Doesn’t say it’s impossible for a rich man to enter Heaven, just that it’s a lot more difficult and the “why” is obvious. We are deceived into believing power and money = happiness. And look what it causes people to do to maintain that. They literally sell their souls to the devil.
If I remember my Sunday School, the "Eye of the needle" was a gate in Jerusalem which was so small it required merchants to offload most of the cargo strapped on the pack animals in order to enter the gate. Very possible but laborious. It's been shown through time that money enhances the character of the person who has it. Good is amplified, as is evil. Giving people of poor moral character a lot of money can ruin them, as we've seen in Lottery recipients, sadly.
Yeah it's not saying the rich won't get into heaven.
Just those who are rich quite often obsess over wealth and are distracted from the spiritual by the endless pursuit of earthly pleasures.
There are plenty and plenty of good people, both rich and poor.
There was/is an "eye of the needle" gate in Jerusalem. It's very thin, as a security measure, and you can't enter it while riding a camel. You had to take everything off, and only then could you make it through without holding too many things.
Jesus was using that as an allegory, that in order to get into heaven you can't covet so many things that you're not willing to let go of.
It's more about the impossibility of wealth, riches or deeds to buy your way into heaven. The wealth cannot save them; that gift can only come through Jesus. However, the poor, wealthy, good and evil can all be used for God's purpose and sometimes they are able to be used in an unbelievable way.
It would be easier for a camel to put its eye through a needle than for a rich man to make it into heaven, or so I read
That's a horrible image; my eye hurts thinking about it. The expression is "it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle..." :)
XD
Doesn’t say it’s impossible for a rich man to enter Heaven, just that it’s a lot more difficult and the “why” is obvious. We are deceived into believing power and money = happiness. And look what it causes people to do to maintain that. They literally sell their souls to the devil.
If I remember my Sunday School, the "Eye of the needle" was a gate in Jerusalem which was so small it required merchants to offload most of the cargo strapped on the pack animals in order to enter the gate. Very possible but laborious. It's been shown through time that money enhances the character of the person who has it. Good is amplified, as is evil. Giving people of poor moral character a lot of money can ruin them, as we've seen in Lottery recipients, sadly.
Yeah it's not saying the rich won't get into heaven. Just those who are rich quite often obsess over wealth and are distracted from the spiritual by the endless pursuit of earthly pleasures. There are plenty and plenty of good people, both rich and poor.
Well said!
There was/is an "eye of the needle" gate in Jerusalem. It's very thin, as a security measure, and you can't enter it while riding a camel. You had to take everything off, and only then could you make it through without holding too many things.
Jesus was using that as an allegory, that in order to get into heaven you can't covet so many things that you're not willing to let go of.
It's more about the impossibility of wealth, riches or deeds to buy your way into heaven. The wealth cannot save them; that gift can only come through Jesus. However, the poor, wealthy, good and evil can all be used for God's purpose and sometimes they are able to be used in an unbelievable way.