Luke 13:22-35 - The Narrow Door
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
Have you ever gone to a big event - maybe a concert, sports game, or a gathering of sorts? There are thousands of people trying to get through a narrow gate. Obviously it takes time and dedication to get through that narrow gate. You must stay focused on which way you are going. If you are not careful, you might veer off course and end up at the wrong door.
But if this event is something that you are excited about, your eyes are on the prize. Your eyes are on getting through that door. You have your ticket ready, and you are laser focused on getting through the crowd. Nothing is going to stop you from getting through that door - no matter how narrow - no matter how hard. It doesn’t matter how many stops there are on the way. It doesn’t matter if security makes you leave your bag outside the venue in order to enter. It doesn’t matter if your water bottle gets confiscated. You are going to persevere and get into that venue.
In the same way, there is only one narrow door to get into heaven.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus gives another illustration of this narrow way to eternal life. He states that in order to gain eternal life, you must go through the only door - namely Christ.
Listen to Jesus in John 10:9:
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
In John chapter 10, Jesus had just referred to Himself as the door for the sheep. And in verse 9 He asserts that if anyone enters by Him they will be saved. Today’s Scripture uses a similar terminology about a door - a narrow door. Jesus urges us to strive and persevere toward the narrow door - the way of salvation.
Prayer
Today, as we go through the Scripture, consider three questions in response to Christ’s teaching. The first is…
I. Are You Asking the Right Question? (22-23)
I. Are You Asking the Right Question? (22-23)
He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.
We are now given a more direct statement of Jesus’s journey toward Jerusalem. This will culminate with His crucifixion and resurrection eventually. However, it is interesting that as He continues this road to the cross, He continues teaching and ministering to others. He continues ministering to the lost. In fact, His ministry really explodes during this time period.
Most commentators believe that the events in John 9-10 fit between Luke 13:21-22. This puts Jesus in Perea as these events unfold from Luke 13:22-Luke 17:10. Jesus will continue gradually moving toward Jerusalem. But over the next several chapters, we are going to see much more from Jesus before He completes this journey!
If you recall, Jesus tipped his hand for what was to come earlier in Luke 9:53:
But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.
He had already shown His plan to head toward Jerusalem. But now we are beginning a more rapid move toward His final destination in Jerusalem. Many commentators estimate that Jesus is within 3-4 months of being crucified at the beginning of His time in Perea, and He ministers in this vicinity until close to the end of His ministry on earth.
Finally, before jumping into the meat of this section, some of you may be wondering where exactly Perea is.
Perea was located beyond the Jordan. It is not mentioned many times in the Bible. However, the Jewish historian Josephus described it as a land of harsh deserts with occasional springs.
So we can see that Jesus has travelled south from Galilee and is gradually working His way to Jerusalem by going through Perea.
Moving into verse 23, Luke abruptly gives us a scene where Jesus is questioned by someone in the crowd.
And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them,
Someone around Jesus - we are not told who - asks a pointed question. They ask if those who are saved will be few. In other words, will there be a lot of people saved in the end or only a few?
Why do they ask this question? Well, Jewish teaching from the Sanhedrin asserted that all Israelites had a share in the world to come. Yet, Jesus’s teachings seemed to contradict these writings.
So this person in the crowd wanted to see what Jesus had to say about the discrepancy. We will see by Jesus’s answer in a moment that this is the wrong question.
Jesus will assert that the right question is not how few will be saved - but instead - will you be saved?
So many people like to ask the esoteric and big questions. Many people like to debate on topics such as predestination, election, human responsibility, man’s will, among other large topics when it comes to soteriology - which is a fancy word meaning the study of salvation.
Many people like to keep talking about these big doctrines - and don’t get me wrong - we need to study the Scriptures and study doctrine. Doctrine is extremely important.
But sadly, many people wanting to debate on these topics are not actually practicing what they preach. They are not sharing the Gospel with others. They are not living lives of prayer and dedication to the Lord.
