A needle’s eye is poor passage for a camel. According to Matthew 19:24, a camel can more easily make it through a needle’s eye than a rich man can pass into heaven.
Striking Image
When a rich, righteous young man, who had been keeping all the “commandments” he knew, asked Jesus “What lack I yet,” he may have been expecting assurance that he was doing well. He definitely was not expecting the answer that he got: “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me” (Matthew 19:21-26).
“The boldness of this directive caused the young ruler—in spite of his expensive sandals—to get cold feet,” as Jeffrey R. Holland expressed it. He added, “Ultimately it is a story about wholehearted, unreserved devotion to divine responsibility . . . In the vernacular of today’s youth, we are to declare ourselves ‘all in.'”
Since he couldn’t declare himself “all in,” the young man declared himself all out and left quickly. Jesus explained to disciples standing by,
A rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven . . . It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Jesus used a strong and striking image. His followers (rich, young, or otherwise) needed principles, values, and understanding—with images they could visualize and remember. They knew camels, and they knew needles; the enormous size of the difference wasn’t lost on anyone.
The “exceeding amazed” disciples asked, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus replied, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (verses 25–26).
Deceitful Riches
“The theology of prosperity” is the term Dallin H. Oaks attached to what he considered “deceitfulness of riches” and described as “attitudes or priorities . . . fixed on the acquisition, use, or possession of property.”
Elder Oaks assured readers that “He was not identifying an evil in the possession of riches but an evil in [the] follower’s attitude toward them. The root of all evil is not money but the love of money (see 1 Timothy 6:10).” Elder Oaks warned that we are in danger when we allow trivial things to distract us, including entitlement mentality.
The Nephites were rewarded with prosperity when they were righteous, but suffered greatly and were eventually destroyed when they stopped worshipping and obeying God. There is nothing wrong with having camels unless we love the camels more than the Lord.
Those closest to the Savior turned their backs on worldliness. The Magi traveled from a distant country bringing to Jesus the riches his parents would need to get Him to safety in Egypt. John the Baptist, of course, came right out of the desert and was “all in.” When Christ called the apostles, they came immediately. Peter, Andrew, James, and John left their boats and nets, their earthly livelihood, leaving James and John’s father to cope with these details. Mary Madeline and the women who came with her traveled faithfully with Christ, ministering to Him, all the way to Calvary. Saul of Tarsus walked away from his privileged family and religious position when he was rescued from the road to Damascus. Judas Iscariot was the only one who failed.
We might consider what can happen to rich rulers entangled hopelessly in deceitful riches—for example three Herods and Pontius Pilate, whose entire motivation was more power, possessions, luxuries, and dead “enemies.” The rich young ruler who spoke with Christ failed on only one item at the needle’s eye—they failed totally.
Uncompromised Commitment
“With or without riches, each of us is to come to Christ with the same uncompromised commitment to His gospel that was expected of this young man,” Elder Holland added to his comment on trembling in expensive sandals. Despite obeying the common commandments, he couldn’t pass the needle’s eye-camel test. His devotion to and comfort in worldly possessions was greater than his devotion to and desire to follow the Savior.
Becoming extremely serious, Elder Holland revealed the extent of uncompromised commitment. “When we pledge to follow Him, the path will, one way or another, pass by way of a crown of thorns and a stark Roman cross.” Can we be willing to follow this path?
Abraham followed every commitment, commandment, instruction, and expectation God gave him—from the moment God rescued him from being a human sacrifice until the end of his very long life. Abraham went where the Lord told him to go, when, and how.
Abraham lived as the Lord told him to live. This included rescuing his nephew Lot (and possessions) after attacks on Lot’s chosen Sodom and trying to get Lot up the mountain when Sodom was destroyed. He established a relationship with, learned from, followed, and paid tithing to Melchezidek. He used his wealth and influence as the Lord directed.
His final needle’s eye was to bind his covenant son, Isaac, to sacrifice him as God commanded. Abraham was so totally committed that He was going through the kind of agony God the Father would go through in sacrificing His son Jesus Christ. God provided a ram to save Isaac, but Jesus could not be spared.
Some are blessed—or cursed—with worldly prosperity. They have the agency to use their wealth to serve God and benefit His other children or to enjoy themselves and hurt other people with selfish glee.
The scriptures don’t tell us whether the rich young man who walked away from Jesus eventually strengthened his faith, corrected his values, and came back to the Savior. Many of us hope that he did, and that we can repent and change as well. Those who reject Christ have camels that are huge and overwhelming; a needle’s eye will probably not enter their consciousness until time for them to meet God and know that “Jesus Christ is our treasure.”
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