Grace Like a Camel; Luke 18:24-30

Delivered during the Sunday Morning Worship Service, 12/15/2024. Luke wraps up the story of the rich young ruler with a commentary by Jesus on how hard it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. He uses a famous analogy of a camel fitting through the eye of a needle. We will analyze what Jesus means by this, and then consider the significance of Peter's followup statement, that he and his fellow disciples had indeed "left all" to follow Jesus. The passage ends with a glorious promise that all who sacrifice for the Kingdom of God will be richly rewarded both in the "here and now" and in the "not yet". We will realize that Jesus' short parable of the camel applies not only to the very rich but to all who seek to justify themselves before God through their own self-righteousness. Ultimately we will see that Jesus is emphasizing it takes "grace like a camel" for a single condemned sinner to be saved.