20th Week in Ord. Time, Tuesday – 16th August 2022 — Gospel: Mt 19,23-30
Obstacle for Salvation
In comparing the wealthy’s chances of entering heaven to a camel passing through the needle’s eye, Jesus shows their incompatibility to enter and the challenges faced by them. The “eye of a needle” refers to the gate in Jerusalem. It was a large hole within the city wall that permitted people to enter after the gates were shut. They were made so that a person could enter and find protection, but they were not big enough for animals such as horses, mules, or camels. In those days, camels were considered the largest animal people would ever know. Just as the eye of the needle is made for a person to slip through, the kingdom of heaven is for those whose hearts are free from the enslavement of worldly things. Jesus does not mean that one who owns earthly treasures cannot enter heaven; rather, earthly treasures can be an obstacle for those who use them for their personal gain, usurping serving others, and giving glory to God in the use of created things. He is establishing the truth that Paul will state in Rom 3,23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The solution to this problem is that it is possible with God.
