Two Paths

As we come to Matthew 7:13-14 today, we will find that Jesus is beginning to wrap up His sermon on the mount. As He does that, He brings us to a text with massive implications as He states that we are at a crossroads and must choose one of two ways: A life of ease with everyone on it, or a life of difficulty, loneliness and hardship. Now, before we make our choice, which most of us would obviously say, “I’ll take the easier route of course.” We must ask, “Where is it going?”

In verse 13, Jesus begins by saying, “Enter by the narrow gate.” This is the command for this sermon and from that point on everything else He says for the rest of verses 13-14 will be explaining why you should take His command seriously. As He commands us to take the narrow gate, we would think, “Why on Earth would I want to squeeze through a difficult little gate?” and He clarifies that question by saying, “Because the wide gate, which might be easy and popular, will lead you to Hell.”

Now, as we go through this text together, I want us to consider a few things, (1) The Danger of the Wide Way and (2) The Demand of the Narrow Way.

The Danger of the Wide Way

First, we must consider the danger of the wide way and we will do that as we look at it from two perspectives.

First, we must notice it’s attraction. It is the path of least resistance with the most people.

In Genesis, God commands Adam and Eve to fill the Earth with humans. Now that might seem insignificant to this, but the reason I bring it up is because Genesis teaches us that humans are made in God’s image and the desire of God was that humans, who bear His image, might fill the earth and essentially fill the Earth full of His glory. However, when we reach Genesis 6, the God who once looked at creation and said, “Behold, it is very good.” Now looks, in Genesis 6:1, and it reads that,

Genesis 6:12 ESV

12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

We see that the Earth, before the flood was full of sinfulness. The world and the people who were created to love and adore God and to spread His glory have turned to sin but even after the flood, God says, in Genesis 8:21

Genesis 8:21 ESV

21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.

The danger of the Wide Way is that we tend to convince ourselves that if everyone is going with it, then it must be right. But everyone except a handful died in the flood. Proverbs 14:12

Proverbs 14:12 ESV

12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

We desire ease, we desire what seems attractive, we desire the path of least resistance and we desire a group to go along with. This path shouts that it’s big enough for you and all your desires, your pet sins, your wants and pride. It’s big enough for you to have your cake and eat it too, it promises you everything you could ever dream of, but here Christ throws up a red flag and calls us to look where this path heads!

Second, we must notice it’s destination. It leads to eternal damnation.

Matthew’s gospel describes Hell as a place with weeping and gnashing of teeth and in Mark’s gospel Jesus refers to Gehenna, a garbage dump to describe Hell. In Mark 9:42-48

Mark 9:42–48 ESV

42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’

Gehenna was a place where children were sacrificed to false gods in the old testament and in Jesus’s time it was a massive garbage dump where people through everything from household garbage to the bodies of convicted criminals and Gehenna had a fire running day and night to burn up the fire. In Gehenna there were maggots and worms all over and Jesus uses this horrible description of these disgusting things eating up the garbage and the bodies to refer to Hell where the agonies will never end.

This is where the wide-path leads us and so, the Lord commands us to take the narrow way, which is our second point.

The Demand of the Narrow Way

Second, we must consider the demand of the narrow way and as we look at this, we will find:

First, it’s difficulties. This is a path of discomfort, of loneliness and hardship.

In Luke 14:25-35, Jesus describes this path as one where we must be willing to lose every close relationship we have, one akin to taking up a cross daily (an instrument of horrible pain and death) daily.

We all want comfort, we all want popularity and company, and when we consider traveled paths we would obviously think the busier one is the most important one. But that’s not what Jesus teaches us about these paths. He calls us to seek a path that few people look to find.

It is not attractive, popular, or comfortable. As a matter of fact, this gate is so narrow that our sinful pride can’t squeeze through with us and it’s so narrow that we must walk through it alone. However, as we walk through it we are stripped of all our pride, but we are clothed with the riches of the King who made the path for us.

As a matter of fact, we wouldn’t begin to look for it, if it didn’t look for us first. Jesus says, in John 6:37

John 6:37 ESV

37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

And believe it or not, Jesus is the very gate and path itself as He says, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me.”

Second, we must notice it’s destination. It leads to eternal life.

Where does it lead? It leads to life. It leads to the Father. It leads to a world free of sin and full of sweet fellowship with God. Aren’t you tired of your sin? Aren’t you tired of hating your Creator? Don’t you long to be forgiven? Do you feel the guilt and shame? Run to Christ, He is the way.

Lastly, we must consider the lessons of this text for ourselves.

First, we must consider the reality of Hell and seriously consider the condition of our souls.

Second, we should marvel at the miracle and way of salvation.

Third, we should be encouraged on our Christian walk.

Christ in the sermon on the mount, calls us to love neighbor, to love holiness, to be patient and merciful, forgiving, and committed to Him. How do we stay encouraged in doing that while living in this sinful world? We remind ourselves that this is the path of eternal life.