What Christ asked of us

[hymnia]

jonquil reminds us of one of Christ's hardest teachings:

There are multiple verses, in multiple Gospels, to the same effect. 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." The Beatitudes. Jesus was deadly serious about the Christian duty to sacrifice everything and care for the poor.

In my reply, I pointed out that this wasn't the only thing Christ asked of us; but it is an important one, and too often overlooked by many Christians, especially North American Christians, today.

On a related note, I've heard this book is good: The Hole in Our Gospel: What does God expect of Us? The Answer that Changed my Life and Might Just Change the World.

Joie

Comments

[laurel-potter.livejournal.com]

Did you know that the camel-eye-of-the-needle thing is a mistranslation? The Greek words for camel and rope are similar.

[hymnia.livejournal.com]

I hadn't heard that before. Either way, neither a camel nor a rope fits easily through the eye of a needle. (Although, I've also heard that the "eye of a needle" may have referred to a gate into the city of Jerusalem that was too small for large animals to pass through.)