is power and power can corrupt. We can’t just get set in our wealthy ways (and almost everyone posting here is likely rich) and forget Christ’s teachings. I think it’s more that wealth is a worldly thing that can separate us from God, obstruct us from what we really should care about. It can make us think greater or less of the people we pass by. Sometimes we stop thinking of the poor as people and respond differently to then than we would to wealthy persons we pass by. In our material wealth we often lose track of God. We become indifferent, satiated with what this world has to offer rather than feeling the suffering and thirst for Christ. Our wealth and possessions become illusions of success and glory in this world rather than in the Kingdom of God.

JHMO. I am by no means a theologian; there are probably dozens of people on here with a deeper understanding than I. But that’s my two cents nonetheless.

[2952-0-0]

But wouldn't it be impossible for everyone to sell all their material possessions at the same time? Wouldn't this imply that Jesus preached an ideology which can only apply to a small minority at any given time?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I think it's pretty obvious what it means. The Gospels are generally like that. Of course, you can dress it up in all the sophistry you like, but if there's any additional 'special' meaning, it's not yours to know about.

Ach, tired. I know what I mean.

[Roemerista]

I was taught long ago that in Jerusalem there is a gate known as the "Eye of the Needle." And as it is a small gate, it certainly would prove a task to fit a camel through there. Its an interesting caveat to suggest that instead of being an impossible task for the rich man to make it to heaven, (as if it were actually a needle's eye), just a very difficult task.

[minionofmidas]

I was taught long ago that in Jerusalem there is a gate known as the "Eye of the Needle." And as it is a small gate, it certainly would prove a task to fit a camel through there. Its an interesting caveat to suggest that instead of being an impossible task for the rich man to make it to heaven, (as if it were actually a needle's eye), just a very difficult task.

That apocryphal story is as old as the reformation (and thus, as old as detailed interpretation of every last Jesus quote). But there has never been such a gate.

Alas, your ancestors will continue to burn in hell.

[The Mikado]

Jacob, "sell everything you have and give the proceeds to a apocalyptic cult" is not a very progressive model for society either.

I'm kind of hoping someone addresses this point (besides telling me that I should've said "an apocalyptic cult" rather than "a apocalyptic cult").  I've never seen this quote as something particularly useful to cite as an argument for what it's being used for here.

[minionofmidas]

But wouldn't it be impossible for everyone to sell all their material possessions at the same time? Wouldn't this imply that Jesus preached an ideology which can only apply to a small minority at any given time?

Jackpot.

Jesus preached an ideology that was never intended to apply to anyone but a small minority, and only at a very particular given time.

[Hatman 🍁]

I read that this is actualy a mis translation. The word is not camel, but something much smaller (but still equally impossible to fit in a needle). QI may have done an episode about it.

[Jacobtm]

I'm kind of hoping someone addresses this point (besides telling me that I should've said "an apocalyptic cult" rather than "a apocalyptic cult").  I've never seen this quote as something particularly useful to cite as an argument for what it's being used for here.

I certainly don't believe Christianity is anything worthwhile, if that's what you're implying.

It's just another way of stating that "Behind every great fortune there is a great crime"

What the rich Christian seeking salvation does while absolving himself of worldly possessions isn't what I meant to bring up.

[Yelnoc]

It's an attempt at a kōan.

It's not a bad kōan at all.  At least, not compared to some of the ones on this site.

[Cincinnatus]

I was taught long ago that in Jerusalem there is a gate known as the "Eye of the Needle." And as it is a small gate, it certainly would prove a task to fit a camel through there. Its an interesting caveat to suggest that instead of being an impossible task for the rich man to make it to heaven, (as if it were actually a needle's eye), just a very difficult task.

I have read this as well.  And this interpretation I think would be most accurate.  It's not impossible for a rich man, but he must hold God higher than his possessions.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Jacob, "sell everything you have and give the proceeds to a apocalyptic cult" is not a very progressive model for society either.

Jesus doesn't say to the man "give your money to the cult."   He says "give to the poor."  There's no suggestion here that "the poor" must be disciples of Jesus or of anyone else.
This is not a manifesto of political economy; it is an illustration of the principle by which Jesus calls his disciples to live.  The man states he has followed the spirit of the Laws of Moses. When Jesus gives him something above and beyond the Law, it is revealed that the man's greatest attachment is to his wealth. This narrative has the same point with what Jesus says "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

It's just another way of stating that "Behind every great fortune there is a great crime"

I don't see any way you could get that from this passage.

[minionofmidas]

I read that this is actualy a mis translation. The word is not camel, but something much smaller (but still equally impossible to fit in a needle).

A shiprope. It's possible (it's just an i for an e in Greek, pronounced identically by then, and still today), but of course quite unsubstantiable. There are in fact early Bible manuscripts (and the Armenian Bible) that have "shiprope" instead... but the fanciful, much cooler, animal/needle image is found outside the Bible too (including in the Talmud, with an elephant instead of a camel; line there dates a couple of centuries after Jesus though.) So... the majority opinion of scholarly interpretation is that Jesus meant exactly what he said.

[Jacobtm]

It's just another way of stating that "Behind every great fortune there is a great crime"

I don't see any way you could get that from this passage.

The principle line is:

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.

He is saying that it is impossible for a rich man to go to heaven. As impossible as a camel going through the eye of a needle.

For what reason? Seems obvious. The rich are such unrepentant sinners that they have no shot.

[patrick1]

Jacob,

I think to try and address this question, we also have to consider the next two verses directly afterward:

25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?”

26 Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

Jesus is giving them an example of something that would be impossible in the eyes of humans and explaining that it is possible with God. He’s not necessarily condemning rich people to hell, but just saying that being rich would make it a whole lot harder. Money is power and power can corrupt. We can’t just get set in our wealthy ways (and almost everyone posting here is likely rich) and forget Christ’s teachings. I think it’s more that wealth is a worldly thing that can separate us from God, obstruct us from what we really should care about. It can make us think greater or less of the people we pass by. Sometimes we stop thinking of the poor as people and respond differently to then than we would to wealthy persons we pass by. In our material wealth we often lose track of God. We become indifferent, satiated with what this world has to offer rather than feeling the suffering and thirst for Christ. Our wealth and possessions become illusions of success and glory in this world rather than in the Kingdom of God.

JHMO. I am by no means a theologian; there are probably dozens of people on here with a deeper understanding than I. But that’s my two cents nonetheless.

[minionofmidas]

The really relevant part is how the notion that riches and godlyness may go together is considered outlandish by Jesus and the disciples, not that Jesus adds that it's theoretically possible anyhow.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Jacob, you continue to amuse.

[The Mikado]

He is saying that it is impossible for a rich man to go to heaven. As impossible as a camel going through the eye of a needle.

For what reason? Seems obvious. The rich are such unrepentant sinners that they have no shot.

That's...not the point of the line at all.  People need to give up the things that attach them to this world in order to have a better chance of making it into the next, and the rich simply have more tying them down here (their vast wealth makes secular life comfortable) that it becomes much harder to be willing to think of your place in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Christianity isn't inherently anti-rich: look at Joseph of Arimathea, the phenomenally wealthy supporter of Jesus who bought Jesus' burial cave.  He's a saint now.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

It's just another way of stating that "Behind every great fortune there is a great crime"

I don't see any way you could get that from this passage.

The principle line is:

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.

He is saying that it is impossible for a rich man to go to heaven. As impossible as a camel going through the eye of a needle.

For what reason? Seems obvious. The rich are such unrepentant sinners that they have no shot.

It means that rich people are too self absorbed to admit they are sinners.