Enter by the narrow gate

 

 "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 current readings, we have been going through the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5 - 7 of St. Matthew's Gospel).  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 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 informs us of the "two ways" that was widespread in Judaism (see Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1; Proverbs 4:18-19, 12:28, 15:21; Sirach 15:17) -- and also in early Christian writings (Didache, Barnabas).  Luke's version of this teaching (Luke 13:24-30) is more eschatological, as it refers to the end of the age.  My study Bible explains that because 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 notes 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 need to be all the more cautious among those who are outwardly virtuous.  In Matthew 3:10, John the Baptist preached the same statement, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

 

"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."  My study Bible calls this a threefold testimony to the deity of Christ.  First, He calls Himself Lord -- a reference to the divine name "Yahweh" (YHWH) of the Old Testament.  Second, He speaks of the will of My Father, which He fully knows and shares.  Finally, as judge, Christ is revealed as God, as only God can execute true judgment.  In that day is a reference to the final judgment.  

 

 In today's reading, Jesus teaches, "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 commented that this saying is also found in St. Luke's Gospel (Luke 13:24-30), but it notes that there the saying is placed in an eschatological context.  However, reading through the verses that follow here in the Sermon on the Mount, we see that indeed, Jesus also has hints of "end times" considerations here, and especially of the judgment at the end of the age.  He warns us and teaches us how to discern false prophets.  They're people who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  For the early Church, it seems quite likely that this is a warning against false teachers, which would become an essential concern in the Church -- and remains so.  But Christ teaches us that by their fruits you will know them, so essentially this teaching becomes useful for many circumstances, and even discerning what effect behaviors and doctrines carry over into practice.  He says, "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit," again teaching us to use discernment and to be wise, and giving us a hint of the judgment to come.  He says, in an echo of John the Baptist, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  As He does so, this brings in the eschatological element of judgment that is in St. Luke's Gospel.  "Therefore by their fruits you will know them," becomes the warning and teaching to all of us, for all time about who we follow and who we might trust.  Finally, He teaches, "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."  This not only teaches us more about wolves in sheep's clothing, but about hypocrisy -- a focus in the Sermon on the Mount, and Christ's greatest critique of the Pharisees and scribes to come.  Moreover, He again brings in eschatological elements of judgment.  He reminds us that He's not looking for statements of faith, He doesn't want us to swear to anything to try to prove something.  He's looking for faithful behavior -- those who seek the will of God and live it, who do it.  Let us understand that the focus on eschatology is meant to give us a solemn note to emphasize the importance of the teaching, for it is not in another time -- at the end of time -- when all of this matters, but each day we live this reality is with us.  So let us find the narrow gate, the way that is not easy, because after all, in the end it's all that really matters.  It's the way which leads to life.

Enter by the narrow gate

 "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

Currently we are in the midst of reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  It began with the reading from Monday, April 18th, The Beatitudes.  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 (see Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1; Proverbs 4:14-18, 12:28, 15:24; Wisdom of Sirach 15:17).   It is also prominent in early Christian writings such as the Didache and Barnabas.  Luke's version (Luke 13:24-30) has an eschatological focus and refers to the end of the age.  Because Christ's teachings lead us to wrestle against sins and human weaknesses as well as spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12), to enter 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 tells us 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.  Therefore, we must be all the more cautious among those who are outwardly virtuous.  John the Baptist made the same statement as that of verse 19 here: "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  In this sense, we see eschatological content strewn within the active teachings He gives us; a very picture, once again, of the Incarnation.  In this case, He's giving us words to teach us the importance discernment and an understanding of the heart.

"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 continues with an eschatological theme, thus giving the Sermon on the Mount the fullness of His identity.  Here He calls Himself Lord, which refers to the divine name "Yahweh" of the Old Testament.  He also speaks of the will of My Father, which He fully knows and shares.  And He clearly speaks of Himself as Judge, which reveals His divine nature:  only God can execute true judgment.

