Luke 13 What Jesus Mean When He Says Enter Through the Narrow Door?
The Narrow Door
22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”
Sometimes I think this passage can be misinterpreted. The term "narrow door" might lead some people to believe that God is narrow minded. Or worse yet, only wants a few people to be saved. We know from other scriptures that God desires all people to be saved, and that is why He sent His Son into the world not to condemn it but save it.
So in what sense does Luke use this idea of the narrow door that only a few will enter? One reason is that compared to the broad door it is easy to miss. The broad door might be what in another passage Jesus calls the "road to destruction". As the picture above shows the broad way is the one most people are traveling on. Though the narrow door exists, these people are so caught up in going with the flow of the world that they walk right on by. So the door is narrow for them because they are so focused on the wide door so they miss on the narrow road that leads to life. In a sense we might say, "they do not know what they are missing."
I think there is another way in which people miss the narrow way. The narrow way goes through a cross on which Jesus died for the sins of the world. The broad way goes through dependence and reliance on self. Most people try to go through the door of works righteousness. After all it makes sense that if I do enough i will make it through the door narrow or not. But the way Jesus invites us on is narrow in that we have to admit we cannot do it on our own.
No one said the Christian life was easy, but it has nothing to do with God being narrow minded, or curmudgeonly. God is not "chintzy" with his love. God's love is great and God invites all people to come through His Son. If that is a narrow way, it is only narrow in the sense that God has narrowed down exactly for what we need. A Savior. Jesus went through the narrow way to the cross, which opened up the way for all people to be saved!
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