Thursday, December 23, 2010

Misunderstanding in the Bible


One of the most often quoted and misunderstood sayings in the Bible.

bible

"I don't know why people on the other side of the world are born into abject poverty and I was born in America with more opportunity for wealth, but I do know god puts money in your life as a test. Money is immoral. It can be used for building children's hospitals or used for evil. Money is not the root of all evil, the love of money and how one uses it may be. Below is one of the most often misquoted and misunderstood sayings in the bible." - Editor



"And again I say to you, 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." Mathew 19:24


Hint - not a camel, not a large gate of a walled city or the small gate beside the large one that only foot traffic went through as mentioned in the book The Syrian Christ. The small gate of the walled cites and feudal castles of Palestine has never been called the eye of the needle and the large gates have never been called a needle. The name for the small gate was "plum" and I am Sure the scriptural passage above makes no reference to it whatsoever.
Hint- The Aramaic word "Gamla" used for camel also has 2 other meanings, "a Rope" and "a "Beam" The context will determine the right English translation of the word gamla.
Hint - Eastern woman and Aramaic speaking woman of  the time of Jesus refer to thickest of threads as "Rope".

Answer, using the proper translations of idioms and Aramaic language of the day.
"And again I say to you, It is easier for the thickest of thread to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Mathew 19:24  Jesus was indicating there is resistance if one puts materialism before God, not an impossibility of the rich man to enter the kingdom of God.


"Do not believe everything that is said or written by an authority, or if it is said to come from angels, or from Gods, or from an inspired scribe. Believe it only if you have explored it in your own heart and mind and found it to be true. Find your own way, through gentle persistence and intuitive knowing. Seek and you shall find the spirit of truth, for it dwells with you and is in you."