XPost: talk.politics.drugs
From: pxhxz@cadence.com

In article  Brother Nate  writes:

>You might want to read up on what Jesus had to say about
>worldly possessions and a rich man's chance of passing
>into heaven.

Ah, yes, that oft misinterpreted line.

Jesus said that it would be easier for a camel to pass "through the eye of the
needle" than for a rich man to enter into heaven.

What does this mean, exactly?

Since, obviously, a camel could never pass through the eye of a sewing needle
unless it were smashed into soup, and even then it would take more time than
anyone has, most people interpret this to mean that a rich man can't get into
heaven.

However, I've done some reading about the Middle East and Jerusalem in Jesus'
time, and according to one book I've read, the "eye of the needle" was a slang
term for the gates into the city of Jerusalem, which were narrow and low.  To
get a camel to enter through such a gate required convincing the camel to kneel
down and then shuffle through the gates on its knees.  If you know anything
about camels, you would know this is a difficult task.  Not impossible, though
(there were pictures in the book showing a camel doing just that).

So, I believe the correct interpretation of Jesus' statement is that for a
rich man to get into heaven, he must first humble himself -- figuratively
(or maybe even literally) crawl on his knees.

This makes much more sense in light of Jesus' other recorded teachings.

-Pete Zakel
 (phz@seeheader.nospam)

Misfortune, n.:
	The kind of fortune that never misses.

			-Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"

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 * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)