A Closing Door

Today’s passage feels pretty harsh, pretty hard-line. A door slammed shut. Pleas ignored. People excluded. The order of things overturned. It’s a side of Jesus people find it harder to embrace. I mean, a Jesus who’s all love and hugs and soft and gentle goes down pretty well in our world. People don’t have much trouble with a nice guy like that guy. But this is the Jesus of the bible here, speaking for himself. We don’t have the liberty to give him a quick makeover, or only focus on one side of him, things he says that we like or agree with. This passage shows us another part of who he is and what he has to say.

So come with me to Luke 13:22 and let’s read together. What does he have to say for himself?

Luke 13:22–30 NIV

Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”

It all starts with the question, “are only a few people going to be saved?” - but as so often is the case, Jesus doesn’t really answer the question. He wants to push the conversation to a much more personal topic: he wants to ask “are you going to be saved”. And he does that with two big pictures: a door that will be closed, and a party with unexpected guests.

So let’s think about these pictures together. What is it that Jesus wants us to learn?

First, a door that will be closed

What’s the door a picture of? What does it mean? Well we’re talking about people being saved. That’s what Jesus was asked: “are only a few people going to be saved.” And in this first word-picture, Jesus pictures being saved as entering through the door.

But just so we’re all on the same page here, all this chat about being saved presumes there is something we need to be saved from. I mean I could tell you how to be saved from a raging wild grizzly bear - but here in Edinburgh you don’t actually need saving from that. Unless there’s trouble at the zoo. I could tell you how to be saved from a fire in this building - if there ever was one: emergency exits here and here, just so you know. But saved only makes sense when it’s saved from something.

So here in the bible, in today’s reading, what are we talking about being saved from? Well, the short answer, though it might sound strange if you’re new to all this, is God.

The Bible tells us there’s a way we should live, a way we should respond to the God who made everything and who made us. But all of us are defective. None of us live that way - we all mess it up.

The Bible tells us that’s a problem - because God is serious about rewarding right and punishing wrong. No one gets away with anything in the end - and we’ve all messed it up so we’re all in trouble.

It’s that trouble, that punishment for all the wrong things we’ve done that we need saving from.

And the good news is there is a door here in this picture - there is a way out of this mess. There is a way to be saved from the trouble we’re in.

But the picture doesn’t just tell us there’s a door, it also tells us it will be closed one day.

That’s why these “many” in v24 who are trying to enter are not able to do so - look closely at the words there: notice they will try to enter and will not be able to. That’s a timestamp; this is in the future. It’s not because the door is narrow and they’ve had one too many doughnuts, or because there’s just too many people for one narrow door and they can’t queue properly like us brits so there’s a giant pile-up.

It’s because the time will come when the door is closed. Then they will try to enter and will not be able to. There’s a way out of this mess for us - but it won’t be open forever. At some point it will be closed.

And after that? No amount of knocking or pleading will open it again. Anyone outside will stay there. The opportunity to be saved will have passed.

We need to think about how this applies to us right away - and the first clear imperative from Jesus is don’t procrastinate.

Now I’m a terrible procrastinator. You should have watched me preparing this talk - even this specific point of this talk! The number of different ways I have of putting off things I should be doing. Time for a cup of coffee. Time to check the news. Time for a cup of tea. Time to check Facebook. Time to check who’s scheduled for Sunday. Time to check the signal strength on my wifi doorbell. It’s a wonder I get anything done, actually.

And I expect a few of you might just possibly know what it is to procrastinate too, right? To put something off, something you know you need to do?

Now one thing that really helps us procrastinators is a deadline. Sunday, as I’m learning, seems to come round every seven days. I know. Who would have thought. And part of what pulls me out of my procrastination and gets me back to work is that Sunday deadline rushing up towards me again. It’s deadlines like that which help us write the essay, help us clean our room, help us pay the bill, help us learn the part, help us get packed for the trip.

Well Jesus tells us there’s a deadline for salvation. The door is open but it’s going to shut. The problem is we don’t know when it is. Now there are two ways we can respond to an unknown deadline:

On the one hand, we can think “manyana manyana”, that is, there’ll always be tomorrow, and we’ll get around to it in the end. We can keep putting it off, always assuming this door will still be open tomorrow. But the truth is we simply don’t know how many more tomorrows there will be. Remember we talked about being saved from a bear - well maybe, just maybe, you’ll run into that bear! But more likely a bus. It feels a bit morbid to say it, but none of us knows how many days we have. Maybe God will just finally call time on the whole thing tonight - while we’re all presuming there’ll just be another tomorrow when the sun rises.

