Ever wonder about that “camel through the eye of a needle” thing?

Ever wonder about that “camel through the eye of a needle” thing? Well, you’ll be surprised. Read on!

Matthew 19:21. Y’shua said to him, If you desire to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give them to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come follow me. 22. And that young man heard this word and went away sad, for he had many possessions. 23. Y’shua then said to his disciples, Truly I say to you that it is difficult for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

24. And again I say to you that it is easier for a rope* to enter into the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Elohim. 25. And when the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed and were saying, “Who indeed is able to gain life?” 26. Y’shua looked at them and said to them, With men this is not possible, but with Elohim everything is possible. (AENT)

Lluke 18:22. But when Y’shua heard these things, he said to him, One thing is lacking in you. Go sell everything that you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come after me. 23. But when he heard these things he was sad, for he was very wealthy. 24. And when Y’shua saw that he felt sad, he said, How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter into the Kingdom of Elohim! 25. Because it is easier for a rope* that it enter through the eye of a needle than a rich man enter into the Kingdom of Elohim. (AENT)

Okay, so let’s talk about that “rope for a moment.” (Christian versions of Scripture mistranslated the word “rope” into “camel” – which is wrong and makes absolutely NO sense, whatsoever!)

Anyway… the short response to explain the “rope” parable is simply to show that when YHWH blesses someone with wealth, He still expect His people to “love HIM” more than their wealth, and to be willing to give it all up if He asked them to.

The footnote in the Aramaic English New Testament tells us the Aramaic word, Gamala, refers to a “heavy rope” rather than a “camel” which is also spelled gimel-meem-lamed-alap. Greek scholars puzzled over a camel passing through the eye of a needle, which is a physical impossibility.

However, Y'shua is clearly not saying a rich man can't enter, or he would not "love" this one! The “heavy rope” lesson refers to the teaching about a rich man entering into heaven, after he "unravels" his fortune strand by strand as Y'shua instructs.

If his wealth was bound tightly and strong like a rope, it is to be unwound like threads which will pass through the eye of the needle! Careful attention is required to thread a needle; and the rich – like that rope – are obligated unto YHWH to be good stewards of their wealth and to how their wealth is acquired and dispersed.