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

Lamb of God, Euphrasian Basilica, 6th century, Poreč, Croatia

 "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 currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 -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 who 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 tells us that the description of the two ways was widespread in Judaism (Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1; Proverbs 4:17-18, 12:28, 15:21; Sirach 15:17), and also found in early Christian writings such as the Didache and Barnabas.  Luke's version (Luke 13:24-30) has a more eschatological focus, which refers to the end of the age.  My study bible says that because we wrestle against both sins and human weaknesses as well as spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12), to enter the Kingdom is the more difficult way.  One could say that what Jesus describes in the way of taking up one's cross daily.

"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."  As it is easy to deceive others, my study bible says, those who put on a show of virtue or religion are more dangerous than those who are openly evil.  Therefore, we must be that much more cautious among those who are outwardly virtuous.  But Christ says that we should watch instead, not the outward behavior, but for the fruits produced; that is, the outcomes or actions.  This is a frequent theme, as Christ has taught before about the effects of what is truly in the heart.  He calls us to discernment and watchfulness.  Verse 19:  John the Baptist made the identical statement in 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."  Here, Christ affirms that His way must be chosen although it is the more narrow or difficult.  It is also a statement of His divinity, as He both calls Himself Lord, and the Son of His Father in heaven.  It is this will of God the Father that Christ knows and shares as Son.

With this final statement, Jesus is teaching us that an outward declaration of worship or honor to Himself as Lord isn't enough.  Rather, His real disciples are those who do the will of God the Father in heaven.  There our deepest loyalty must lie.  How do we do this?  How do we know God's will?  In this context, I think we mustn't forget the statements in yesterday's reading, so affirmative and emphatic in their direction to us:  "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."  In the sense of the Greek verbs, this is a command to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking.  My study bible says that we ask through prayer, we seek by learning God's truth, and we knock by pursuing God's will.  In other words, there is an implied effort at continual discipleship through sincere faith practices.  We must keep it in our hearts that what we really pursue is the knowledge of the will of our Father in heaven, and the capacity to do it, to live it.  This implies both a sincere desire and an effort, and would include a capacity for repentance when there is something we need to walk back, to turn away from, to "change our minds" about.  This is an integral and holistic process, starting from deep within ourselves, in the place that in the language of the Gospels is called "the heart," our very center which unifies us as who we are.  It's there that Christ begins with the concept that the fruit of the tree is borne according to the state of its heart.  But it would be a mistake to think that Christ speaks as if what we are is written in stone.  Instead, He's asking us to follow His narrow and difficult way -- that the focus on the heart, the inside, is the way for those who would follow Him.  This He contrasts with hypocrisy, pointing out that there are false prophets who hide behind a mask of piety.  His active way for us is to "make the tree good," so that we will bear good fruit.   He calls us to this "narrow way" through which we are willing to actively face honestly our own flaws, find true discernment, to find the true life of the Kingdom.  This comes in small steps, through time, when we often feel as if there is indeed a very "narrow way" through which to proceed, even a difficult choice -- when it be so much easier to follow the crowd.   It is easy to be fooled by appearances, by "false prophets."   Jesus gives us a continual way to develop our own purity of heart, our capacity to discern our own flaws, so that we may in turn be able the better to discern those who might lead us astray.   As His sheep, we seek to enter the Kingdom His way, through His narrow gate.  He is the true Lamb of God whom we seek to follow, rather than the wolves in sheep's clothing.  Let us focus on the narrow and difficult path, the way of the Cross, so that we may be the followers He asks us to be.