“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me,” (Luke 13:22-30)
The words which the Lord Jesus utters in this passage from Luke 13 might be difficult for us to understand or accept. They are not in keeping with what is acceptable in today’s contemporary world. Jesus teaches here that ultimately there is only one correct choice about faith, the narrow door of faith in Him. The popular view these days especially here in America is that all religions, all spiritual belief systems are equal, all provide unity with God, whatever form he may take, and all lead to heaven, however that is defined. Many reject God’s way in favor of making their own way, with their own rules and values. So there is plenty of room for diverse opinions, competing views of morality, tolerance, permissiveness, and political correctness. There few boundaries of thought or conduct. People idolize choice and in so doing they reject God’s authority. Many follow their own thoughts, inclinations, and opinions about what is right and wrong. They are governed by the desires of the human heart in its fallen nature: superficiality, self-love, hypocrisy, greed, false spirituality, ambition, harshness, violence. Such things do not have to be learned or cultivated for our default setting is sin from the very beginning. It controls and affects everything we do.
What Jesus is saying is opposite. The door leading eternal life, is narrow. In order to enter this narrow way we must leave everything behind: fleshly desires, selfish ambition, pride, self-sufficiency, covetousness, and, perhaps, even family and friends. To do this our default setting must be changed. This involves a total change of the operating system, a total change of life, a new way of looking at it and a totally new set of values than are set on pleasing God and not ourselves. We can’t do this, only Jesus can. He Himself is the door, the entry way, the access to this narrow way. He said in John 10:9. “I am the door, if anyone enters by me he will be saved”. He also said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” That means there is only one way, one gate. Jesus is that one way. We enter this narrow door only by faith in His atoning sacrifice of the Cross.
Jesus spoke the truth without fear. He was certainly not politically correct not would He cave into today’s woke culture to avoid saying that which would offend people or make them uncomfortable. He desired to make sinners uncomfortable so they would come to repentance and faith. And today Jesus enables believers to speak the truth about faith in Him without fear for the same reason, so they will not end up outside the narrow door of heaven.