“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭10:25‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

There is a big discussion about this verse. People are trying to understand what Jesus is talking about the eye of the needle. Some people propose that camel should be changed to rope because this would make more sense. After all, camel and rope are only one letter apart in the Hebrew and Aramaic. They suppose that the earlier manuscripts missed this letter and it became camel instead of rope. But the New Testament was written in Greek and camel and rope are two different words. I find this argument to have no foundation. I think Jesus meant camel. 

Then the discussion is the eye of the needle just that or is it a gate in Israel? During my study, I kept seeing that there is no archeological evidence of a smaller gate beside the main gate. But that may not be enough to discredit this theory. What if the smaller gate was set one course high in the bricks? Then during excavations of this sight would leave the wall intact at the foundation but the gates would be missing. 

The biggest clue comes from the text of Mark Matthew and Luke.

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” So they were even more astonished, saying to one another, “Then who can be saved? ” Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭10:25-27‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://www.bible.com/72/mrk.10.25-27.hcsb

“For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard this asked, “Then who can be saved? ” He replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭18:25-27‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://www.bible.com/72/luk.18.25-27.hcsb

“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were utterly astonished and asked, “Then who can be saved? ” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19:24-26‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://www.bible.com/72/mat.19.24-26.hcsb

The disciples heard Jesus and wondered if it was even possible for the wealthy to be saved. But Jesus’ replied assured them that it was possible for God to save the wealthy just as it would be possible for God to fit a camel through the eye of a needle. 

So back to the gate theory! Jesus had asked this rich young ruler to go sell all He had and give to the poor and come follow Him. What was this young man to do? He was to strip all his wealth so that he would be left with the basics of life and follow Jesus. Now how would a camel fit through the eye of the needle gate? The rider would have to strip off all of the luggage attached to the camel and the camel would have to walk on its knees through the small opening left for access to the city. So the idea, principle, would be that wealthy, or anyone for that matter, has to strip off all they trust in and approach Jesus in a humble manner on our knees. We have to approach Jesus letting go of everything to properly worship and work for Him. 

So if there was an eye of the needle gate in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus or not I have no idea, but Jesus was talking literally of fitting a camel through the eye of a needle. But later when Jerusalem’s walls were rebuilt they fit Jesus’ metaphor into the gate constructions and called it “the eye of the needle”. But the principle of these bible verses is that we must cast off all our earthy goods to God’s use to be fit for the kingdom of God.

“But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭9:62‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://www.bible.com/72/luk.9.62.hcsb