A Post About The Camel Passing Through the Eye of an Needle, and Riches

Photo by lapideo

Part of my daily bible reading via my LifeJournal plan at YouVersion this past week included Luke 18:18-27.
There is a popular legend that explains this verse as such: One of the gates into Jerusalem in Jesus' day was called The Eye of The Needle. It was used by travelers who came to the city after hours when the main gates had already been shut for the night. The legend explains that this gate was intentionally made small so that marauders couldn’t overtake the city via its access. Yet, the stray traveler could enter this very narrow passageway and find safety within city walls during the night. To get through it, the rider had to dismount their camel, and all saddles and bags had to be removed. The rider had to carry the saddles and baggage, or rather push and pull through the very small opening, possibly even unpacking some of it, and the camel had to scoot through on its knees. So, the semi-popular teaching of this legend goes that a rich person can indeed go through an Eye of the Needle like camels and their riders enter through this Gate - “on their knees” and “without baggage.” It’s a very sensible teaching to stress such points - all of us indeed must humble ourselves before the Great God of the Universe, and get rid of the baggage that weighs us down. So you can see how the popularity of this legend has given it quite a following among many Western Christians.

I decided to do some digging, because I could never find any evidence of this particular gate in concordances, commentaries or study bibles I have. There is a reason for that, and really, it’s quite plainly there in the very passage. So let’s read it again with emphasis:

A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! For 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.” They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

It’s right there in what I italicized and put in bold print: If this gate was a real and common feature of the city, they would have all known it and their response would not have been “Who then can be saved?” The disciples reply might have gone something like this, “Ahh, only those who strip themselves down and humble themselves on their knees can be saved.” (Which is rather the truth, by the way, so long as it is motivated by faith in Jesus and His redemptive work.) No, Jesus was messing with the common wisdom of the day that the rich were somehow automatically blessed and approved by God. One article I read, and if I find it again (I misplaced it!), I will gladly give link and credit, anyway, the writer said something like this: If Jesus had been speaking in modern day America He might have said, "The rich will get to heaven when pigs fly" because that best explains the colloquial use of language Jesus was employing in using this saying. Jesus told them, not only was it not true that wealth=equals=God's approval, but quite the opposite, that it was a practical impossibility that the rich could be accepted by God. Wow. Re-read that again. Then recall the disciples response, “Well, then who CAN be saved?” And I remind you of Jesus’ response “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” There is hope.

There is always hope. Jesus perceived in the rich young man from the passage the one thing He wasn’t willing to surrender or give up. God will have no idols above Him in our lives. Some of us are the same way that young man was. If it’s not wealth, it could be a relationship, a habit, pride, comfort, whatever. Some people have hobbies, goals and even "good things" they are passionate about, but those things out-distance their passion for God. Jesus’ words here should be taken soberly and it’s best not to make light of what is being said. If you think about it, what He said about riches hits you like a very strong blow, not so much a knock-out blow to the head, as a powerful whack to the gut that leaves you reeling and catching your breath as you process it.

He’s Our Teacher and He said this for a reason. It is harsh. I think that is one of the problems I have with this Needle Gate Legend. It seems like a good and sound teaching, at first glance. But it still diminishes the severe truth Jesus was stating. Jesus also stated, The Truth will set us free (see here). The whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help us God.

I cite the following sites as being helpful and informative in me writing this post: Christianity beta; The Straight Dope; Old City Gates.

Two Lazarus-es, part 2

I am still studying about this subject. My previous post is Part 1 and you should read it before you read this one.

I recently was pointed in the direction of this article, which makes a case that the rich man in the parable with Lazarus was actually the High Priest Caiaphas. That adds another interesting dimension for me. That fact would contribute to a theory that Jesus was very clearly getting the attention of those who were following Him, both as enemies and friends, while the culmination of His earthly ministry and His true purpose was becoming clear as He walked this earth. It would have been well known that Jesus raised Lazarus of Bethany, Mary and Martha's brother. The religious leaders of the time had no true heart for God or their fellow man (the 2 great commandments) but they would have liked a powerful leader that would overthrow the Roman rule and thus give them more power. Jesus' Kingdom was not one of earthly power, He came to shake things up and show true love, the kind of love that sacrifices for the good of others, unselfish and kind, and puts even lowly beggars as equally beloved by God, as any king or rich man.

Up until now, I actually felt the rich man was pitiable, a tortured soul, who realized the TRUTH too late. I thought he was remorseful, and was actually trying to look out for his brothers by asking for a warning for them. I felt his torment was so great that even the thought of begging for a drop of water on his unimaginably parched tongue seemed a relief. (I can only liken this to a time when I had such a horrible stomach virus and flu, and was not able to eat or drink or keep anything down for 2 days. I was finally able to rouse myself from the sickbed, and found a room-temperature can of diet cola. I had a tiny, tentative drink of it, my thirst was great, but I feared I would not be able to keep even that down. I had been so sick that the little sip of this warm, generic soda was extremely refreshing. I can't fully explain how good it was - but in my head, I see the rich man in search of that kind of small relief.) And as for him asking for Lazarus' help, I'd always thought that might have been his own way of being finally humble - he was asking for help from someone who he didn't even want to acknowledge, let alone be touched by in his former life. With all the OT teachings on clean and unclean people, animals and things, and what to avoid and how to wash - surely a beggar was considered 'dirty.' To ask for Lazarus to so intimately and personally touch his tongue, the way a mother or physician would nurse someone who was ill, well that had to speak of his now helplessly low state. I thought this had showed how the rich man had changed his mind, and regarded Lazarus as a ministering angel of mercy. Now I'm not so sure.

