At the climax of the film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the hero and his entourage, defeat the villains at the cave city of Petra in Jordan. Aside from being the most likely place that the Magi were able to purchase gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh en route to Bethlehem, Petra appears covertly in the New Testament by way of analogy in a teaching issued by Christ regarding wealth. Approached by a rich young man as to what was necessary to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, the Gospel of Matthew has Christ instructing his followers: "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19: 24, NRSV)

What is "the eye of the needle"?

"Eye of the Needle" Petra, Jordan Dr Kania sent me this photo with a note that it was named International Photo of the Year but I've been unable to find further information on it as yet.

The common error for those who read this passage, is twofold: first, that Christ is alluding to a camel passing through a hole the size of a sewing needle's eye; second, that wealth is in some way the arbitrary licence for damnation. With regard the first case, "the eye of a needle" is in fact a geographic location, some would say that Christ is referring to a gate within the walled city of Jerusalem, others that Christ may have been alluding to the extremely narrow canyon entry to Petra, that caravans passed through in order to travel to this ancient and wealthy trade city and so arrive at its grand Treasury building.

Second, with regard riches, the actual acquisition of wealth is not in itself sinful, as benefactors, philanthropists, bursaries, and such like testify. The Dominican mystic Eckhart also reminds us that there is no more sin in a bar of gold, or a diamond ring, than in a bucket of mud. But it is the distorted view that wealth may give us of ourselves and others, that quite often does lead to sin. Moreover it is a poor theologian who claims that there is something intrinsically redemptive in seeing your children hungry, your wife despairing, your family cold, the bills for everyday needs insurmountable.

In Charles Dickens' tale, A Christmas Carol, the nineteenth century English novelist, has the central character, Ebenezer Scrooge, learn the following lesson from one of this ghostly guides: "There are some upon this earth of yours," returned the Spirit, "who lay claim to know us, and who do their deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness in our name, who are as strange to us and all out kith and kin, as if they had never lived. Remember that, and charge their doings on themselves, not us."

Dickens' novel concentrates on an all-too-familiar and sad character, the individual who has become so wealthy in temporal matters that they are now larger not only than their own life, but also with regard to the lives and needs of their fellow human beings. Wealth does lead to pride, when comparisons are drawn by what material wealth we have, and what others do not have; wealth does lead to selfishness, when in order to gain temporal goods, we forgo compassion for our neighbour, or time spent in loving others, especially our families; wealth does lead to avarice when in order to satisfy our wants, we supplement honest earnings with ill-gotten coin; wealth does lead to bigotry, when once attained, we wish to keep distant from those not in our 'class', who may remind us of where we have come from, or where we don't ever want to be.

Power, wealth, and prestige, have the innate ability to delude people that somehow mortality travels slower on an expensive time piece. It is this delusion that life will never come to an end, or that immortality can be bought, that too often induces the wealthy to treat those less temporally well-endowed with disdain.

In Pope Paul VI's encyclical of 1967, Populorum Progressio, succinct mention was made of the 'problem of wealth': "But the acquiring of temporal goods can lead to greed, to the insatiable desire for more, and can make increased power a tempting objective. Individuals, families, and nations can be overcome by avarice, be they poor or rich, and all can fall victim to a stifling materialism".

The point of Christ's "eye of the needle" teaching is not that the wealthy will be forbidden entry into the Kingdom of Heaven, but that all material possessions will count as nought; the teaching asks the individual to place all things temporal in their true perspective.

It is therefore better for those with material wealth to live as if they had no temporal treasures, than to have lived at the cost of their spirits; at the cost of what God requires of us for His own sake and for the sake of our neighbours. One can be a Christian and be wealthy in temporal matters; but one cannot be a Christian and ignore the sufferings of others, as one can no more be a Christian and treat others as play-things with injustice at the work-place, or from the judicial bar, or across the legislator's bench. True, Saints have worn kingly crowns, or chains of office, or scholarly gowns, or knightly titles, but these Saints have never lost sight that the God who empowers all, chose not only to be born poor, but born even to the meanest of circumstances.

Those with surplus wealth should not despise their state, but rejoice that through their honest labour they have more than they need. From this point onward, prudence is required on the part of the wealthy, in order for the common good to be nurtured.

St John Chrysostom

Threading the eye of the needle should therefore not be a task arduous. It is a matter of being able to open one's eyes to the plight of others, and one's being to the experience of God; it is as much a social question as it is a personal one. We must never forget that the Treasury which awaits us in Heaven contains riches far more sublime and eternal than those the ancient traders to Petra expected; or than those which people today sell their souls and integrity in order to obtain. St John Chrysostom's fourth century exhortation resounds with as much immediacy for us, as it did for the audience in his Age: "Remember how we have been created. All the human beings have a common ancestor. Thus all human flesh has the same substance; there is no difference between the flesh of noble-men and that of peasants. When we commit an act of charity, in which we use our excess wealth to help someone with too little, we are acknowledging our unity with others. After all, the rich and poor have the same flesh, the hunger of the poor should cause pain to the rich; and pain can only be soothed through assuaging that hunger".

The eye of the needle has been placed before us, it is only a matter of desiring with heart, soul and mind to enter.

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©2007 Dr Andrew Thomas Kania

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