So on the one hand we can think “manyana manaya” and put it off because we don’t know the deadline - but I hope you can all see there’s no place for procrastinating about this door Jesus is talking about if what he says is true, if it is going to be shut, we just don’t know when.

Are you that person, looking at the door, but still standing outside, thinking there’s always tomorrow? Listen to Jesus. Please. He doesn’t want you outside. He wants you safe home. Walk through that door today - don’t assume a tomorrow. If you don’t know how to take that step or you just want to talk to someone first, talk to the person you came with. Talk to me. Talk to anyone! Just do something about it today - not tomorrow.

So first, a door that will be closed - so don’t procrastinate. Then there’s this second picture too: a party with unexpected guests. It seems like after the door is closed there’ll be a party. It’s as if these people who are late to the party - so late that the door is closed and they can’t get in - they get to look through the windows instead. And what they see is going to hurt.

Jesus lays out the guest list for them and it begins with a who’s who of Jewish all-stars - totally fitting for Jesus’ context, the towns and villages of Israel. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are there. The patriarchs, the beginning of the Jewish line, heroes of the faith every one. Recipients of God’s promises: land, children, blessing. All the prophets, those who God has spoken through and worked through down the ages: writers; visionaries; wonder workers. No surprises there.

But there’s going to be weeping and gnashing of teeth v28 tells us - that feels like a familiar biblical phrase but this is the only time it shows up in the whole of Luke’s gospel. Two sides to it - weeping for sadness and gnashing of teeth for anger. Why the sadness and anger? First, as v28 tells us, all the heroes are there - “but you yourselves thrown out”. Jesus, in the heart of the Jewish lands, passing through the towns and villages of Israel, tells these Jewish people - who’d think of themselves as God’s chosen people, sharing in the promises of the patriarchs, treasuring the teaching of the prophets - that they didn’t just fail to make it in through the narrow door in time, they’re actively going to be thrown out - out of this great party. That would be totally shocking to them. “but we are God’s people!” they would have said.

And worse still, while they’re thrown out, people have come in from anywhere and everywhere! People who don’t sit in the family line of the patriarchs, people who don’t care about the law of the prophets, people who don’t live in the land of the promise. And they’re all taking their seats for this party - being shown to their seats - while these latecomers are thrown out. Now that, that would make them angry. That would bring on the gnashing of teeth, so it would.

A huge reversal. A totally unexpected guest list. That’s exactly what Jesus is saying with v30 - “there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” People who assumed they would have been top of the list - there they are, last of all. And those whose names you never believed you’d see, at least not until page 100 or so, that’s them, right at the top. A party with unexpected guests.

What’s this party? Well the party pictures the great celebration foretold at the end of all things where God welcomes his people, where God exercises ultimate hospitality towards them. Think about the best party you’ve ever been to - or if you’re a little older, the best dinner party you’ve ever been to. What makes a party great?

People throwing the best parties aim for you to feel totally welcomed into their home, aim for it to be a place where you and they come together to share a wonderful experience in relationship. That’s what’s promised at the end of all things: God welcoming us into his home as his friends for the greatest celebration of all. We only get glimpses of it in the bible: a few of the stories Jesus tells, for example, or there’s a section in Isaiah, a prophet writing hundreds of years before Jesus:

Isaiah 25:6 NIV

On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines.

This is the feast in the Kingdom of God that Jesus is talking about in v28-29. And did you notice there in Isaiah it’s for all peoples? So Jesus’ hearers shouldn’t be that surprised that there are people from from east and west and north and south here - God told them hundreds of years ago! But while everyone is being welcomed, the shock is that they themselves are thrown out. Although there are representatives from all peoples, it’s not everyone. Remember the door that will close? Close leaving people outside?

So what’s Jesus doing with this second picture? What did it mean to his original audience, and what should it mean to us? Jesus’ second imperative is don’t presume.