The narrow gate and the way that leads to life are the teachings Jesus has given in the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus sets a pathway for the "way of life" for all of us, by laying out the way of life of the Kingdom, even as we live in this world.  Life is not meant by this mission of Christ to be divided up into the present and the eschatological future, or a separate heaven from earth.  Rather, the Incarnation itself is a picture of Christ's mission to us:  to teach us to live the ways of the Kingdom as we live our worldly lives day by day, and to anchor that Kingdom in this world, even as He teaches us to pray to God the Father that "your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  In today's reading there are notes of eschatology, Judgment, the great "crisis" (in the Greek sense of that word) in which all comes together.  And what that teaches us, though, is the eschatology that is also in the midst of the here and now, not only in the midst of His teachings to us and our awareness of the importance of discernment, but also actively at work in His ministry and mission to us.  Jesus not only connects the divine and the human in His being, but a part of that Incarnation is the intersection of eternity and worldly time.  Everything is connected to this central moment of Judgment and of His return.  We mustn't consider it a "someday" moment, but rather a living part of how we live the life of the Kingdom and how it lives in us.  Clearly the active work of the Spirit is that which will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment as Jesus will say at the Last Supper; something at work in our midst since Pentecost.  To understand, therefore, His teachings about the way of life and the way of death is to understand the truth of the heart and what we choose to love most and best.  Human hearts can be hidden, but as He teaches we are to be discerning, and to understand the fruit of the Spirit -- as well as to observe the fruits of "ravenous wolves."   He calls on us to bear the responsibility for discernment, not to follow anyone that calls us or just "sounds good."  He will give us the Spirit to help.  But once again, as in yesterday's reading, we note the responsibility that He confers on His followers, the trust He invests in us to do this.  We must also take note that this is the same sermon in which He teaches us to "judge not, that you not be judged" (yesterday's reading).   Judgment and discernment are entirely different things; one does not preclude the other.  One He prohibits and the other He commands.  Let us understand the active work of the Kingdom in the here and the now.  Judgment is not a far away, someday event; it is at work among us, within us, proving out all things, actively seeking and knocking, and mingled with the choices we each make even today.  Let us remember this narrow and difficult way, and bear the fruit of the Spirit even as we live the life of the Kingdom in this world.

Enter by the narrow gate

 "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, given in Matthew chs. 5-7.  Yesterday, we read that 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 notes here:  "The description of the two ways was widespread in Judaism (Deut. 30:15-20, Psalm 1 . . .) and in early Christian writings (Didache, Barnabas).  Luke's version (Luke 13:24-30) is more eschatological, referring to the end of the age.  Because we wrestle against sins and human weaknesses as well as spiritual forces of evil (Eph. 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."  My study bible tells us:  "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.  Thus, we must be all the more cautious among those who are outwardly virtuous."

"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."  The statement, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire," was also made by John the Baptist.  See Matthew 3:10.

Once again in today's reading, as in yesterday's, Jesus is calling us to discernment.  What is this narrow way?  How do we make good choices, and avoid the wide and broad way that leads to destruction, into which so many apparently go?  Jesus warns us, gives us a preview, that this way He is teaching is not only through a narrow gate but it is difficult - and there are few who find it.   So He is giving us warning, telling us to pay attention:  His way is one that requires our attention, our active discernment, our constant effort.  This is not to say we are on our own, but that our true job is our faith and engagement with God (seeking, asking and knocking was the way He characterized it in yesterday's reading).  Above all things, there is our effort to engage with God, to desire that intimate relationship.  This is how we find the way.  This mystical reality requires active engagement on our part, a way of being awake via constantly seeking.  And then, there comes this warning:  to beware of false prophets.  Let us not look in the wrong direction!  Let us remember our own asking, seeking, and knocking and the power that has to find the way, to engage in the reality of God, to seek first this Kingdom -- and the way will be made known to us.  How do we avoid false prophets?  We will know them by their fruits.  Once again, Jesus is calling us not to be sleepwalking through life, but just the opposite:  we are not like the blind leading the blind -- we are called to wisdom, to understanding, and especially to alertness while we seek His way and engage in all the practices included in the metaphor of asking, seeking, and knocking -- of seeking first the Kingdom.  We would do well to remember that, as He sends out His apostles on their first mission, He says they must be "wise as serpents and gentle as doves."   This is the discernment, awareness, and active intelligence, alertness, that He asks of His servants and followers.  And finally, there is this 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 a reminder, begun in yesterday's reading at the beginning of chapter 7, that there is one Judge, and He is in our presence.  He's not just teaching, but He is also the place of real Judgment, a place we can't know of ourselves, someone we can't fool, who knows everything about us.  It's a reinforcement of discernment and alertness, reminding us to "keep it real" all the time, not to fool ourselves or be fooled by others -- to seek Him and His Kingdom first.