19:22-24
The man, who we are now told was young, was very wealthy and went away sad. Jesus then shocks the disciples, not for the first time, by telling them it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. This went against all expectations, for surely the rich were blessed by God? It isn’t that wealth is wrong, for it is God who gives wealth, but the human tendency is to make an idol out of money. We look to money for our security and happiness. We should only look to God for security and happiness. Jesus then stresses the point by His eye of a needle comment. You have probably heard that one of the gates in Jerusalem was called “the eye of a needle”. There actually isn’t much evidence to support this claim. Jesus is stressing how difficult/impossible it is for a rich man to be saved.
19:25,26
With the assumption that the rich are blessed, the disciples then reason that no one can be saved. Jesus then replies “with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”. So the rich can be saved, and actually it is difficult/impossible for anyone to be saved. It is only God who can save. Now the poor are actually more likely to look to God than the rich. For the rich might think they have all they need, even thinking they are in control of life. The poor know full well that they are not in control of life. However, in either case it is God who saves, and it is possible for anyone to be saved.
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