c. 30 | Judea

Through the Eye of a Needle

Packing light for the afterlife.

Behold, one came and said to Jesus, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”

And he said to him, “Why do you call me good? There is none good but one, that is, God; but if you will enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which?” Jesus said, “You shall do no murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor thy father and thy mother; and, you shall love thy neighbor as thyself.” The young man said to him, “All these things have I kept from my youth up; what lack I yet?” Jesus said to him, “If you will be perfect, go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus to his disciples, “Verily I say to you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus beheld them, and said to them, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Then Peter answered and said to him, “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed you; what shall we have therefore?” And Jesus said to them, “Verily I say to you, that you which have followed me, in the regeneration when the son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone that has forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.”

Frontispiece for 1612-13 King James Bible.
Contributor

The Bible

From the Gospel According to Matthew. Based on its numerous references to the Old Testament and Jewish prophecies, scholars have postulated that this gospel was intended for a Jewish readership. The first book of the New Testament, it contains some of Jesus’ best-known and most radical sayings, among them: “Whoever shall smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also”; “I say to you that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart”; and “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”