RE-construction... Long-term project

 In Matthew 11:15 Jesus concludes his teacher with the phrase, he who has ears, let him hear.  At first there doesn't appear to be much to this saying because it just sounds like Jesus is simply saying, OK I'd done with that lesson.  He may have well said, "you go that", or "does that make sense?"   However, by wrapping up his teaching with this phrase it turns this seemingly throwaway comment into something that is profound and can affect our understanding of God in a significant way.   The lesson of "he who has ears, let him hear" is not talking about the physical ability to hear.  But it is also not just a way to wrap up the lesson.  It is also more than a way that Jesus used to show the authority of his words.  The phrase is a way to open up the listener's mind in such a way that allows him to allow the teaching to enter his thoughts and bring up feelings that meet the teaching with resistance because of past hurts or present fears o...

 Jesus said it is easier for the rich man to go through the eye of the needle than for him to enter the kingdom of God.   It is hard to know what Jesus truly meant by the kingdom of God, let alone what the kingdom of God truly is if such a time exists.  (My current thought on the topic is that the kingdom is a vision of what our world could become if we practice the teachings of Jesus.)  But it isn't too hard to use some small amount of imagination to envision a world where there is no hunger or loneliness or bloodshed over differences.  Where we are able to tend to our own needs as well as the needs of others.   So, what does this have to do with the difficulty of the rich man entering the kingdom of heaven...