Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 19:24

"And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through a needle`s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." — Matthew 19:24 (ASV)

Weighty words are introduced with the authoritative formula, Again I say to you. Into this statement our Lord throws the full weight of His personality. He uses an expressive proverb, which means precisely what the words convey to the common reader. There is no sense in hunting for abstruse metaphors where the proverbial teaching is as plain as possible. He wanted to show that wealth is far more a hindrance than a help to those who would enter into the kingdom of God.

In fact, it is such a hindrance as to render the matter practically impossible without divine intervention. A camel is not only large, but it has humps, and how can it go through so small an opening as the eye of a needle? It could not make such a passage except by an extraordinary miracle, nor can a rich man enter into the kingdom of God except by a marvel of grace.

How few of the rich even hear the Gospel! They are too great, too fine, too busy, too proud to regard the lowly preacher of the Gospel of the poor. If, perhaps, they do hear the heavenly message, they do not have the necessities and tribulations that drive people from the present world to seek consolation in the world to come, and so they feel no need to accept Christ. “Gold and the Gospel seldom do agree.” Those who are rich in this world, in the vast majority of instances, scorn to become subjects of the kingdom in which faith is riches and holiness is honor.

If the rich begin the divine life, how hard it is for them to persevere amid the cares, the luxuries, the temptations of a wealthy position! The difficulties are enormous when we think of the pride of life, the flattery of rank, the danger of power, the risk of carnal security. Yet, blessed be God, we have seen rich men become poor in spirit! We have seen camels go through this needle’s eye, humps and all! We hope to see many more such miracles of almighty grace.