How are you doing in this? Before considering the other big questions, have you asked the right question?
Are you so focused on all of the big esoteric questions regarding doctrine, creation, the flood, geology, astronomy, among others - that you have failed to ask the right question - namely: Am I saved?
Be sure that you are asking the right question friends - for your eternal life literally depends on it.
Be sure that you have put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for your sins and rose three days later. He now sits at the right hand of the Father. Be sure that you have repented of your sins and placed your trust in Him alone for salvation.
There is another question that goes hand in hand with this first one…
Scripture References: John 10:9, John 9-10, Luke 9:53
II. Are You Striving in the Right Direction? (24-30)
II. Are You Striving in the Right Direction? (24-30)
“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
Jesus responds with a common statement that many of us have heard in the past. He tells those who hear to strive to enter through the narrow door. In other words, yes there will be few that enter into heaven. There will be few that will be saved. Jesus says that many will seek to enter but will not be able.
This verse needs to be understood in light of all of Scripture. Jesus commonly allows the tension of perseverance and striving to be there with the free gift of salvation offered. This tension is intentional. They are both true. One should not consider salvation as difficult to obtain in the sense that it requires one’s personal works in order to gain it. Ephesians 2:8-9 is clear that we saved by grace through faith and not by our works. We must understand that the price has been paid by Jesus Christ. He has done all of the work necessary for salvation.
So why would He admonish us and encourage us to strive through the narrow door?
The word strive here comes from the Greek word agōnizomai (ah-go-neese-oh-may) which means to struggle or fight. It means to do all that you can and give your best effort. We get our English word agonize from this.
The effort mentioned by Jesus here is not to be better. It is not an act of doing works to earn salvation. This is an effort toward the narrow door. We must do all that we can do to make it through the narrow door.
What Jesus means is that we must strive against our sinful nature, the enemy of our soul, and all of the temptations and distractions on this earth that encourage us away from repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. As God is drawing us to Himself, the world and the devil are trying to distract us from taking that step of faith toward God in repentance.
Salvation requires the drawing of God first and foremost (John 6:44). We are not good and do not freely seek after God (Romans 3). God seeks after us. However, the Scripture here as well as many places elsewhere is clear that we must respond to that drawing through repentance and faith. We must accept the free gift of salvation.
Many today have falsely taught ‘easy believism.’ In other words, just say a prayer and you will be saved. Although the work of salvation has been done and accomplished by Christ alone, there is a great cost in following Christ.
Christ calls us to agonize or strive to enter the narrow door because He knows that it is a hard road to enter. Listen to the call to follow Christ:
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
In order to get through the narrow door, you must be willing to leave yourself at the door. You must be willing to die to yourself - dying to your desires of the flesh, dying to your sin, dying to your selfishness. You must be willing to leave everything outside the door that hinders you from entering. Listen to Hebrews 12:1:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
You must be willing to lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely.
My friends, sin does cling closely. So many fail to enter the narrow door because they refuse to lay aside the weights. They cannot fit through the door with all of their baggage that they want to take with them through the door. So they just roam around outside - around the door. They live their lives fairly close to the entry. And this appeases their conscience. They feel like that they are close enough. They feel like they still have some time to fully repent and make things right before their time runs out.
But listen to Jesus warn against such a man or woman…
When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’
The master of the house is Jesus in this parable.
We see this more clearly in verse 26.
We are told that Jesus, at some point, will rise and shut the door. The door will be slammed shut. And those outside will begin to knock and ask to be let in.
Yet, they will be answered with a terrifying reply. ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Obviously, Jesus does know all about the people outside. However, He means that they are not of His Kingdom. They are not welcome in now.
Here we find another clear teaching against a second chance once the door is shut - namely once our lives are over. There is no purgatory or second chance. Once the door is shut, it is shut forever.
Moving forward we see the response to Jesus’s firm statement of not knowing the people outside.
Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’
Those left outside try to plead their case. They assert that they ate and drank with Jesus. They listened to His teaching.
