The Narrow Door (Matthew 7:13-14)
Luke 13:22-30 “Then Jesus traveled throughout the towns and villages, teaching as He made His way toward Jerusalem. “Lord,” someone asked Him, “will only a few people be saved?”
Jesus answered, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’
But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’
Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’
There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And indeed, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”
Jesus is doing everything he can to teach people the way to the Kingdom of God, and in every crowd there’s always someone who wants to ask tough questions. This morning’s question is fundamental: “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Jesus approves of the question and answers it immediately, speaking of entering through a narrow gate.
In many traditional homes at the time of Jesus, there are two gates into the courtyard, one for pedestrians and one for larger things such as wagons or animals. The small gate for people allows the home owner to control entry and to keep undesirables out. Here Jesus is comparing God to a home owner who will only open the narrow gate to those of whom He approves. For welcome guests, there will be feasting and rejoicing, but for those who fail to qualify, they will be cast out into utter darkness where they will weep and gnash their teeth in torment.
For the Jews of Jesus’ day who think they are the only ones who will qualify for heaven, Jesus’ next words come as a revelation. “People will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And indeed, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.” God invites all the people of the earth to come to His Kingdom, and those who truly seek Him and serve Him will be welcome. But those who think that mere association with Jesus and being a good person are sufficient will be turned away. “But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’
Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’ “
There have always been those who have truly believed in God and who have served Him while there are also those who have been playing religious games. Jesus tells the story of two men going to the temple to pray. The Pharisee stands in the center of the temple and boasts how observant he is and how much better he is than the other worshipers. The tax collector huddles in a corner, beating his chest and begging God to be merciful to him for his sins. It is the lowly tax collector who actually connects with God and is justified, while the Pharisee goes home hard-hearted and unchanged because he has worshiped himself and not God.
Attend church long enough and you will soon realize that there are those who are church members and then there are those who are really Christians. The Christians exemplify Christ in their behavior and are earnestly trying to follow God’s leading. The church members may attend as many or more services than do the Christians; however, their attitude toward God is lackadaisical and their lifestyles are far from holy.
Who doesn’t want to go to heaven? Heaven is a place of peace, of love, of joy with no room for suffering or sorrow. The alternative is hell, a place of torment where there is no love, no peace, no joy. Sometimes foolish people boast of how they want to go to hell; however, they are speaking out of ignorance. One writer on Quora.com claims that about 15% of all near death experiences involve people going to hell and then returning to life. Generally, these people choose to live far differently after these experiences, stating that they will do anything to avoid hell.
Sometimes people accuse God of sending someone to hell, but this is wrong. God does not send anyone to hell. 2 Peter 3:9-13 tells us, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.“
None of us is good enough to earn our way into heaven; that’s why Jesus Christ came as a man and died as a perfect blood sacrifice for our sins. Jesus has done his part. Our part is to confess that we are sinners, to ask God to forgive us, and to trust that Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient. Let’s pray.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. I thank you that when I follow you, I will have eternal life and live forever in heaven with you. Amen.
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