The eye of a needle is smaller than the mouth of a bird.
And, although ironically, the needle’s eye resembles the human eye, when age catches up with us, threading a needle becomes a huge challenge because of how small the eye of the needle is.
Yet, we are metaphorically told that there comes a situation when a camel can easily pass through the eye of a needle!
To deepen this jaw-dropping wonder, just remember how a camel looks like, with its hunchback, oblong head, long mouth and wobbling legs!
Street encounter
A dramatic encounter happened on the street.
The Lord Jesus was walking along with his disciples when a very rich ruler ran up to him and fell on his knees before him.
Picture any rich man in Ghana—a business tycoon, a wealthy contractor, or one of these rich politicians with their flashy lifestyles—walk up to a man of God and fall on his knees.
That was quite a sight, frankly, and it must have attracted many onlookers.
What did this man want? “Good teacher,” he pleaded, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
A round of applause for him, for, of all the things in the world to request from the Lord, this rich fellow asked for the best: eternal life.
Asking for eternal life was like seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
And he used the right expression: “to inherit eternal life.” Indeed, eternal life is an inheritance that is bequeathed to us, just as Peter put it:
By God’s great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and into an inheritance that does not perish or fade or spoil; and this inheritance is kept in heaven for us (1 Peter 1:4, 5).
So, yes, eternal life is a great inheritance.
Hole in life
It had probably dawned on this rich ruler that, despite his wealth, he lacked something far more satisfying than money.
Evaluating his life and placing it in the balance, he found himself wanting.
Clearly, there was a huge hole in his life that his wealth could not fill.
His humility was remarkable.
He “fell on his knees” and made a profound statement by calling the Lord Jesus “Good teacher!” What he said instinctively, the Lord revealed to him the deep truth:
“Do you realise what you’ve just said?” Jesus asked him.
“Only God is good.”
Whether he realised it or not, the man called Jesus God, for only God alone is good.
The man was a Jew, so, in answering his quest for eternal life, the Lord began from what all Jews knew: the law of Moses—no murder, no adultery, no stealing, no false testimony, no defrauding, honouring parents—some basic tenets of the Jewish faith.
All these I have kept since I was a boy,” the ruler said.
He had an impeccable record, like Nathaniel to whom Jesus once said proverbially, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no guile or craftiness (John 1:47).
But if he was so good, why did he feel the need to go to Jesus?
It is because he knew that even the observance of the Ten Commandments still didn’t complete the equation for the eternal life he sought.
Good deeds do not deliver eternal life; only Jesus does!
Now follow me
Jesus congratulated the man for his keen observance of the law and seemed to tell him, You’ve done well following Moses; now follow me!” For what the Law could not do because it was weakened by human flesh, God himself did by sending his Son to save us (Romans 8:3).
When the rich ruler said he had accomplished great feats in Jewish laws, Jesus told him, “There is one thing that you lack.
Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come and follow me.”
The test
That was the greatest test of his life.
Would he choose wealth or Jesus?
Was he willing to commit himself totally to Jesus, or would he rather commit himself to the world?
Would he rather worship mammon or God?
When Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God,” the disciples cried, “Who then can be saved?”
If a camel can enter the eye of a needle, then anybody who has faith in Jesus can enter eternal life because “all things are possible with God,” Jesus told the disciples.
Next week: When we return to this topic next week, God willing, we will look more at what the rich man lacked and why he went away sad and miserable.
The writer is a publisher, author, writer-trainer and CEO of Step Publishers.
E-mail: Lawrence.darmani@gmail.com