I have since read a few opinions from others that don't give the rich man anything close to a noble intention from his hellish position. One person surmised that the rich man was actually scheming to get Lazarus to come to him that he might trick him and somehow even trade places. Another person thought the rich man continued to show the same selfishness and disdain for Lazarus that he showed him when they were both alive. He asks for Lazarus to fetch him water, and he shows no sorrow or repentance for how he treated him before. Nor does he give any acknowledgment of respect for Lazarus now in his privileged position in Abraham's bosom, from his deflated and tortured position.

Thanks to the folks over at ChristianBoard, who gave me all this to chew on, from here.

I am still focused on Lazarus being the key to all of this and that there is something important about his name and a connection with the other Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha.


image by Lawrence OP.

A Tale of Two Lazarus-es

The Bible, like our own circle of friends, family and acquaintances, often records people having the same name. At the pre-school where I worked we had three children named Aiden at one time, and a couple of Briannas. The New Testament of the Bible records several Marys. There are at least three other men named Judas in addition to the most notable one who betrayed Jesus. Today I am focused on two men named Lazarus, who were spoken of in the New Testament of the Bible.

One man named Lazarus, along with his two sisters Mary and Martha, were all good friends of Jesus. You can read their remarkable story in John Chapter 11. The other Lazarus is presumably fictional, a beggar character from one of the parables Jesus told. You can read about him in Luke Chapter 16. If you're not familiar with those passages you might take a moment to click on the links and read them, they are not very long.

Up until recently I thought it was unremarkable that these two men shared the same name. After all, that was common throughout the Bible. Then it hit me - one man was from a parable and the other was an actual person among Jesus' followers. I was even more interested to note Jesus told more than 50 parables, yet none but this one record a name. Jesus refers to the parable characters in general descriptive terms. They are called things like 'the unjust judge,' 'the widow' and 'the sower' and a 'certain' woman or man. Even in the parable with Lazarus, the other man is simply called 'the rich man.' I wonder why The Lord gave the beggar in this particular story a name, and what is the significance of that?

The name Lazarus itself means "God's assistance" or "God will help." And God surely did help him. I think Jesus also could have given a name to the parable Lazarus to further stress that the disenfranchised of the world are known and loved by God. As the parable tells, the rich man had his respect, ease and comfort in this world - but in the afterlife he suffered because He did not know and love God or his neighbor. The beggar Lazarus was ignored and despised by the world, yet in the afterlife, he was received with comfort and love.

First of all, this particular parable is not simply a learning tool of analogy, as many of the parables are. Parables such as The Woman and the Lost Coin and The Pearl of Great Price teach us that God's Kingdom is precious and to be highly valued, sought diligently and kept. The parable of the sower and the seed teach us about how people will respond to the Gospel message. This parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man does contain those types of principals but it also contains something prophetic at the end, therefore having a multilayer-ed meaning.

In the parable the rich man asks Father Abraham to send someone to warn his brothers. As Jesus tells it, Father Abraham responds with prophetic words that directly apply to Jesus Himself: If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead. Jesus is the one telling this story-parable and He is, or will be, the one who was raised from the dead, though that had obviously not yet happened at the time He told this story. I think it's quite notable then, that Jesus performed a miracle that raised an actual man named Lazarus from the dead. It's sort of like a double prophecy, isn't it? Just to be even more gracious and drive the point home even more, He sent His own friend, poor, four-days-dead Lazarus - like what the rich man requested the beggar Lazarus be allowed to do - back from the dead. I suppose He did this to further demonstrate to His contemporaries and all those around that He was who He said He was. When Jesus raised Lazarus, it was well known at the time it happened. It was what stirred up Jesus' enemies even more to plot against Him, and it preceded His own death an resurrection by a very short space of time. Could that be the reason for the name? I think there is a strong chance it could be.

I believe there must be some reason why Jesus chose to name the beggar in this parable and hope to continue to study further.

See Part 2 here.


picture from here.

Caleb's Spirit

In Numbers 14:24, God says this regarding Caleb:
“But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.”
It’s a fairly familiar story. The children of Israel sent out 12 spies to check out the promised land. Ten of the spies came back with an “evil report” and two of them, Joshua and Caleb, had a positive report. All agreed it was a desirable land. All agreed there was a strong enemy presence there, but Joshua and Caleb were the only ones with the faith and the backbone to realize that God could deliver the enemy into their hands. They realized where God had brought them from and all He did for them up until then in that journey. I was struck when reading this passage the other day, by the words whereby God described Caleb: “he had another spirit with him.” Another translation says he had a “different attitude.” Still another says “because he has faith in me.” What made Caleb (and Joshua, too) different from everyone else? Faith. Obedience. They believed God. They were willing and wanting to do what He said.

Lord, please give me a spirit like Caleb.