While Jesus was teaching in Perea, east of the Jordan river, a rich young man approached the Lord and asked, “Teacher what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” (vs. 1) Now the fact that the man called Jesus teacher shows that he must have heard of Jesus and maybe even heard Him preach. And yet he still believed that he could earn salvation on his own, without Jesus and the free gift He offered. Yet, patiently as always, the Lord didn’t chastise the man. Instead He showed how no one but Himself could perfectly keep God’s Law.
In His answer, Jesus tells the young man, “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” (vs.17) He then goes on to list six of the ten commandments, finishing with, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The man assured Jesus that he did in fact keep God’s Laws. But Jesus was about to expose the truth. For next Jesus says, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (vs. 21) The man’s response? He went away grieving, for he wasn’t willing to let go of his wealth. Instead of loving others as he loved himself, the man put his greed before for the needs of others, and walked away from the One he should have run to. And as the man left, Jesus turned to the disciples and said, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (vs. 24)
Some Biblical scholars believe there was an actual gate in Damascus called “The Eye Of The Needle” During the day the main gates to the city were left open. But at night, when the gates closed, the only way to enter was through a small side gate. This small “Eye Of The Needle Gate”, was narrow and only tall enough to let a person walk through. For a camel to enter, the cargo it carried had to be unloaded, and the camel had to crawl through on its knees. Whether true or not, it is the perfect analogy of the Christian life. For to truly follow Jesus and pass through the gates of heaven, we need to unload our earthly treasures and enter into His presence on our knees.
The unwillingness of the rich man to part with his wealth, shows how not even he could keep the Law of God. So then in the words of the disciples, “Who can be saved?” (vs. 26) Through our efforts, no one. But with God all things are possible, including , and especially, salvation. In His infinite goodness, God sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ who, “though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9) Jesus vacated His glorious throne along with all of the majesty and splendor of heaven, to come to earth and become the perfect fulfillment of the Law. The Lord left His wealth on the Cross and took on our poverty so that we in turn could receive the riches of His blessing. (Prov. 10:22) And on this Christmas holiday as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, my heart is overflowing with thankfulness for love of Jesus, our mighty King who came in humbleness to be born in a stable and laid in an animals feeding trough.
