Strong’s Greek 2123 appears seven times, all in the Synoptic Gospels. In every instance the term functions as a comparative device that highlights divine authority versus human limitation. Three passages occur within healing-forgiveness episodes (Matthew 9:5; Mark 2:9; Luke 5:23), three within sayings on wealth and salvation (Matthew 19:24; Mark 10:25; Luke 18:25), and one in a statement about the endurance of the Law (Luke 16:17).

Narrative Clusters

1. Healing-forgiveness controversy (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26)
2. Teaching on riches and the kingdom (Matthew 19:16-26; Mark 10:17-27; Luke 18:18-27)
3. Teaching on the permanence of Scripture (Luke 16:14-17)

Jesus’ Authority to Forgive and Heal

In the paralytic accounts, Jesus asks, “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’” (Matthew 9:5). The comparative “easier” underscores His power both to forgive sin and to perform visible miracles. The seeming “easier” claim (forgiveness) is humanly unverifiable, whereas the harder command (healing) can be tested. By healing the paralytic, Jesus proves His authority in both realms, demonstrating that the spiritual restoration He offers is as certain as the physical cure He performs.

The Impossibility of Self-Earned Salvation

Six chapters later the term surfaces in the wealth sayings. “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24). Here “easier” shifts from a healing context to a salvation context, stressing the utter impossibility of entering God’s kingdom by human effort or privilege. The picture of a camel and a needle is intentionally hyperbolic, leaving no room for natural possibility. The disciples’ stunned reply (“Who then can be saved?”) sets up Jesus’ answer: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:25-26). Thus the comparative term amplifies the necessity of divine grace.

Permanence of the Divine Law

Luke 16:17 stands alone but complements the prior usages: “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law”. Here “easier” magnifies the indestructibility of Scripture. Jesus affirms that not even the smallest mark of the Mosaic code can fail until all is fulfilled. The word therefore serves to emphasize both continuity with Old Testament revelation and the certainty of its fulfillment in Christ.

Ministry and Discipleship Implications

• Assurance of forgiveness: The same authority that heals bodies assures believers of pardon.
• Dependence on grace: Salvation is impossible through wealth, morality, or lineage; only divine intervention suffices.
• Confidence in Scripture: The durability of God’s written word undergirds preaching, teaching, and personal devotion.
• Pastoral counseling: When confronting apparent impossibilities—whether guilt, addiction, or societal barriers—the minister may echo Christ’s “easier” logic: what is impossible for people is simple for God.

Historical Reception and Exegetical Notes

Early church fathers (Origen, Chrysostom) cited the “camel” saying to warn against materialism and to defend the need for divine grace. Medieval commentators sometimes softened the hyperbole (e.g., proposing a narrow gate called “the Needle”), yet the Reformers returned to the literal impossibility to reinforce sola gratia. Modern conservative exegesis maintains that the term consistently exposes human inability and magnifies God’s sovereign power. By weaving together forgiveness, discipleship, and Scriptural permanence, the seven occurrences of 2123 form a coherent testimony to the ease with which God accomplishes what humanity never could.