If you have ever spent time reading the New Testament of the Bible, more than likely you came across the words of Jesus, “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.” (Mark 10:25). Bible scholars agree, there is no question that Jesus said these words, but there are those gullible preachers who have and continue spread a wishful interpretation in order to sound dynamic and educated. For them, the eye of a needle was actually a small gate in Jerusalem where camels had to crawl on their knees to fit through the gate into the city of Jerusalem. There's one problem with this popular “educated” and “dynamic” interpretation, it is not true. There is not one shred of archaeological evidence that such a gate ever existed in Jerusalem.
Where did they get this interpretation? The furthest back we can go with this interpretation is to that of Theophylact, a Byzantine archbishop of the Middle Ages (around 1055 – after 1107 CE) who wrote a Bible commentary. Some have suggested that his interpretation came from the early Church Fathers, however, there is no such evidence that goes any further back than Theophylact himself.
Simply, Jesus' words about the eye of a needle are actually an exaggeration to catch the attention of his followers. It is a hyperbole. As you read the words of Jesus throughout the four Gospels, you will discover that he used this type of speech a lot. Here is another example found in Luke 6:41, Jesus said, “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye but do not notice the log in your own eye?” And yes, there are more... Jesus loved to use this effective teaching method. Jesus used a lot of hyperboles. Adela Yarbro Collins writes:
The hyperbolic character of the saying catches the attention of the audience effectively and leads them to confront seriously the problem with wealth as a hindrance to entering the kingdom.
Did other ancient writers use such exaggerations to connect with their students and readers? Yes, for example, in early Judaism we find such statements where it is an elephant, not a camel, that had to go through the eye of a needle (See Witherington III).
In our next study, we will answer the question of whether or not Jesus was a pure Jew.
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