The disciples' amazement and question about who can be saved comes after Jesus' teaching on the difficulty for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. This teaching challenges the common belief of that time, which often equated wealth with God's favor. The disciples, reflecting the cultural norms, are perplexed because they assumed that wealth and status were signs of righteousness and divine blessing. Their question, "Who then can be saved?" reveals their struggle to understand the radical nature of Jesus' message, which emphasizes reliance on God's grace rather than human merit.
This moment is pivotal as it underscores a key theme in Jesus' teachings: the impossibility of achieving salvation through human means alone. It points to the necessity of divine intervention and grace. Jesus later reassures them that what is impossible for humans is possible with God, emphasizing that salvation is a divine gift, not earned by human effort. This teaching invites believers to trust in God's power and grace, rather than their own abilities or resources, for their salvation.