“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Matthew 7:13-14 ESV

Two ways

When the American poet Robert Frost and his friend and contemporary British poet Edward Thomas walked together, Thomas was often indecisive about which road to take, so Frost wrote The Road Not Taken. It begins…

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth…

In His manifesto, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that there are two ways to live (see Matt 5-7). In application, Jesus likened these two ways to two diverging roads, challenging His listeners to choose which road to take.

“If we would enter the Kingdom of heaven, we must enter by the narrow gate, following the teaching that produces the good fruit of obedience, building our lives on the rock of Jesus’ words. None of this can be done in our own strength, but only by the help and grace we find in God.”

Mark E Ross

The Bible does not uncommonly illustrate two ways to live (see Psalm 1, Proverbs 9, Jer 21:8). Jesus tells his listeners that there is a way (or road) that leads to life and a way that leads to destruction. In the early church, Christians were called followers of The Way (see Acts 9:2). This is probably because Jesus repeatedly used similar metaphors (see John 10:7, 10:9, 14:6).

When Jesus uses the word life, He refers to eternal life, and destruction refers to everlasting destruction. These two ways have eternal consequences (see Rev 17:8, 19:20, 20:10-15, Matt 25:31-33, 41,46).

Two alternatives

Jesus sets before his listeners a contrast.

One choice between two possible alternatives: life or death. There are only two ways, and every human travels on one. The way that leads to destruction is comprehensive and easy because it is the path of least resistance. It is the way we all begin on by nature (see Eph 2:1, Rom 8:7).

Some go through the wide gate because they deliberately reject the gospel and Jesus’s demands on their lives. Others drift along with the crowd, making the mistake that if the majority are doing it, it must be okay (see Prov 14:12).

The wide gate offers a deceptive sense of freedom and independence. There are no restrictions; it imposes few boundaries on conduct. You can believe what you want and be who you want. This way offers tolerance, inclusion, and relativism.

“The gate leading to the easy way is wide, for it is a simple matter to get on the easy road. There is evidently no limit to the luggage we can take with us. We need leave nothing behind, not even our sins, self-righteousness or pride.”

John Stott

This way is easy to walk on, and by nature, we enjoy walking on it (see Eph 2:3, 2 Cor 4:4). Others choose moralism and false religion, creating a god of their imaginations—a god who approves of whatever they want to do and asks little in return.

In this section of Matthew, Jesus continues the theme of two. Two trees, sayers, doers, and two foundations (see Matt 7:15-27). Interestingly, Jesus makes a connection with false prophets. Could it be that a trait of the false prophet is to minimise the narrow and hard way?

There are many false prophets today. They preach a gospel where the gate is not narrow and the way is not hard—a gospel that exists to bring us prosperity. In this gospel, we should never face sickness or trials and difficulties, a gospel where Jesus is reduced to a self-help guru who exists to help us live our best lives now. Might it be that many in such congregations have not yet entered the narrow gate? Jesus tells us not to be deceived.

J.C Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on Matthew was first published in 1856. In it, he wrote, “Repentance, and faith in Christ, and holiness of life, have never been fashionable. The true flock of Christ has always been small. It must not move us to find that we are reckoned singular, and peculiar, and bigoted, and narrow minded.” (1). These are the same accusations today! The gate has always been narrow, and the way has always been challenging.

“You have to go out of your way to find this gate. You will have to analyse yourself and be very honest with yourself, and, having refused to hold back, say: ‘I am going on with this until I discover exactly what I have to do.”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

The way is hard because it’s an exclusive way. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The narrow way demands one truth and salvation in Christ alone (see John 14:6, 10:9, Acts 4:12).

The Bible is clear that Muhammad, Buddha, Confucius and all other earthly religions or philosophies are false and stand in opposition to God’s appointed King. Perhaps nothing else will provoke so much hatred towards the Christian message than this. In a pluralistic and syncretistic culture, this is a message that cannot be tolerated.

The narrow gate imposes boundaries and restrictions on those who enter it. The moral hot potatoes of our culture are clearly defined. Christians are called to take up their cross, deny themselves, and repent of and resist sin. To leave pride and self-righteousness behind. Christians are called to live as God requires, which always leads to persecution. The way remains narrow throughout the journey (see Matt 5:10-12, 20, 48, 16:24, Mark 9:43-48, Eph 5:3-4, Rom 6).

The narrow gate is hard because it is not easy to find. It must be diligently sought, and when found, there must be resolve and commitment to follow Jesus (see Luke 13:24, Matt 10:38).

Two destinies

Jesus sets before his listeners two destinies.

Heaven or hell.

It is only by the grace of God that we can enter heaven. As Gregory Brown says, “Christ’s command to enter does not deny the fact that salvation is by grace alone; it simply affirms the reality that those who choose God have been given grace to be saved. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.” Even our faith—our ability to choose God—is a gift from him.”

It may be a narrow way, but as we follow Jesus, we will discover new abundant life (see John 10:10, 17:3, Matt 5:2-10, 11:28-30). As salvation is by grace, our walking on the narrow path is also by grace. Salvation ultimately is not a human accomplishment. Christians may stumble on the narrow path, but by grace, they will rise and continue.

The poem The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost ends with this stanza…

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

What Frost means when he says the road he travelled on made all the difference is somewhat ambiguous; however, the teaching of Jesus and the bible is clear. The way you take it will make all the difference—the difference between life and death, heaven and hell.

Have you entered by the narrow gate?

Notes

1. J.C. Ryle – Expository Thoughts on Matthew, Banner of Truth Trust, 1995, p67-68

All scripture quotations are from the ESV