Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

- Matthew 7:13-21

In our readings, we are going through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. So far, these readings of the Sermon on the Mount include: The Beatitudes (Part 1), You are the salt of the earth - You are the light of the world, Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift, You have heard that it was said to those of old . . . , Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect, Your Father who sees in secret, who is in the secret place, Our Father in heaven - The Lord's Prayer, Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also and Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave us several teachings about how we are to use our discernment. First of all, judgment is God's prerogative -- and He gave us a warning, another conditional statement, that as we judge, so will we be judged. We must look to our own faults before honestly being able to help a brother or sister. He warned against giving what is holy to those who will simply trample it under, needless conflict and strife resulting. And He taught that we are to continually ask, seek, and knock -- to go to Our Father who loves us. Finally, He ended with the Golden Rule: "Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." See Judge not, that you be not judged.

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Jesus has just finished teaching several important principles about the way, as Christians, that we conduct ourselves. We're to look to our own flaws and cast them away before we can help others with what gets in the way of 'good sight' or the full light with which we wish our 'eye' to be illumined. He's warned about usurping God's role as judge. He's taught us the Golden Rule. We must continually petition Our Father in heaven, and grow in relationship and depth in this task. We use discernment about giving the pearls of the kingdom to those who cannot respect and do not want them. All of this follows on the entirety of the Sermon on the Mount, His great teachings to us. So this statement enforces the power of His words and teachings. We must take them seriously. We must ask, seek and knock and follow where that narrow path that leads us. To enter through that narrow gate may mean cutting away from ourselves many things and ways of thinking we hold dear, but actually constitute a "plank" in our own eye. So this is Jesus' way of enforcing that single-mindedness ("make thine eye single" or "you cannot serve God and mammon" or "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also") that we need in order to follow His Way, the choices we need to make in our relationship to Him. My study bible points out that the description of "two ways" is widespread in Judaism and in early Christian writings. In Luke's version, this refers to the end of the age. It adds, "Because we wrestle against human sins and weaknesses, as well as the spiritual forces of evil, entering the Kingdom involves difficult labor and struggle."

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit." Here, Jesus gives us an important warning, and a teaching that we are not to be deceived. It follows the idea that we are to continually ask, and seek, and knock. We have God's help at hand. We are not to be deceived by those who wear a false mask of virtue. He thinks of us as sheep, and warns us against the predatory, the wolves who may seek to be counted among our number. So this is consistent with the many places in which Jesus teaches us that we must be vigilant, keep awake -- and it goes hand in hand with prayer. How are we to be discerning? This is also a part of what He leaves us with, His grace -- and our responsibility as the "intelligent sheep." The saying here is similar to what He will teach in chapter 12, that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them." My study bible points out that this first sentence is the same statement made by John the Baptist. If we are to discern who is a false prophet, and who is not, then He gives us a way to do that -- we will know them by their fruits. And my study bible adds an important fact: "As long as a person is living in wickedness, he will not be able to bear good fruit. But Jesus does not say that there is no way for the wicked to change, or for the good to fall away." This comment adds to our understanding of the need for true discernment and vigilance as Christians, and keeps us from practicing the judgment that is not ours to make.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." Finally, we turn to Judgment itself -- and Christ's role as Judge. My study bible points out that this statement is a revelation: He calls Himself Lord (or Yahweh of the Old Testament), He speaks of the will of My Father which He fully knows and shares, and reveals Himself as Judge, and therefore God -- for this role belongs only to God. He will continue this passage in tomorrow's reading, expanding further on this role of Judge. For today, we must take it as a further warning against the practice of hypocrisy, and how deep it can extend despite a mask of purity and devotion. It's a stark and, really, scathing warning to us all about how we are to enter that narrow gate.

So, today, let us consider Jesus' warnings about the narrow gate, and how they build upon His previous teachings. We are taught that we must continually be asking, seeking and knocking (in yesterday's reading). We have been taught many ways in which we follow Christ, if we follow His words and teachings, all throughout the Sermon on the Mount. Starting with the Beatitudes, He gives us a perspective on what it is to be truly blessed, to seek that kingdom first, where our hearts should be and to Whom we belong. But to find that will of my Father in heaven becomes a combination of all of these: the teachings, our Tradition, "every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." And, lest we forget, an active faith -- of continually asking, seeking and knocking. All of these are ways in which we seek the will of the Father, to deepen our relationship, to walk in His Way. As my study bible indicates in the commentary on the possibility of personal change noted above (see the paragraph commentary on "every tree that does not bear good fruit ..."), ours is an active faith. Our relationship to God is an active one that changes and grows and deepens as we go forward. We continually seek -- even as we make mistakes, we might find stumbling blocks, we discover our own imperfection. But this is the Way. And it is through our asking, seeking and knocking that we please Him, and play the great role He asks of us in the plan for salvation. We just have to be willing to discard the plank(s) we discover in our own eye in order to see more clearly as we go, so that we may the better receive the light with which He illumines our sight.