Two Choices

“This life has many choices; eternity has two.” So says the song (a song sung by Just Us 4, btw). And so says the Scripture.

The Entrance to Life, 13-14

Matthew 7:13–14 NKJV

13 “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. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

The basic premise

Two gates (gates) or entrances

Two paths (lead to) that connect from the gate to

Two destinations or ends

Like the proverbial poet, you—being one traveler—cannot walk both paths, you must choose one.

The recommended path

Jesus clearly recommends one gate and path over the other: the narrow gate. He offers some warnings about this choice:

The gate is narrow, more of a small gap in the rocks than a small garden gate

The path is difficult (there will be troubles and difficulties)

The company is minimal (few find it and even fewer find it appealing enough to choose it)

The path leads to life (Greek text contains the definite article, the. “the way which leads to the life.”)

The other path

Jesus mentions another gate and path, but it is not the one He recommends. He offers some warnings about this choice as well:

The gate is wide and easily accessed

The path is broad, flat and easily walked

The company is maximal, there are a lot of people who choose the path

The path leads to death

Greek text contains the definite article, the. “the way which leads to the destruction.”

worth noting that destruction here means a loss of well-being, not a loss of being (think oil that has gone rancid: it’s still oil, but you’re frying your chicken in it)

The restated premise

In this life, you must choose an entrance and walk a path which ends in a destination in the next life.

The choice is made in this life.

The path is walked in this life.

The destination is reached at the end of this life.

The preferred choice is obvious, but most people will not make that choice.

This contrast imperfectly reminds me of hiking through Purgatory Chasm many years ago. There is a point where the trail splits and you can take the wider, easier trail or you can take a very narrow path that leads between large sections of rock. The path through is narrow enough to step over from above, it’s a seriously tight squeeze! Most people go around: I did.

Moving on from this choice, Jesus makes some observations to warn and guide those who choose the narrow gate.

The Evidence of Life, 15-20

One of the dangers we face is deceptive agents from the destructive path.

Matthew 7:15–20 NKJV

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Though the image of wolves wearing sheep’s clothing is the stuff of cartoons, the danger they pose in real life is neither silly nor funny. These false prophets seek to bring the destructive influence of their path and their destination to our path. As if we needed more obstacles!

How are we to know the difference between a true prophet and a false prophet?

We have to watch what they produce

this may take some time to see. If they are bad, they will ultimately produce bad things. If they are good, they will ultimately produce good things.

We have to discern what they produce

remember: easyness, popularity, and even prosperity are seldom good things. How many poisonous plants produce a lot of fruit?

Discernment does not stop with us. God has to exercise it as well. What is He looking for?

The Exercise of Life, 21-23

Matthew 7:21–23 NKJV

21 “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. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

It’s not about what they say, it’s about what they do.

It’s not about their boastful achievements, it’s about their relationship with God and their practice in life.

It’s the stark contrast between doing the will of God and practicing lawlessness.

It is a contrast that is easy for God to see, but sometimes harder for us to see.

It is a contrast that requires us to know God’s will and God’s law well enough to see that they are violating it. The ends do not justify the means!

It’s the stark contrast between way of life and the way of destruction packaging itself to look like the way of life.

The Establishment of Life, 24-27

Eventually, the path a person is walking will be revealed in the life a person is living.

Matthew 7:24–27 NKJV

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

The way of life leads to life in the next life, but it is also the way of life in this life.

The ways of destruction leads to destruction in the next life, but it is also the way of destruction in this life.

If we watch and wait long enough, the storms of life will make our choices clear.

Conclusion

There are two possible choices that we can make in this life. They lead to two very different lives and two vastly different afterlives. Jesus concludes this long sermon by clearly presenting this choice to His hearers. He makes it clear which they should choose. But ultimately the choice was up to them. Just like it is up to us.

On that day, many of the people who were there were there because they were His followers: they had already made their choice. His message for them was what it meant to be His follower. But His conclusion was still for them to understand that there are only two choices.

It was important for them to remember that for themselves. Most of us have made the right choice, but I would not assume we all have.

It was important to remember that for those around them. Most of us know many people who have not made the right choice.

What will we do with two choices?

Post Script, 28-29

Matthew records how the people responded to Jesus’ message.

Matthew 7:28–29 NKJV

28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Authority, clarity, and a clear choice. Jesus’s hearers were not used to such things. Little has changed there. Jesus’ words do not fail to astonish even in our day.