But the Master replies again, I do not know where you come from.
As Darrel Bock asserts:
“…exposure is not knowledge…inward reception is everything.”
Darrel Bock
Brothers and sisters, just because you were raised in a Christian home, just because you have been exposed to the Gospel many times - does not mean that you are in the Kingdom of God and does not mean that you are saved. Take heed from these words from Christ.
Not only does the Master deny them entrance, but He also tells them to depart and calls them workers of evil. This is quite a statement. Not only were they not of God, but they were also of the devil. They were enemies of God.
Moving forward we are told where these people outside of heaven will end up.
In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.
Jesus again speaks about hell. He calls it a place with weeping and gnashing of teeth. This illustration highlights the deep sorrow, hopelessness, grief, despair, and pain that those in hell will have.
Jesus asserts that they will see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets entering the Kingdom of God, but they will be cast out.
Their false belief in thinking that they were good to go just because they were Jews is challenged directly by Jesus again. They will find themselves not a part of the Kingdom of God. They will find themselves left out.
But there is one more stinging warning and rebuke that Jesus has for these prideful Jews who think they have no need to repent and follow Him…
And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
This refers to the inclusion of the Gentiles into the Kingdom of God. This would have struck them to the core. They found their identity in their exclusive Hebrew nationality. They were good to go because they were Jews. And now Jesus is saying that they are going to be left outside and that many Gentiles will be entering the Kingdom.
He says that some who are last will be first and some who are first will be last. In other words, there are those that are a part of God's chosen people, namely Israel, who will not be a part of the Kingdom of God. Yet there were some that were left out of the chosen people - namely the Gentiles - that will make it into the kingdom of God. God is a gracious God.
So far, Jesus has asked us if we are asking the right question and striving in the right direction. There is one more important question that our passage for today brings up…
Scripture References: Ephesians 2:8-9, John 6:44, Romans 3, Matthew 16:24, Hebrews 12:1
III. Are You Rejecting the Only Way of Salvation? (31-35)
III. Are You Rejecting the Only Way of Salvation? (31-35)
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.”
After this parable, some of the Pharisees came and let Jesus know that Herod was seeking to kill Him. This was obviously a true threat as Herod had already cut off the head of John the Baptist.
I do find it interesting that we are now given a few Pharisees who appear to be looking out for Jesus. But why? Is this with a good heart and attitude. Looking at the Scriptures, this is highly unlikely. His interactions with the Pharisees have been tense at best and hostile more often than not. Jesus has gone out of His way to condemn their hypocrisy. It is likely that there is ulterior motive here.
This threat from Herod brings up a good understanding of Christ’s life on earth.
Jesus spent much of His earthly life in harm’s way. Consider some of the threats upon His life:
Threats Upon Jesus’s Life in the Gospels
Herod the Great’s Slaughter of the Innocent. (Matthew 2:13-18)
His hometown people of Nazareth try to kill Him early in His ministry by throwing Him off of a cliff. (Luke 4:28-30)
Multiple times the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, scribes, chief priests, and high priests seek to murder Jesus. (Matthew 26:3-4, Mark 3:6, Luke 19:47, John 7:1, John 11:53)
Herod Antipas threatens to kill Jesus. (Luke 13:31)
Judas betrays Jesus, and a plot is made for His arrest and likely execution. (Matthew 26:14-16)
Just before He was crucified, the crowd of Jews ask for His crucifixion. (Matthew 27:20-25)
Pilate orders for Jesus’s execution despite declaring Him innocent earlier. (Matthew 27:26)
Jesus is no coward. This wasn’t the first threat and it certainly wasn’t the last threat He faced. Listen to His response to this…
And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.
Jesus’ response is sharp. He refers to Herod as a fox. Some might be taken aback from Jesus’s harsh reference here. His metaphor of a fox spoke of Herod being cunning and crafty. But this term was also used to express contempt for someone. With Jesus’s words, it is apparent that He had strong feelings toward Herod.
