The Eye of a Needle ~

I have been doing some thinking lately and researching for one of my books I am writing and I came across a passage of scripture I had somehow forgotten about. It is Matthew 19:24. In this scripture Jesus says,"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Wow! This really stood out to me. For anyone not familiar with what Jesus was referring to, the "eye of a needle" is a very small door in a larger gate popular in biblical times. When the gates of the city were closed for the night as was the custom, a person could still enter through this small door or or opening in the city wall.This "eye of a needle" entry way was often so small that even a man would have to stoop to go through it. The picture below is a typical example of one of these entrances. Note that Jesus never said it was "impossible" for a rich man to enter heaven, (Before anyone gets their feelings hurt) but from the picture you can see it would not be easy. I think what Jesus meant was not to make riches your greatest life goal. There is a big difference in taking care of your family comfortably and letting greed for money consume you. I think Jesus wanted to let us know to always keep the balance.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matt. 6:19-21~