God's "Needle"

 [Luke 18:1-27]

We’ve spoken of the encounter in today's Gospel many times [Luke 18:18-27].  Let’s take another view of it, hopefully from a different angle, a different perspective.

We’ve heard on a number of occasions those who come to Jesus asking, What must I do to achieve the goal of eternal life, of entry into the Kingdom of Heaven.  The Lord’s answer is consistent.  Follow the commandments.  Love God. Love your neighbor.  Love those who hate you.  Do good.

Typically those who get to this point become entangled not by the simplicity of the path outlined (for it IS ‘simple’), but rather by their attachments to the things of this world.

We live here.  Our five senses are focused here.  We have no physical sense that allows us to perceive anything beyond this world.  If we’re going to perceive things of eternity, we must develop a spiritual sense.  We have to believe in something that the five senses cannot help us to believe in.

We have to have faith!

In today’s encounter with the certain ruler, this is exactly where the interplay between our Lord and the man leads.  Jesus tells him plainly that which separates him from eyes that can see beyond ‘here’, eyes that can see into eternity.  And again, it is simple.

You lack ONE THING. 

Only one?  You’re not going to critique my state of repentance?  You’re not going to tell me about people I’ve ignored or offended?  Only one thing?  We can sense the man thinking, “This should be easy!”

And it is—IF the man’s heart is right.  But it’s not.  Jesus’ instruction is VERY simple.

Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.

The physical bond between this dirt, this place of “things that don’t matter” is the greatest stumbling block that exists—I dare say for any of us.  We want ‘security’.  We want to believe (for we cannot “know”) that what we have today will carry us through tomorrow.  We are afraid to trust in God to provide us with all we will need tomorrow.  And so we trust in ourselves as a source of security in a world that can take our perceived security away in a heartbeat.  Earthquake?  Flood?  Fire?  Significant illness?  War? How many ways are there for the world to snatch anything we perceive as being our self-generated security for tomorrow, snatch it away from our very hands?

Worse  than this, Jesus gives today’s man the greatest potential blessing that one could hope for. 

Come, follow Me.

Can you imagine anything you might possibly need that the Lord would not provide for you as one who walked with Him, talked with Him, witnessed His miracles.  What “need” could you manifest that God the Son could not and would not provide for you if you were one of His Apostles?

Jesus ends by teaching, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.  The Holy Fathers teach that these words point not to an animal, but to a rope (play on Aramaic word ‘gamalo’ vs. ‘gamala’, camel or rope—St. Cyril of Alexandria, 376-444, in Fragment 219).  Jesus plainly says, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

Knowing my sinfulness, Lord I ask You to open wide the eye of Your needle when You call me to leave this life!