Day 16 - Can A Camel Fit Through A Needle?
- Pastor b.Side
- Apr 15
- 3 min read
When His disciples heard [it], they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at [them] and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” - Matthew 19:25-26
In Luke 17:11-19, the Bible tells how Jesus healed ten lepers at the same time. Only one of them was humble and grateful enough to come back to Jesus, thanking and praising Him. This shows that many people benefit from God's power but don’t recognize Him or understand the true purpose of that power. Many expect God to use His power to improve our lives. He does, but His focus is much wider. God wants to keep us out of hell! We should be thankful for that. Right?
The Bible teaches that “none are righteous” in Romans 3:10. It states that all people sin and fall short of God’s glory, condemned by this sin from the moment of conception (Psalm 51:5). This is why Jesus said He didn’t come to condemn the world; it’s already condemned because we’re all born with dead souls heading for hell. God doesn’t want the people He created to face hell because of our natural condition. When the Bible refers to God’s salvation, it speaks of the power He uses to free our souls from condemnation, saving us from sin, death, and hell.
“Who then can be saved…”
When Jesus’ disciples looked at Him with astonishment and asked who could be saved, they were addressing a crucial issue: Who can be saved from God’s righteous judgment against sin? Why were they so surprised when they asked this? Jesus had just told them that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a sewing needle than for a rich person to enter heaven because of their wealth. This was shocking to them because their understanding of heaven and hell came from misconceptions of scripture. Like most others, they believed that a person gets into heaven if their good deeds outweigh their bad ones. By that logic, they thought that material wealth was a sign of God’s approval. They were mistaken.
“With men this is impossible…”
If we all start life spiritually dead, how can we do works that God values? It’s completely impossible for anyone to do anything good and worthwhile in God’s eyes to earn their way into His kingdom. We lack the power, and we can do nothing to obtain it. Fortunately, God has the power. He can do the impossible. Yes, He can fit camels through the eye of a sewing needle if He chooses. More practically, God can forgive our sins, give life to our corrupted souls, impute righteousness to us, and lift us into His presence despite our corrupted spiritual state, for anyone in the world at any time. That’s how God intends to use His power, and the only way to benefit from it is by trusting that Jesus is the sole means through which that power is made available. He’s the One who saves our souls from sin, death, and hell, where otherwise, it’s impossible.
Prayer for today
Our heavenly Father, thank You for achieving the impossible on our behalf. We confess that our righteousness is as worthless as filthy rags, but Jesus came to do what we could never do ourselves. Keep us from relying on our own merits and misguided ideas of heaven and hell. Help us to look to You alone to demonstrate Your power in the way that matters most – to save us from the hellfire we deserve. We trust that Jesus has done everything needed to be pleasing in Your sight. Let repentant humility and faithful gratitude shape our lives in response to the salvation You’ve freely given us, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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