Wide the Road to Destruction

The Point of the Gospel

The Sermon On the Mount con’t

Choose the Narrow Path

{Luke} Jesus went through the towns and villages (reminder—only Matthew put the previous and following teachings in the Sermon On the Mount) teaching on his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”

Jesus answered, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, for once the owner of the house rises and closes the gate, you will stand outside pleading and knocking, but he’ll say, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ You will argue, ‘We ate and drank with you and you taught in our streets.’ He’ll say, ‘Away from me you evildoers!’ Those unable to enter will weep and grit their teeth in distress when they see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God. People from every direction will take their place at the feast. Indeed, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”

{Matthew} “Wide is the gate and broad the road that leads to destruction. Many enter through it. But the small gate and narrow road leads to life, and only a few find it. Not everyone who calls my name enters the kingdom of heaven, only he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say, ‘Lord, we prophesied in your name, drove out demons, and performed miracles.’ I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” 

Personal Thought: What makes people important on earth and in human terms—wealth, political power, celebrity—is not how they will be seen in the kingdom of God. Importance or prominence on earth will not guarantee your place in heaven. There’s a discrepancy in when a person goes to the kingdom. Some passages like the reference to the feast seem to intimate that everyone will be called at one time, while others refer to people there directly after death. There will be a lot more on that as the story continues.