Matthew 19:24
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
This verse is also in Mark and Luke, but What does it mean?
I always used to wonder about this verse, aside from it's obvious general scriptural implication that is pretty straight forward right? But really? A camel through the eye of a needle? Sounds absolutely impossible does it not?
Would you believe me if I told you that it IS possible? Well it is, at least the way in which this reference was meant when it was written, and I find it to be quite an interesting reference too. So here it is;
Back when this was written, the cities had large walls around them with a gate or gates that would be open during the day, but at night these large gates would be closed at night. A little known fact today is that there was a much smaller gate off to the side of the main gate that could be opened by a guard during the night while the large gate was closed in order to allow individuals or small groups of people to go in or out as needed without having to open the large gate. This smaller gate was called a "needle gate". These needle gates wete just large enough that a camel could go through it on its knees AND with no load on it's back. So in order for the camel to go through the eye of the needle gate, anything that might be loaded on the camel would have to be unloaded and then the person would lead the camel through the gate on it's knees.
So you see, it IS possible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle gate. I hope you enjoy this bit of biblical trivia as much as I have since I found this information out.
May God bless & guide
No comments:
Post a Comment