Did he really say that?

In Mark 10 we read the story of an encounter that Jesus has with a rich man, who comes to him with a question: what must I do to inherit eternal life? The question is sincere and Jesus sees great potential in this man, and so calls him to follow him (one of the few people Jesus explicitly calls in this way). But because this will involve the dispersal of his many assets, the man is not willing to do this (not yet, anyway).

This encounter sparks a well-known saying from Jesus: 'It is is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God' (Mark 10:25).

A few years (maybe decades?!) back, someone suggested that there was a gate in Jerusalem called 'The eye of the needle', so-named because it was very small. In this scenario, the picture therefore is of a camel squeezing through a narrow gap, probably under some duress from its owner. It's a nice idea, and helps us to feel a little more comfortable with Jesus' words.

A nice idea - but there's no evidence that such a gate ever existed. And if Jesus were simply saying that it was extremely difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of God, why do his disciples say 'who then can be saved?' (v26). But the biggest problem with this theory is precisely the fact that it makes Jesus' words more palatable, and therefore easier to ignore. Whereas in fact Jesus is using a familiar idea from Jewish thought (sometimes the animal is an elephant) to say some very challenging things about wealth and its dangers, about how it grabs hold of our hearts and demands our loyalty.

Let's be wary of domesticating Jesus and rendering him inoffensive. And let's take seriously what he has to say to us, those who are among the wealthiest people ever to live on earth.