RETURN TO SYLLABUS
THE PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST
LESSON #39
THE PARABLE OF THE CAMEL AND THE RICH MAN (MAT 19:16-26)

• MEMORY VERSE: LUK 6:38

• THE PARABLE OF THE CAMEL AND THE RICH MAN (MAT 19:16-26)
• READ MAT 19:16-30 FOR THE CONTEXT OF THE PARABLE.
• READ MAR 10:17-31
• THE CONTEXT:
• WE SEE JESUS’ SUPERNATURAL PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE CONDITION OF THIS MAN’S HEART. JESUS DEALS WITH HIM VERY PERSONALLY.
• THIS MAN THOUGHT THAT KEEPING THE MOSAIC LAW COULD SAVE A PERSON.
• THIS IDEA WAS COMMON THROUGH THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE NEW TESTAMENT. IT IS EQUALLY COMMON TODAY THAT PEOPLE THINK THEY WILL GAIN ETERNAL LIFE BY LIVING A MORALLY LAWFUL LIFE.
• JESUS’ MESSAGE:
• JESUS POINTS OUT THAT IT IS NOT BY ONE’S OWN GOOD WORKS THAT MAN IS SAVED.
• JESUS TELLS HIM TO GO AND KEEP THE MOSAIC LAW KNOWING FULL WELL THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP THE LETTER OF THE LAW ALL THE TIME.
• READ GAL 2:16
• READ GAL 3:24
• THE LAW WAS TO SHOW MAN GOD’S STANDARD IN ORDER TO POINT OUT HOW FAR SHORT OF THAT STANDARD IS MAN’S ACHIEVEMENT
• JESUS IS SETTING THE MAN UP WITH A VERY TENDER SPIRITUAL TRAP.
• NOTICE THE 6 COMMANDMENTS THAT JESUS REPEATS FROM EXO 20:
• THE FIRST FOUR COMMANDMENTS IN EXO 20 REFER TO MAN’S RELATIONSHIP TO GOD. (EXO 20:1-11)
• THE LAST 6 COMMANDMENTS REFER TO MAN’S RELATIONSHIP TO MAN. (EXO 20:12-17)
• JESUS MENTIONED THE LAST 6 COMMANDMENTS BECAUSE HE KNEW THE MAN DID NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH HIS RELATIONSHIP TO OTHERS. THE MAN ONLY HAD A PROBLEM WITH HIS RELATIONSHIP TO GOD.
• NOTICE THAT THE MAN CLAIMED THAT HE KEPT ALL THE MOSAIC LAW.
• TO WHOM DOES JESUS SPEAK THE PARABLE?
• JESUS SPOKE THIS PARABLE TO THE RICH MAN AND TO THE DISCIPLES.
• WHO DOES THE RICH MAN REPRESENT IN THE PARABLE? (23)
• THE RICH MAN IS ANYONE WHOSE GOD IS WEALTH AND MATERIAL POSESSIONS.
• WHAT DOES THE CAMEL THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE REPRESENT?
• JESUS USES A FIGURE OF SPEECH TO ILLUSTRATE A NEAR IMPOSSIBILITY.
• CITIES, IN THAT TIME PERIOD AND IN THE MIDDLE EAST, HAD A LARGE MAIN GATE THAT REMAINED OPEN DURING THE DAY LIGHT HOURS. HOWEVER, ALL THE GATES OF THE CITY WOULD BE CLOSED AT SUNDOWN FOR SAFETY FROM MARAUDING BANDS OF ROBBERS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE SMALL GATE THAT WAS ALWAYS OPEN FOR LATE TRAVELERS. AT THIS ONE SMALL GATE, A CAMEL WOULD BE ABLE TO SQUEEZE HIMSELF THROUGH ON HIS KNEES IF ONE FIRST EMPTIED THE CAMEL OF ITS LOAD AND THEN PULLED THE CAMEL THROUGH. THAT VERY SMALL GATE WAS CALLED "THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE".
• IN OTHER WORDS, IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A CAMEL THROUGH THE "EYE OF THE NEEDLE" (THE SMALL GATE) BUT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE, AND NOT WITHOUT A GREAT DEAL OF DIFFICULTY.
• WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO THE DISCIPLES QUESTION, "WHO, THEN CAN BE SAVED?" (25)
