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

 We are reading through the Sermon on the Mount, which began with the Beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5.  Currently we are in chapter 7.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.  Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.  Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

 "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."  My study bible reminds us that the description of the two ways was widespread in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1; Proverbs 4:15-18, 12:28, 15:24).  It is also widely found in early Christian writings (Didache, Barnabas).  Luke's version of this (Luke 13:24-30) has more of an eschatological tone, referring to the end of the age.   We wrestle against sins and human weaknesses as well as spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12), my study bible adds.  Therefore entering the Kingdom is the more difficult way.

"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."  Here is a call to discernment for Christ's followers, judging good judgment.  And Jesus tells us how to do that:  we will know them by their fruits.  My study bible says that because they can easily deceive others, those who put on a show of virtue or religion can be more dangerous than those who are evil outright.  We must be all the more cautious among those whose emphasis is on an outward show of virtue.  Here Jesus repeats yet another statement of John the Baptist:  "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (3:10). 

"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." Jesus testifies to His own deity here, my study bible points out.  He calls Himself Lord, which is a reference to the divine name "Yahweh" of the Old Testament.   He also speaks of the will of My Father in heaven, which He fully knows and shares.  He refers to Himself as the One who executes true judgment, something only God can do.

We often think of the Sermon on the Mount as a kind of description of the righteousness associated with prescriptions about daily life.  But Jesus includes much more than that.  In today's reading, He gives us clues about Judgment, about a kind of absolute that is a warning to us.  It isn't all positive, it's not always about what we are to do.  Here there are warnings involved, and they are not only about our own conduct but also about watching out for those who'd mislead us and cause harm.  This is all part and parcel of Jesus' care for His followers, and teachings about living this life of the righteousness of the Kingdom.  We're given a very stern warning that this life isn't for everyone, nor is it found everywhere.  We have to be discerning about what and whom we follow.  Moreover, not everyone who shows themselves as a prophet is to be trusted.  We have to see the fruits they produce.  Jesus uses this very vivid image -- those who come to us in sheep's clothing but inwardly are as ravenous as wolves -- to describe those who wish to prey on the sheep who follow Him.  Let's note the deeper tone of warning here:  not everything is as it seems.  We can't trust to appearances and we're not to be persuaded by them.  He doesn't want us to be naive but rational and forewarned sheep, discerning good fruit from bad.  He expects us to know what we are about, what He asks of us, and to recognize which fruit is which.  He repeats the words of John the Baptist, which apply to all of us (but which John also gave in the context of hypocritical leadership):  "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."   And then finally, we come to an even deeper note of seriousness and warning:  "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."   It's about the final Judgment (and will continue with tomorrow's reading), but these sobering words are meant to teach us about how we live life every day.  We seek to do as He has taught us to pray in the Lord's Prayer (or the Our Father):  "Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  That is, the righteousness of the Kingdom is part of our daily life, but is also connected to the absolute.   And it is such a life that opens the door to the Kingdom.  He's speaking of the Judgment, but the whole Sermon is all about the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven, that which we live even in this world, which He'll teach His disciples to tell others is "at hand."  This is the living word of the living Word, the words He gives us to live by each moment in the here and the now.  There is no clear distinction between "end times" and "right now" because, in truth, we live in the "end times."  In Him, all is present.  His words echo John the Baptist, and so does the teaching (also taught by the Baptist) that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  It lives in us and among us because we use our power of cooperation with God's grace to be a part of it.  We ask and seek and knock, we look around at our lives and don't simply follow anyone who comes along just because they look good.  We use our gifts wisely, we expect to live as He has taught us to live -- as rational sheep with the power to discern.  How do you bear His truth in the world, and seek that narrow gate that He proclaims?  He prepares us for a journey that will ask of us all we can give it, every capacity for awareness.  The narrow gate is His way, the way that He teaches throughout the Sermon on the Mount.