THE SLEDGEHAMMER OF TRUTH POUNDS THE CAMEL THROUGH THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE

And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24)

Why is it more difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle (Matthew 19:24)? The direness of our predicament in the Valley of Tears is one of the two engines of salvation. The other engine is the sweetness of paradise. The sweetness of paradise pulls us to the entrance of paradise. The direness of our predicament in the Valley of Tears pushes us to its exit. However, the serpent cast an illusion that sugarcoats the direness of our predicament in the Valley of Tears (Genesis 3:5). The sugarcoating induced Adam and Eve to run away, like foolish children, from their home with God in paradise and take us with them into the Valley of Tears. The sugarcoating is thicker for the rich man than for the poor man. The thickness of the sugarcoating makes it harder to shatter. The thicker the sugarcoating, the harder the sledgehammer of truth needs to work. A rich man thinks that he can exploit his riches to fend off the crosses that besiege us as we pass through the Valley of Tears (Luke 12:13-21). His riches can hold the crosses at bay. The poor man, not having the cushion of riches between himself and his crosses, is more aware than the rich man of the direness of his predicament. Riches conjure up the dangerous illusion of safety and of independence from God (Luke 12:16-21). Riches give the rich man a false sense of security. A poor man with no resources is much more likely to turn to God than a rich man with resources. God is the resource of the poor man. God is all that the poor man has.

The Current of Salvation

The Sourness of Godlessness

Godlessness is sour.

In their mercy, God blunts the sharp edge of godlessness.

The Sweetness of Paradise

Paradise is sweet.

What makes paradise sweet? Paradise is the home of an immortal, omnipotent and benevolent God to whom each of us is the apple of their eye, who loves each of us individually and who desire to shower us with gift after gift.  'Where do I sign up'?  ‘How do I enlist?’ ‘How do I get citizenship in the kingdom of the God who clung to His love for us as our Cross clung mercilessly to Him?”

Wickedly, we impaled the sweet bait on the sharp hook. The Son of God suffered and died on the sharp hook while He was human, alive, tender and vulnerable. Yet, the most Holy Trinity used our wickedness to highlight their goodness. Despite the sin of sins we committed against the Son of God, the most Holy Trinity cast the sweet bait into the cesspools of godlessness to fish for the children of Adam and Eve. They continue to do this for us. The Son of God reclaimed His life and continues to love us nonetheless. He and His love for us are indestructible. By impaling the Son of God on the sharp hook of salvation while He was human, alive, tender and vulnerable,  a perfect opportunity was created for Him to show us - an apocalypse - the indestructibility of Himself and His love for us despite our wickedness.

The indestructibility of the Son of God and His love for us despite our best efforts to destroy Him and His love for us make Paradise sweet.

Some of the children of Adam and Eve have taken the bait hook, line and sinker.

At Calvary, God disclosed to us the sweetness of paradise.

At Calvary, God showed the bees the honey.

The Potential Difference

A potential difference exists between the sourness of godlessness and the sweetness of paradise.

We live in a hybrid world - a world of godlessness and a world of God. Our world has cesspools of sin and oasis of grace.  The oasis of grace are the jewels set against the background of the hostile desert of godlessness. Our job is to make our escape through the hostile desert of godlessness around the cesspools of sin through the hostile desert of godlessness from oasis of grace to oasis of grace from slavery under the yoke of pharaoh to freedom with God and their holy family in the promised land.  Only by making our way on the escape route can we be sure that we are heading in the right direction and will safely arrive at our destination.

The Current of Salvation

To induce current to flow from godlessness to paradise, all that was needed was a conductor between the two.

The Conductor of Salvation

The most Holy Trinity put the Son of God in place between the two worlds so the current of salvation (Luke 15:11-32) would flow. The game is rigged. The playing surface is tilted. The bias is toward paradise and away from godlessness.

The Current of Salvation

To influence us to make the right decision, that is, to return to our home in paradise and to stay there, God established the current of salvation. It is powered by twin engines.  One of the two engines of salvation is the sourness of godlessness. It pushes the children of Adam and Eve out of godlessness. The other of the two engines of salvation is the sweetness of paradise. It pulls the children of Adam and Eve into paradise.  The twin engines produce a current that flows through the Son of God (Luke 15:11-32) and carries us from godlessness to paradise.

Defying the Current of Salvation

Some of us swim against the tide. Like ungrateful dogs, some of us bites the hand that feed us.