Jesus spoke of the eye of the needle.?

Question

Jesus told this very wealthy man as he was walking with him. "It's easyer for a camel to jump over the eye of a needle then it is for a rich man to get into heaven." Jesus mentioned of an eye of a needle when the eye of the needle wasn't even invented until the 1650's. The needle been around for 30 thounsand years, but they started to manufacture the needle with an eye so the thread can get throw in 1650. If Jesus metioned this to this man, then how could this man understand what Jesus ment if he never seen an eye of an needle before?

Answer 1

well It is my understanding that one of the gates of the city was called the eye of the needle and to get through it the camels had to get on their knees to go through. And that is what he was referring to..
You need to get on your knees and humble yourself to get into the kingdom of heaven..

Mat 19:24 And again I say unto 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.

Answer 2

For the last two centuries it has been common teaching in Sunday School that there is a gate in Jerusalem called the eye of the needle through which a camel could not pass unless it stooped and first had all its baggage first removed.
After dark, when the main gates were shut, travellers or merchants would have to use this smaller gate, through which the camel could only enter unencumbered and crawling on its knees!
Great sermon material, with the parallels of coming to God on our knees without all our baggage. A lovely story and an excellent parable for preaching but unfortunately unfounded!
From at least the 15th century, and possibly as early as the 9th but not earlier, this story has been put forth, however, there is no evidence for such a gate, nor record of reprimand of the architect who may have forgotten to make a gate big enough for the camel and rider to pass through unhindered.

Variations on this theme include that of ancient inns having small entrances to thwart thieves, or the story of an old mountain pass known as the "eye of the needle", so narrow that merchants would have to dismount from their camels and were thus easier prey for brigands lying in wait.

Answer 3

Sorry I can't remember more on the subject but I seem to remember something about the first needles being made from bone. Are these the needles you are saying that were invented in 1650? It just seems the idea of a primitave bone needle seems plausable to be around in that time period. Even with a eye

Answer 4

I would like to help you to understand what Jesus was talking about. First of all he was talking to his disiples. He had just told a very rich young man who had just said that he had kept all the comandments all his life, Jesus told him if he wanted to be perfect that he should go and sell all that he owned and give to the poor and then to come and follow him.
The bible then says that the young man went away very sad because he was very rich.
You see he cared more for his earthly riches than he did for heavenly treasures.
The "eye of the needle" is what the small gate into the city was called it was a small entrance that people could go into and out of at night when the main gate was closed. A camel could also get through but just barley and only if all its load was removed from its back.
The point Jesus was trying to make was that the entance into heaven is straight and small and you cannot make it in unless you unload your riches and come in on your own.
In other words you wont make it to heaven by trusting in your riches to get you in. And you cant take it with you.
I hope this has helped you to understand this parable.
P.S. The kings and queens of the world wore many fine garments in those days. Surely you have to know that the needles that was used to make them had eyes.
Even king Tut's tomb containd golden needles with eyes in them. Next time you need to really need to know your facts before you try to act like Gods word is wrong instead of only acting like you do.
May God bless you and I hope you continue to learn the truth of God's word.

Answer 5

Actually the sewing needle has been around since prehistoric times, about 20,000 years. http://home.swipnet.se/Erik_Strand/inventio.htm
There is also a story that there was a gate into the city called the eye of the needle that the camels had to go through on their knees, hard but not impossible. I don't know if that story is true or not, I haven't researched it out.

The few web pages I've seen on the subject seem to disagree on the gate.

Answer 6

Actually, I believe there is evidence that various societies created needles with eyes in them long before the birth of Jesus. They may not have been "manufactured" that way, but those people who made their own still put eyes in them, I believe.

For the record, the folks who built the city and named the gates would have had to know about needles that had eyes before they named the gate "eye of the needle"...

Answer 7

The eye of the needle was the small gap in the wall that people could go through after the gates to the city were closed. In order for a camel to get through it would have to lie down and kind of scoot and be pulled into the walled city after dark. It was possible but extremely difficult.i

Answer 8

The quote doesn't refer to a camel jumping over the needle, but going through the eye of a needle, which referred to an architectural structure that people needed to pass through along a road. It didn’t mean that it was impossible, just a little bit tricky!

Answer 9

There was a narrow gate in Jerusalem back then known as the needle's eye that camels had trouble getting through so they must have had needles with eyes in them at that time.

Answer 10

the gates of the cities were closed at nite, but there were still crawl-holes in the walls where u cud force a camel thru on its knees if u were really good with camels. camels hated this.
Good question. I'm glad sum ppl r reasearching/thinking a little about what they ask b4 they ask it!!