Jesus then commented to his students on how hard it was for the rich to put themselves under the rule of God, to enter the kingdom. Because of the common assumption that wealth meant God’s favor, they were stunned. In response to their amazement he went on to explain, “How hard it is for those who trust wealth to enter the kingdom! A camel can pass through the eye of a needle easier than a rich man can enter the kingdom of God.” But this “explanation” totally lost them. They were “astonished out of measure” and muttered to one another, “Who then can be saved?” (v. 26).
