The disciples were right to be stunned by Jesus. He had just told them, "Children, how hard it is 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” (Mark 10:24-25). You can hear the shock in their voice when they ask, “Who then can be saved?” You can imagine their surprise when he replied, “With man this is impossible.”
Various attempts to soften Jesus’ words have been made, but the disciple’s reaction shows that they understood the full force of what he meant. Some have tried to shift his attention solely upon “the rich”, believing they are then unaffected by the brunt of what he said, but Jesus never qualifies his statement. Indeed, any attempts by most people living within the United States to distance themselves from being among the rich prove unconvincing. With almost half the population of the world living on less than $2 a day, if his words
Various attempts to soften Jesus’ words have been made, but the disciple’s reaction shows that they understood the full force of what he meant. Some have tried to shift his attention solely upon “the rich”, believing they are then unaffected by the brunt of what he said, but Jesus never qualifies his statement. Indeed, any attempts by most people living within the United States to distance themselves from being among the rich prove unconvincing. With almost half the population of the world living on less than $2 a day, if his words