Today we will be looking at Luke 13:22-30.
In this passage a man in the crowd asks Jesus a question, “Are those being saved few?” It is not clear if this was a subject of debate for that day, or whether the teachings of Jesus have stirred this question within him. Regardless, the answer that Jesus gives is to the crowd. Thus he uses the man’s question to launch into important teaching for all.
However, Jesus does answer his question. We ask questions typically for the sake of satisfying curiosity. But Jesus always points us back to ourselves. He teaches us to ensure we are right with God rather than speculate on others. Jesus gives a short parable to answer the question; a parable about a narrow gate.
His answer begins in verse 24 with the instruction to strive to enter the “narrow gate.” Clearly being used as a metaphor, we must ask to what the narrow gate corresponds. In the passage he goes on to talk about the Master’s house, being shut out of it, and the Kingdom of God. Thus the narrow gate is access to the Master’s house and the Kingdom of God. God restricts access to the Kingdom and only those who satisfy His requirements are able to get through.
This narrow gate shows up in the teaching of Jesus elsewhere. In Matthew 7:12-14 the narrow gate leads to life and is contrasted with a wide gate that leads to destruction. In that passage many go through the wide gate, but few go through the narrow gate. Thus being a part of the Kingdom is equated with receiving life and not being a part of the Kingdom is equated with being destroyed.
In John 10 Jesus refers to himself as the door (or gate) that leads into the sheep pen. The picture here is clearly being a part of the “flock of God” (i.e. God’s people). Later on in chapter 14:6 Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” With all of these verses we can see that the narrow gate is Jesus himself. Jesus becomes the point of access to the Father, being a part of his people, being a part of His Kingdom, and having life.
It is the narrow nature of the gate through which few are able to enter that answers the man’s question. Yes, in some ways few are being saved. Many will attempt to enter, but in the end they will go through the wide gate instead. Why? Clearly it is easier to go through the wide gate. The restrictive nature of the narrow gate is a tight fit. They will, no doubt, have to leave some things behind in order to get through it. Yet, too many will not pay such a price. Instead they cling to the things of this world and find a wider gate. This brings up an important point. Few are being saved because of the difficulty, not because of a quota nor because the gate is hard to find.
In the midst of this we can see why Jesus doesn’t give a simple answer to the man. In some times and in some places many people can be saved. On the Day of Pentecost after Peter’s sermon 3,000 people came to know the Lord. Yet, at other times precious few repent and believe. The question is not are only a few being saved. The real question is, “Am I pressing through the narrow gate?” The more people who ask that question the more likely we will see many people coming to the Lord. Even then, historically it is clear that the majority of the world will continue to go through the wide gate. Ultimately a large number of believers will be brought together before the throne of God, but they got there by choosing to be a part of that small remnant that follow Jesus in spirit and in truth.
Thus seeking for God is not enough to surmount the obstacles you will incur. Those who seek will find because God wants to be found. Yet, then the challenge to enter through Jesus presents itself. The call to pick up our cross and follow Jesus presents itself. In Acts 17:30 we are told that, “truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.” Also, in Acts 4:12 it says, “nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Up to Jesus God had overlooked the sins of the nations. But, now that His solution, His messiah, has shown up it is a new day. He requires all men everywhere to repent of sin and believe on Jesus. This is presented in the metaphor as going through a narrow gate. Thus if you feel that this idea is to simplistic and too narrow-minded, you might pause at this point and recognize that even God says it is narrow. Only those who will humble themselves and put their faith in Jesus can continue on into Life and this will require striving. This word in the context of enemies would be translated as “fight.” Thus we must recognize that I will run into resistance to going through the narrow gate. This resistance will come from within me (flesh) and from my own past choices. There will also be resistance from people around me, family, friends, and enemies. A spiritual enemy also fights against us going through the narrow gate. Through temptations and difficulties (trials) he seeks to discourage us and seduce us back to the wide gate that doesn’t require so much effort.
In verse 25 the parable shifts. Now the gate has become a door to God’s house. In fact this could be included with the previous inability to enter. Once the door is shut no one will be able to enter. Much like the door of the ark shutting, the judgment rain began to fall, but it was too late to get into the ark. God had shut the door. We can wait too long to put our faith in Jesus. We live in an Age of Grace, in which the door to God’s Kingdom is available to all. Yes, you must strive and it won’t be easy. But any one (whosoever) can go through the narrow gate if they want it more than this world. In 2 Corinthians 6:2 we are told, “Now is the day of salvation.” Like a spouse who doesn’t try to shape up until divorce papers are filed, we can be guilty of too little too late. When Christ comes at his second coming, it will be too late to make things right. The die has been cast and the time to pay the piper will be here. Yet, this shutting of the door also has a personal application. It is possible that we can cross a line of taking God’s grace for granted for too long. We may ruin our own hearts ability to respond to the grace of God. Ultimately we may do so right up to the day of our death. Once we die, it will be too late to try to make amends with God. Now is the day of salvation. Then will be the day of judgment. Either way, this time of grace is coming to an end. We need to be pressing in now and encouraging others to do so rather than traveling the wide and easy path.
On that day that the door is shut no amount of pleading and crying will help us. They will all be rejected. In the parable the master tells those pleading to be let in that he doesn’t know them (vs.27). Here the word is one of recognition. “You do not look like mine.” Also, he calls them workers of iniquity. They may have heard his teachings and even attended his “churches.” However, in the end they lived a life of working (doing) sin rather than pressing through the gate of Jesus. Jesus truly is a litmus test of whether we love God or love our sin. Not in the sense of an instantaneous test, but over the course of our life, Jesus forces us to choose. Or, better yet, to follow Jesus forces us to choose. Such people will weep and gnash their teeth as they watch others entering into the Kingdom and yet, they see themselves being shut out.
Verse 30 ends this section with a warning. We become so used to trusting our senses that we can forget that God deals with truth not imagery. God makes decisions based upon the Truth of the matter, not upon what a person looked like. Thus not everything is as it seems and not everyone is as they seem. There are some who are great in the Church in this world. They have high positions of authority, or people think highly of them. The first of this life will not necessarily be first in the Age to come. In fact many great people will not make it into the Kingdom of God. They will be shut out. And some of those who do make it in will be the least in the Kingdom. The opposite is also true. Many who are nothing in this life will be the greats of that Kingdom. Those who appear to greatly serve God and have a high place within the Church today may end up in the same place as the High Priest of Israel in the days of Jesus; shut out. We must be careful of not letting such praise of our fellow man mislead us in any way. We must also make sure that we do not let such great people mislead us from the narrow way, simply because we think they are close to God. Jesus is the gate. It is the revelation that He gave us through His Apostles that we are to believe upon and follow. There is much deception, both intentionally and unintentionally, happening under the umbrella of the Church.
Yet, these things are not categorical. What I mean is that it is not an automatic thing, that the greatest will be the least and vice versa. Rather it is a warning to us about the reality of being judged by a holy God who is not affected by sinful desires. It is not ours to worry about future greatness, but to ensure that we are striving to enter. No, salvation is not up to our works, but salvation will be met with resistance from our flesh, the world, and the devil. We are going to have to want Jesus more than this world. Without such a battle, there will be no place in God’s kingdom. Thus we must take hold of the Faith that has been once and for all delivered unto those who believe God. We must also stand fast in the Grace of Christ as we follow His teachings and grow to become more and more like him every day. May God help us to press through the narrow gate and enter His Kingdom and the place that He has for us.