A Camel Through a Needle's Eye???

On Christmas eve, I sat with a friend of mine drinking tasty frosty ales (Miller Lite) when I tried to explain the Eye of the Camel. I had just studied it in my parables class and I was finding myself dumbfounded. I had to leave it for another time. The past three weeks, I have been in quite the whirlwind and I have not picked up my Upper Room since January 2nd, and I didn't really pay it much notice at that! My mind has been elsewhere.  For those of you that don't know, "The Upper Room" is a publication put out every two months and is full of daily devotionals, scripture readings and insights. Being the way that I am, I am never satisfied to just read what it tells me, I have to do some studying!

So, today I finally picked up my Upper Room, turned to today's date and low and behold! The Eye of the Camel story! Luke 18: 18-30

Simple, a rich man comes to Jesus asks what he has to do to get into heaven. Jesus says, follow the Commandments. The man says he does all those things. Jesus then says, sell all your possessions, and follow me. The man leaves and Jesus says it, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

A simple reading of that would suggest that you have to be poor to really be a follower of Jesus. There are many ways in which we can be followers of Jesus, but I think the point is that we are too attached to our earthly possessions. I'm sure Jesus wants us to live comfortably, running water, heated homes in the winter, cooled in the summer. Our God given talents to make these things possible should not be taken for granted, and used for the reasons they have been made. I think though that we put too much meaning and value into the "things" we own. For example, I almost feel my life would be at a loss if I didn't have my MacBook. I love this little computer. If I didn't have it, I'd be relegated to waiting in line at the library to use the computer for an hour. Not a bad thing, but I'm like that rich man... it is hard to part with our stuff. I guess though, if one day this computer dies, and it will like all other computers, I will have to suck it up and use whatever means I have to.  I'm just hoping it doesn't mean going back to a PC! Agh! I want to not be so dependent on my stuff so I try, try really, really, really, really  hard to live a very simple life and below my means.

Back to the story. It is difficult to give up things, so difficult that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. I love how Jesus uses such grandiose metaphors in his teachings. I mean seriously, what, a camel at that!, can make it through the eye of the needle? (I welcome comments from those wanting to talk about a gate called the eye of the needle... I can debate it, it's cool!)