Weighted Down By Our Possessions
A famous carpenter remarked a couple of thousand years ago that “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 10:25). Well, I have never seen a camel small enough or a needle big enough for this to happen, so I originally surmised, mistakenly, this meant being materially rich was something to be avoided. Yeah, didn’t make much sense to me either. So clearly, I lacked understanding. So, a little context first: according to many historians ancient cities were often surrounded by high, thick walls with large gates to facilitate traffic in and out of the city. At night the large gates would be closed, and small easily defended man-sized doors were the only way in, these doors were known as the Needle’s Eye. So perhaps a clearer translation would be: It is easier for a camel to pass through the Needle’s Eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Now, camels could be brought through the Needle’s Eye, but it required unloading them first, which is the spiritual crux of the teaching. Camels don’t care what they are carrying, rocks or gold makes no difference to them, only that it eventually comes off, the sooner the better. In this the camel often seems wiser than us. Whether we are rich in physical possessions or not, we carry all sorts of baggage, impediments to entering the Kingdom of Heaven. Selfishness, hubris, spiritual pride, condemnation, bigotry (overt and subtle), hatred, self-centeredness, fear in a hundred guises are all examples of “possessions”, the things we choose to define us, which keep us locked in the bondage of self. Living on the Spiritual Basis we have become willing and ready to be free of this bondage, setting aside our possessions: physical, mental, and emotional, performing the work daily to become and remain “poor in spirit.”
Remember, poor in spirit does not mean poor spirited, conversely it means we have unburdened ourselves of our baggage, the things blocking us off from the sunlight of the spirit, by a simple reliance on “Our Father”, turning in all things to Him who has all knowledge and power, finally realizing the truth of our connection and birthright as children of the Miraculous.
So, if you are trudging the road of happy destiny weighed down by your possessions, cast off your pack and leave it by the side of the road, become truly poor in spirit, weightless, cart wheeling through the Needle’s Eye, somersaulting into the Kingdom of Heaven, free at last.
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