Jesus gave two teachings that, when read symbolically, speak directly to the spiritual cost of discovering the true creative power within: imagination . “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 .” (Matthew 19:24) “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45–46) The first is a picture of inability: the rich man cannot enter. The second is a picture of success: the merchant does enter—but only by selling everything. The Bible isn't simply warning about wealth or greed. It’s pointing to something deeper. The "rich man" is anyone who is full of external dependencies: knowledge, reputation, traditions, religious practice, identity, logic. These things weigh down the camel. They bulk up the self. And that self is too wide to pass through the eye of the needle. The “eye of ...