Herod had beheaded the forerunner and relative of Jesus - John the Baptist. Herod had done terrible things and would continue doing terrible things. Jesus would eventually be brought before Herod and mocked after being sent from Pilate. At that time, Jesus would not honor Herod with even one spoken word which is interesting because He answered the other leaders with short statements at least (Luke 23:6-12).
As Leon Morris states:
“When Jesus has nothing to say to a man, that man’s position is hopeless.”
Jesus knew what was in the heart of Herod. Herod was a dead man walking.
Some might also see Jesus as speaking poorly of a ruler here. Wasn’t that sin (Exodus 22:28)? This was normally the case. However, God often directly rebuked Israel’s rulers through the prophets. Consider Isaiah 1:23:
Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow’s cause does not come to them.
Obviously Jesus is God and is also the fulfillment of all prophecies. He was righteous in His judgment and could have brought forth even more harsh statements regarding the rulers of His day. It is clear that Jesus has and had the right to speak about any ruler He desires to speak about.
Getting back to the second half of verse 32...
Luke 13:32b (ESV)
… ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.
Jesus wanted Herod to understand the miracles going on. Herod was very familiar with the Jewish customs and prophecies. He was up to date on the understanding of Messianic teachings. Jesus wanted him to know that He was the Messiah. And He wanted Herod to know that the work would continue until He decided His time had come.
As Jesus has stated before:
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Jesus uses a metaphor of three days in the last part of verse 32 to symbolize the completion of His ministry. He would continue working for a while. However, the time was coming soon when He would finish His course - meaning that He would be crucified, buried, and would raise from the dead.
Jesus emphatically makes the following statement after this as to say, I have to stick to the plan of my Heavenly Father…
Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
Jesus knows what is coming. He knows His death is imminent. But there is still work to be done. The road to Jerusalem will still be a bit longer.
Jesus then laments over Jerusalem. He states that He wishes that He could gather them under His wings like a hen with her brood. Yet, the Jews were not willing. They refused to repent and believe in their Messiah.
Are you willing to submit to the Lordship of Christ? We have seen the judgment of Christ. We have heard about the door being shut and hell being a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. But see the beautiful mercy and kindness of our Lord here as well.
For those who trust in Him, He promises to be a shelter, to be a comforter, and to be a protector.
So often the Lord uses this metaphor of being hidden under the wings of God. It provides a picture of protection and care to His children.
Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
There are multiple other references to this in the Palms as well. Jesus loves providing us protection, comfort, and love. He is always near to us who are His children.
Don’t reject the only way of salvation. Accept the free gift of God. Enjoy Him always.
However, if not, we see the result that would come to Israel and also what will come of those who reject the free gift of salvation even today…
Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
He asserts that their house is forsaken. Again, Jesus says behold, meaning that an important announcement was coming. What does it mean that their house would be forsaken? This likely points to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Jerusalem would be completely destroyed and the people would be taken into exile.
And He then tells them that they will not see Him again until they say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’
This statement at the end likely refers to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Although these words were spoken during His triumphal entry in Matthew 23:39 as He was welcomed by the Jewish crowds that would turn on Him in a matter of days, there will come a day when everyone will see the glory of Jesus and even the unconverted and wicked will be forced to bow their knees. Listen to this in Philippians 2:9-10:
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
One day everyone will be be forced to bless Jesus. Some will see His coming and bless Him in excited expectation. Others will be terrified and bless Him as they prepare for eternal judgment.
Scripture References: Luke 23:6-12, Exodus 22:28, Isaiah 1:23, John 10:17-18, Psalm 61:4, Psalm 63:7, Psalm 91:4, Matthew 23:39, Philippians 2:9-10
Conclusion:
As we come to a close, be sure you are ready for that day. Be sure that you have asked the right question - am I saved? Be sure that you are striving in the right direction - toward Christ alone - laying aside everything that hinders you from truly following Him. And be sure that you have not rejected the only way of salvation - Jesus Christ.
Be sure that you have entered through the narrow door.