Narrow Door

Luke 13:22-30

²²He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. ²³And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, ²⁴“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. ²⁵When 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.’ ²⁶Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ ²⁸In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. ²⁹And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

This is one of those passages that weirds me out a little bit. Being the person standing outside of the door hearing Jesus say, “I tell you, I do not know where you come from” is the stuff of nightmares. There is little that can shake my confidence, but this passage comes close. But here Jesus also confirms that He is the path and there is indeed a door and His is it.

As I look around our culture, I’m aware that those seeking a pathway to God or spiritual peace rank in the billions. But most of those seekers have one thing in common; they are looking for a path that is made out of their own efforts and self-righteousness. These are the ways that Jesus warns against here in this passage.  The command to “strive” does not mean that moral effort is necessary in order to enter the kingdom, nor does it mean entrance is gained by exercising human responsibility. Rather, the struggle through which one enters is repentance, which is a work of the Holy Spirit in the human heart.

Allowing God to do all of the heavy lifting for our own salvation is the only path to walk and the only open door available. Yes, the path is narrow but the door is open for anyone who lets the work of the Holy Spirit take place in their hearts. This admonishment is present in the text because every single one of us looks for ways to earn a place in heaven and that is never going to happen. Jesus’ death for our sins is the only path – narrow though it may be – to living with Him for eternity. It is so simple and so difficult at the same time.