October 21, 2025 -The Needle

LUKE 18:9-14

MARK 10:1-12

MATTHEW 19:1-12

MARK 10:13-16

MATTHEW 19:13-15

LUKE 18:15-17

MARK 10:17-31

MATTHEW 19:16-30

LUKE 18:18-30

Chronological Bible Readings

Mark 10:17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 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.”

When I read this I was thinking about a teaching that I had heard in the past that the eye of the needle was not a literal sewing needle eye but a small opening in a wall that was too small for a camel to go through without all its packs being unloaded from it and it needing to kneel down to go through. At that thought I began to draw a parallel in my mind that the rich man had to unload all this stuff just like the camel had to have all its packs unloaded. I wanted to see if there was a particular wall that was being referenced. What I found was a blog post on "Grace to You" where the writers words and John MacArthur's teaching on it that he references made a whole lot more sense. I have shared it below because there is nothing left for me to say.

What Is the Eye of a Needle?

I will share a few quotes from the blog that refute the view of the hole in the wall theory.

That explanation can be quite compelling—after all, humility is necessary—as long as you don’t read the next two verses of Luke’s gospel: “They who heard it said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ But He said, ‘The things that are impossible with people are possible with God’” (Luke 18:26-27).

Mark 10:26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

I have used the version in Mark since I read it first but it all says the same thing. When we look at these verses it is clear that God is the only one who can make it possible.

Christ’s words make the point of His illustration abundantly clear. He can’t mean that the rich man can only attain salvation through humility—getting a camel to stoop and squeeze through a narrow gate might be challenging, but it doesn’t require divine intervention. In context, His point is unmistakable: Manufacturing your own salvation is just as impossible as threading a massive beast of burden through the eye of a sewing needle. Apart from the intervention of the Lord, it cannot be done.

The writer goes on to reference MacArthur's teaching that you can read for yourself on the blog.

He concludes with this summary.

Luke 18:25 is one of the clearest testimonies from our Lord on the inability of man to do anything to save himself. This doctrine of total inability is a vital component to the gospel; it highlights the impossibility of salvation apart from a sovereign work of God in a person’s heart. More than that it highlights God’s grace in that He does do that work. For that reason this text should lead to humble praise of our God and Savior.