Humble in the Presence of God

“And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!”  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.”  They were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?”  Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”  Mark 10:23-25

In ancient walled cities there were large gates which opened in the daytime to allow caravans to come in, but at night these gates were closed, and a much smaller door would be opened to allow people to enter the city.  The smaller door was called the eye of the needle.  If a person wanted to bring his camel into the city through the eye of the needle, the only way the camel could pass through was if it was unloaded of its cargo, its saddle was removed, and it got down on its knees and scooted through the opening. 

Jesus used this illustration to say that for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God, they needed to humble themselves.  They could not rely on their wealth, their power or their authority to get into heaven.  They only could gain eternal life in the same way as everyone else: by humbling themselves before Jesus, and receiving Him as their Lord, Master and Savior.