THE NARROW DOOR

Luke 13:24-30

King James Version (KJV)

24Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

25When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:

26Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.

27But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

28There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

29And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

30And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

In this parable, someone is asking the following question,

Are there few that are saved? Luke 13:23: —“If the saved be few? Master, I have heard thou shouldest say so; is it true?”  

13:24: The gate is strait (that is, narrow) because Christ is the only Door (John 10:7-9), and repentance and faith are the only means of admission.

13: 25-27: At the Last Judgment the door will be closed, and those who are now indifferent to Christ will claim acquaintance with Him. However, superficial knowledge about Christ and His teaching will not substitute for personal repentance and faith, which bring a true relationship with Him.

Reflections

We are to be warned that what we practice demonstrates our relationship with Jesus.  Never undervalue obedience. Know that many who expect divine approval will receive censure or even judgment instead. 

• Consider this thought for a moment: You’ve looked at the above picture of Jesus knocking at the door, maybe a half of dozen times or more; and if some of you are like me, your first thought might have been something like, “oh, what a beautiful painting_”. Tell me, what did you think, if anything, beyond the beauty? Let me share my thoughts. Long before my in-depth study of God’s gospel, whenever I’d see any type of picture, portrait, or sketch of Jesus, I would experience a quickening in my spirit. I didn’t know then that the Holy Spirit within me was speaking to my heart. IT WAS JESUS KNOCKING!

Back to the question – This is where my study took me:  1. Perhaps it was a captious query. He put it to him, tempting him, with a design to ensnare him and lessen his reputation. If he should say that many would be saved, they would reproach him as too loose, and making salvation cheap; if few, they would reproach him as precise and strait-laced. The Jewish doctors said that all Israel should have a place in the world to come; and would he dare to contradict that?

2. Perhaps it was a curious question, a nice speculation, which he had lately been disputing upon with his companions, and they all agreed to refer it to Christ. Note, Many are more inquisitive respecting who shall be saved, and who not, than respecting what they shall do to be saved. Does this sound familiar?  If we are honest, we will admit that it is indeed a thought that is ever present in our mind. It is commonly asked, “May such and such be saved?” But it is well that we may be saved without knowing this.       3. Perhaps it was an admiring question. He had taken notice how strict the law of Christ was, and how bad the world was, and, comparing these together, cries out, “How few are there that will be saved!”

Jesus did not give a direct answer to this enquiry, for he came to guide our consciences, not to gratify our curiosity. Ask not, “How many shall be saved?” But, be they more or fewer, “Shall I be one of them?” Not, “What shall become of such and such, and what shall this man do?” But, “What shall I do, and what will become of me?” Now in Christ’s answer observe,

• A quickening exhortation and direction: Strive to enter in at the strait gate. This is directed not to him only that asked the question, but to all, to us, it is in the plural number: Strive ye. Note, (1.) All that will be saved must enter in at the strait gate, must undergo a change of the whole man, such as amounts to no less than being born again, and must submit to a strict discipline. (2.) Those that would enter in at the strait gate must strive to enter. It is a hard matter to get to heaven, and a point that will not be gained without a great deal of care and pains, of difficulty and diligence. We must strive with God in prayer, wrestle as Jacob, and strive against sin and Satan. We must strive in every duty of religion; strive with our own hearts, agonizes the—“Be in an agony; strive as those that run for a prize; excite and exert ourselves to the / utmost.”

The day is coming when He will rise up, and shut to the door. Perhaps some of us may be asking, what door?   The below is what the WORD OF GOD says:

[1.] A door of distinction. Now, within the temple of the church there are carnal professors who worship in the outer-court and spiritual professors who worship within the veil; between these the door is now open, and they meet promiscuously in the same external performances. But, when the Master of the house is risen up, the door will be shut between them, that those who are in the outer-court may be kept out, and left to be trodden underfoot by the Gentiles, Rev. 11:2. As to those that are filthy, shut the door upon them, and let them be filthy still; that those who are within may be kept within, that those who are holy may be holy still. The door is shut to separate between the precious and the vile, that sinners may no longer stand in the congregation of the righteous. 

[2.] A door of denial and exclusion. The door of mercy and grace has long stood open to them, but they would not come in by it, would not be beholden to the favor of that door; they hoped to climb up some other way, and to get to heaven by their own merits, and therefore when the Master of the house is risen up he will justly shut that door; let them not expect to enter by it, but let them take their own measures. Thus, when Noah was safe in the ark, God shut the door, to exclude all those that depended upon shelters of their own in the approaching flood.

In Christ,

Janet Irene Thomas

Playwright/Screen Writer/Director

Published Author/Gospel Lyricist &Producer

FOUNDER/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org.