A Camel and the Eye of the Needle

A question recently found in the Questions and Answers' box was: "Was the eye of the needle a small city gate?" Many would answer, "Yes," as the book, Strange Scriptures That Perplex the Western Mind, does. According to the author, Barbara M. Bowen, at evening the city gates were shut, but there remained a smaller gate through which a person could enter the city. Theoretically, this smaller gate, called "the needle's eye," could not accommodate a camel with all his baggage. He would have to be unburdened, stoop very low, and then enter. The author concludes her explanation by observing that the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem has "a very fine 'needle's eye'" (104-105). Jesus mentions in Matthew 19:24 and Mark 10:25 that 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."

But other sources deny the validity of this claim. Neither history nor archaeology seems to confirm that there was such a gate called by that name. The idea did not seem to come about until the time of Anselm (11th century) and Aquinas (13th century), who theorize concerning the gate concept, but the problem is that no one can determine what their sources were. Was there just a theory that they mentioned, or were there some relevant facts? No one knows of any, and therefore, this explanation has pretty much fallen by the wayside. Another problem is that camels cannot scoot on their knees.

The most relevant evidence is, of course, the text. To be sure, Jesus' original pronouncement does offer a comparison. 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" (Matt. 19:24). That statement seems to suggest that it might be possible, even though difficult—such as a camel entering the city through a small gate. However, the disciples appear not to understand it as merely difficult—but rather impossible, since they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" (v. 25). Jesus then states: "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (v. 26). The key word there is impossible.

Unpacking a camel and getting him to stoop through a small gate might be tedious and time-consuming, but apparently such a maneuver was not impossible. So, if it was only a difficult thing to accomplish, Jesus could not have used the word impossible. Saving rich people could only be accomplished by God's grace. In fact, isn't that true of all of us? Poor people have sins, also. They can be covetous, adulterous, and have set up idols in their heart. Everyone's salvation is impossible on the basis of human merit. Only God's grace can save any of us. In the meantime, we need to be careful from whom we study, evaluating the evidence in light of the Scriptures.