A peek at the life, times and thoughts of John during his two-year stint in Knoxville.

Jesus says a lot of interesting things in the New Testament. One of his particularly fascinating sayings can be found in Mark 10:25 with parallel passages in Matthew and Luke:

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. (NKJV)

As a boy, I took this passage at face value. That is to say, I thought the needle in discussion is exactly that: a needle. As my childhood went on, however, I was introduced to the opinion that the eye of a needle was not referring to a needle one might sew with, but instead to a hole in a city wall. The idea was that it was difficult for a camel to pass through that hole, but not impossible. This was easier to understand than a camel passing through the eye of a little, tiny needle so it made sense.

With the passing of time came a reconsidering of the passage. A fair look at the scripture, I believe, makes the definition of needle very plain. Yet, since this understanding has eluded many I consider it worthwhile to examine in the next few paragraphs.

If we widen our view to consider the immediate context, it will help our understanding tremendously. Here is Mark 10:23-27 in the New King James Version:

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 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.”
26 And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?”
27 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

The strength of the "eye of a needle" being a hole in the city wall is that it turns the verse from something that is impossible (camels can't climb through the eye of a literal needle) to something that is difficult but manageable. While this interpretation certainly makes sense, it betrays the immediate context of the passage. Jesus' statement was not met by his disciples with an "Oh. That makes sense!" It was met with great astonishment and the question "Who then can be saved?"

Couple their reaction with Jesus' statement in verse 27 and the interpretation of a hole in a wall, I believe, crumbles. "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."

Which of the two potential interpretations denote something that is impossible? A camel climbing through a hole in the wall, albeit with great difficulty? We've already noted the strength of that interpretation is that it is something that *was* possible.

We are left, then, with a literal needle. A camel cannot pass through the eye of a needle, neither can a rich man be saved without Jesus. This is precisely the point our Lord was making and is in total harmony with Christ's statement in John 14:6; "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Conclusion: This passage serves as a great reminder to students of God's Word that we must be careful when attempting to interpret a verse without considering the context. In this case an interpretation that fits splendidly in isolation is clearly demonstrated to be the incorrect fit simply by considering the next few sentences.