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.”
I love how Jesus takes every opportunity to instruct others as He makes His way to Jerusalem! This is reminiscent of the passage in Deuteronomy the Jews refer to as the “Shema” calling us to do likewise as we make our way through this life toward “home”:
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deut 6:4-9 (NIV)
We are to teach our children (and those within our sphere) all throughout the day – when we sit, when we walk, when we lie down and when we get up. We teach those we love through our words and our actions. In teaching these truths, it is also a confirmation that we firmly believe they are for our good and for the good of those we are closest to. If you have precious Truth, don’t you want to share it with those you love most? God knows that there is a direct correlation between our holiness (obedience) and our happiness. He knows how we are made and the very best life path for us, He holds out to us through our obedience.
As Jesus is teaching, someone asks if only a few people will be saved. His answer may surprise some of the “soft” Christians of our day.”Make every effort” is an interesting phrase Jesus uses. The word translated “effort” is from the Greek word “Agonizomai”. The Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible New Testament Lexical Aids sheds the following light on this word: “a contest, conflict. To fight in a contest, struggle in competition, engage in a dreadful battle, or strenuously endeavor. It was used of the heroic struggle of devout men in the quest for virtue. Generally, it means to exert great effort, struggle with concentration and intensity, and to fight against any obstacle that would impede entrance into God’s kingdom.”
Jesus speaks of this “narrow door” or “narrow gate” again in Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount:
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matt 7:13-14 (NIV)
Here Jesus places less emphasis on external requirements (Pharisaical actions), yet still important, and more emphasis on internal transformation. It is easier for us to follow a set of rules than for us to change and become more and more like Jesus. It is the constant “Agonizomai” of the will. As believers, we still have our sinful nature as well as the precious Holy Spirit residing within us. As we make our way through this life, walking towards the light of home, the old nature should be shrinking and the Holy Spirit growing. This is NOT done automatically but one step at a time. It is the narrowing of the life which God Himself prunes and conforms as we are obedient to His light revealed through the Spirit. As we are obedient to act on what the Holy Spirit reveals – to die to that so to speak (“a living sacrifice”), He blesses and grows us and shows us yet another thing! We will always be in the process of learning, growing and pruning. None of us will reach perfection in the here and now. We will not be made whole until we are in heaven with Jesus – and such a glorious day that will be!
This pruning process is often painful but always worth it! I fear many abort when troubles or afflictions come – running to worldly “comfort” as their god. Looking for a quick fix for their pain, the band-aid the world offers placed on their gaping hole of pain will never hold. Truly, it is better to do it God’s way. I made up my mind many years ago to quit kicking against God’s best for my life. I believe that He honored that. I am not saying that it was easy; I am saying that it was worth it! He has always been faithful; He will be likewise to you too. Someone needs to hear that today!
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" 1 Peter 4:12-18 (NIV)