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

Yesterday we read that Jesus taught (as we read through the Sermon on the Mount):   "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 for you, do also for 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 says 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; Wisdom of Sirach 15:17).  It prominently appears also in early Christian writings (Didache, Barnabas).  Luke's version (Luke 13:24-30) is more eschatological, set in reference to the end of the age.  My study bible says that as we wrestle against sins and human weaknesses, as well as spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12), 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."  My study bible comments here that, because they can easily deceive others, those who put on a show of virtue or religion are more dangerous than those who are evil outright.  So therefore, we must be all the more cautious among those who are outwardly virtuous!  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire:  John the Baptist made this same 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."  Jesus here calls Himself Lord, which refers to the divine name "Yahweh."  He also speaks of the will of My Father in heaven, and thereby refers to Himself as Son.  He openly speaks of His identity as Son and therefore divine, in context also referring to Judgment at the end of the age.

In today's reading, Jesus warns us to "Enter by the narrow gate."  What is this narrow gate?  Clearly it is the gate of His word and teachings, and also the gate of His Person.  Jesus teaches elsewhere, "I am the door" (John 10:9).  Although there is a difference between a door and a gate (and the words are different in Greek), their function is the same.  Both indicate entrance, and both have been translated as entrance as well.  A gate is often used in the ways that there were gates to ancient cities meant for protection.  In this case, this "narrow gate" is the way into Christ's kingdom.  He contrasts this narrow gate with the wide gate and broad way that leads to destruction ("for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction").  Let us note that the entrance to destruction is not only a wide gate, and a broad way, but also there are all kinds of people crowding into that entrance, for "there are many who go in by it."   Again, let us turn to John's Gospel for His affirmative words regarding Himself in this context:  "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).   Jesus is not just the door or entrance to the kingdom of heaven, but He is also the way (again, in contrast to the broad way that leads to destruction).  Let us note, for the sake of understanding, that this word in Greek for way can literally mean "road."   So we're given a picture of a narrow city gate, which is a metaphor for His teachings and His Person, and that is in contrast with the wide gate and broad way the general public seems to take.  Then He gives us another image:  "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."  Not only is the gate He offers to us narrow, but the way is difficult which leads to life.  Moreover, in contrast to that broad way of destruction which is filled with so many people, there are few who find this narrow gate and difficult way.   This is not a picture of the whole world crowded in under a wide umbrella of Christ, regardless of how many will be saved (or even if all will be saved), for we can't judge that.  Instead, this is rather a picture starkly painted for our own understanding and experience of our faith.  We'll be called upon to find a narrow gate, that the whole world that we know doesn't necessarily want or clamor for.  We may find times of loneliness and great difficulty on Jesus' path.  And we will certainly be subjected, if we're truthful, to times when we will face a choice of separation from things or people we love, because that is the nature of this narrow gate and difficult way or road.  This path doesn't invite us with easy blessings and casual invitations.  It asks something of us.  We may, at times, even feel ourselves compelled forward, even against our will or better judgment (just as Jesus was "thrown" by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil; see this reading).  Jesus does not promise us nor His early followers a great deal of popularity or social acclaim.  In our current media-driven lives -- and especially now when so many of us are online all the time -- we may find this even hard to comprehend.  But in the very next sentence, He begins to warn us about false prophets.  Those are the ones who lead us to destruction, the great hypocrites who look good but are inwardly ravenous wolves.  They want to eat us up, there is an ulterior motive.  They promise us a lot, but in the end we are the victims of their manipulation.  He calls us to discernment:  by their fruits we shall know them.  Beware of those who promise a broad easy way, where we don't need to make tough choices, and all we need seek is social approval of a group.  Collecting "Likes" on Facebook seems to be the opposite of what Jesus intended for us to seek for and to value.  He wants us to find so much more, but we must treasure what He offers.  It's a narrow gate and difficult way for a reason, "for a worker is worthy of his food" (10:10), and "the laborer is worthy of his wages" (Luke 10:7).  Jesus says, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me" (10:37-38).   Just like Jacob who wrestled with the angel for a blessing, this struggle depicted is a positive image for us, full of meaning (Genesis 32:24-32).   We are meant to be worthy of our wages, to become gold asks a refining fire, and thereby we are precious in God's sight.  Jesus did not come into the world to live an easy, carefree, blameless life. If that were the model we needed, so that we would have given -- and in the ancient world there were plenty of such models.  Jesus was called to a difficult choice for life.  Let us consider how we are called through this narrow gate and difficult way, the one that few seem to follow.