Luke 13:22-29: The Narrow Door

Luke 13:24 "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able."

So often we as human beings take the easy way out. We often do what's easy, simple, and painless instead of doing the hard work that's needed to get the job done. In our natural state of mind, we all like the easy path instead of the hard path, the popular path instead of the unpopular path. Although there's certainly nothing wrong with that in certain instances, Jesus tells us that the way to get to heaven is not one of them. In order to get into heaven, we must go by the way of the narrow door.

The story goes like this: a man comes up to Jesus and asks him a question: "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" In essence, the man's question was "how many will be saved?" The man's question, in my interpretation, was by no means a sinful or a selfish question, but it was a misguided question. In other words, the question may have been a good question, but it wasn't the ultimate question. Jesus, in his divine wisdom, directed the curious man to the ultimate question in his answer: "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." Instead of answering the man's question of "how many will be saved?" Jesus answered the question "how can anyone be saved?" Matthew Henry says this about this passage: "Jesus came to guide men's consciences, not gratify their curiosity." And Jesus did that very thing. He guided the man where he needed to go rather than answering his question. He showed him how he and anyone else could enter the kingdom of heaven, rather than answering his misguided question.

So what all was contained in Jesus' answer here? Let us first examine this word: strive. Jesus says that we must strive to enter through the narrow door in order to get to heaven. But you may ask: How can that be so? Is not salvation by grace and grace alone, apart from our striving? Oh! I'm so glad you asked. Let us note here this morning: gaining salvation is the absolute hardest thing to do, yet the absolute easiest thing to do. It is the most expensive thing to buy, yet it is the cheapest thing ever. How can this be so? Because salvation is wholly granted by God's grace, yet it is only granted when, by his Spirit's help, we give up our pride and call upon his name (Romans 10:13). Furthermore, salvation is the most expensive thing to buy because you have to give up all that you have to follow Jesus (Luke 5:11), yet it's the cheapest thing to buy because you truly don't own anything of value. Salvation is easily gained because it is freely given to God who call upon his name, yet we must strive to call upon his name, that is, we must long and persevere to enter through the narrow door, the door that is the difficult and unpopular path because its a path that requires us to lay down our pride.

So, have you striven to enter through the narrow door? I surely hope that you have, because Jesus says that whoever does not strive to enter through the narrow gate will be left outside the kingdom of God forever, even when they pound on the door and argue their case to God (see the rest of the story in Luke 13:25-30). The kingdom of God is not for those who strive to enter it by the way of this world. A heavenly kingdom cannot be entered by earthly means, but only the heavenly means that God requires. And the heavenly means that God requires are that we, but his Spirit's power, lay down our pride and call on his name. Don't strive to enter the kingdom of God by the easy way. Gird your loins, pull up your bootstraps, and lay down your pride.