• NOTICE THAT JESUS DOES NOT SAY THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR A RICH MAN TO BE SAVED. HE ONLY SAYS THAT IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT A RICH MAN IS SAVED.
• WHY IS IT DIFFICULT FOR A RICH MAN TO BE SAVED?
• THE ANSWER IS THAT WEALTH CAN EASILY BECOME A GOD TO A PERSON. INSTEAD OF TRUSTING GOD, A WEALTHY PERSON TURNS TO HIS OWN RESOURCES WHEN HE NEEDS HELP.
• THE RICH MAN IN THE PARABLE HAD A PROBLEM WITH HIS WEALTH. HE BROKE THE FIRST COMMANDMENT WHEN HE MADE A GOD OUT OF HIS WEALTH AND DID NOT PUT GOD FIRST.
• THE RICH MAN’S WEALTH WAS A STUMBLING BLOCK TO HIS OWN SPIRITUAL SALVATION.
• TO KEEP THE MOSAIC LAW DOES NOT GET A PERSON SAVED.
• VERSE 26 SAYS THAT IT IS GOD WHO DOES THE SAVING AND NOT MAN WORKING FOR IT.
• WHY DID JESUS NOT TELL THE MAN THIS FACT? INSTEAD HE TOLD THE MAN TO GO OUT AND KEEP THE LAW BETTER BY SELLING ALL HIS WORLDLY GOODS.
• JESUS KNEW THAT A PERSON MUST COME TO REALIZE FOR HIMSELF HIS FAILURE TO KEEP THE LAW. WHEN THE MAN CAME TO THE END OF HIS ATTEMPTS TO EARN HIS OWN SALVATION, HE WOULD RETURN TO JESUS AND ACCEPT THE FREE GIFT OF SALVATION FROM GOD.
• WHAT IS GOD’S ATTITUDE TOWARD WEALTH?
• GOD BLESSES BELIEVERS WITH WEALTH WHEN HE KNOWS THAT PERSON CAN HANDLE IT PROPERLY AND USE IT FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.
• ABRAHAM IS A GOOD BIBLICAL EXAMPLE.
• IT IS NOT WEALTH THAT IS SO BAD. IT IS A PERSON’S ATTITUDE TOWARD THAT WEALTH THAT IS THE STUMBLING BLOCK.
• WEALTH TENDS TO LEAD TO PRIDE, SELF-INDULGENCE, AND SELFISH POWER. .
• NOTICE THE RICH MAN BRAGGED THAT HE KEPT ALL THE MOSIC LAW. THIS IS A GOOD INDICATION OF HIS PERSONAL PRIDE.
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?
• WEALTH CAN BE A DETERRENT TO SEEKING AND RELYING ON GOD BECAUSE IT MAKES A PERSON HAVE A SELF-SUFFICIENT ATTITUDE WHICH IS EVIDENCE OF BREAKING THE FIRST COMMANDMENT.
• THE RICH MAN NEEDED TO UNLOAD HIS CAMEL OF HIS BAD ATTITUDE TOWARD HIS MATERIAL POSSESSIONS, OF HIS WEALTH, AND OF HIS OWN SELF-SUFFICIENT POWER.
• NOTICE THE RESPONSE OF PETER: (27-30)
• PETER SAYS THAT HE AND THE OTHER DISCIPLES HAVE GIVEN UP EVERYTHING FOR CHRIST. NOW HE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT THEY WILL GET AS A REWARD.
• THIS, TOO, IS A WRONG ATTITUDE FOR WE FOLLOW JESUS, GIVING UP OUR OWN LIFE OF DESIRES, BECAUSE WE LOVE HIM, NOT BECAUSE WE WILL RECEIVE A REWARD IN ETERNITY.
• THE JOY IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS GIVING WITH LOVE AND WITHOUT THE THOUGHT OF RECEIVING A REWARD.
• JESUS POINTS OUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE VALUE SYSTEM IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE VALUE SYSTEM IN THE WORLD TODAY. THESE TWO VALUE SYSTEMS ARE TOTALLY OPPOSITE.
• JESUS SAYS THAT THE FIRST SHALL BE LAST AND THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST.
• DISCUSSION: WHAT DO YOU THINK JESUS MEANT?

• IN REALITY, JESUS TELLS US WHAT HE MEANT IN THE NEXT PARABLE.