Jesus says don’t presume just because you live somewhere that you’ll be joining that party. Remember the people outside the door, and their pleas? v26 “we ate and drank with you,” they say - but they won’t be eating and drinking at this last and greatest feast. “you taught in our streets,” they say - but where they’re from doesn’t matter: “I don’t know you or where you come from” comes back the answer from inside the door.

Today some people can think just because they live somewhere they have some sort of relationship with Jesus. People sometimes can think of themselves as Christian just because they’ve been born in a particular country. But Jesus tells us not to presume anything just because we live somewhere. And there’s more presumption that he’s gunning for here too:

Jesus says don’t presume just because you’re from the right family that you’ll be joining that party. Jesus’ original audience would have thought of themselves as God’s special people, from the right stock, with the right heritage. They would have thought of themselves being in the line of this Abraham, this Isaac and this Jacob - the famous patriarchs joining the party in v28. And yet Jesus tells them they will be thrown out. “I don’t know you or where you come from” are the words from behind the closed door. Don’t presume just because you’re from the right family that you’ll be joining that party.

Today some people can think they have a relationship with Jesus through their family connections too. Perhaps many generations back there’s some big name in your family history and, deep down, you think that means something for you and your relationship with Jesus. That at the last, God wouldn’t shut that door on you. Perhaps it’s closer than that. Perhaps you’re imagining your parents’ faith will see you in through that door. Perhaps they take this Jesus seriously and you figure you can play things a bit fast and loose as a result. But Jesus tells us not to presume anything just because we’re from the right family.

Jesus says don’t presume just because you spent some time nearby, because you know some stuff that you’ll be joining that party. Verse 26 shows us what a mistaken presumption that is. “we ate and drank with you” the people shut outside say. “you taught in our streets”. They were there, in the presence of Jesus himself. They heard Jesus’ teaching. Some even shared meals with him. And yet the response to them from behind the closed door is still “I don’t know you or where you come from.” Coming close is not close enough.

Today I’m sure there are people who have spent plenty of time around the church, around Christians. People who could say “we ate and drank with you”. People who have heard Jesus’ teaching, repeated through others. Perhaps many times. Perhaps even for years. And what Jesus warns us about here is presuming this proximity, this closeness, this familiarity, this interaction is going to be enough to see us welcomed in to that great last feast.

We have to hear Jesus’ chilling words: “I don’t know who you are or where you come from.” God is welcoming people from anywhere and everywhere into his family and into this feast. But don’t go presuming you are one of them just because you live somewhere, just because you’re from the right family, just because you spent some time around Jesus and his people.

Here’s what Jesus says to us all, in v24 “make every effort to enter through the narrow door.” You must enter. Don’t presume. Don’t delay.

Let me close out with one last thing: What does Jesus mean when he says “make every effort”? Well obviously it’s some serious effort which will be required to get in through that narrow door, some ongoing effort - not just casually strolling on down the path of least resistance in life, but deliberate, sustained action. In fact, the word he uses there is often translated “fight” or “contend” elsewhere. Like there’s going to be some opposition, something to fight against, something to contend with.

It’s not other people that’s in view - as if there were a limit to the door’s capacity, a quota for the number of people who should enter - and so you need to shove them out of the way to get in. The opposition ranged against you as you approach that door isn’t so much other people as it is our selves and our Enemy the devil. Both making it a struggle to get through that door.

First, our Enemy, our supernatural foe. I watched the film “fury” last week - all about the final stages of the second world war, where the German army, all but certain of its defeat as the allies rolled into Germany’s own territory, still fought on, perhaps with even greater vigour. Our Enemy is defeated once for all by Jesus at the cross. He knows he is beaten but still he rages against it - and he wants to take as many down with him as he can. He doesn’t want anyone to get through that door. Jesus speaks about how he snatches away the good news of Jesus from people that don’t yet understand it - Matthew 13:19. Don’t let go of the message of Jesus.

Second, ourselves. Now it might seem odd to be fighting or contending with yourself but I expect most of us have had that experience if we think about it. I want to do the right thing, but somehow I find myself doing the wrong thing after all. I want to change but somehow I find I’m back to being just the same. I determine I’m going to avoid something, but somehow I’m suddenly in the middle of it again. The apostle Paul, one of Jesus’ first followers knew all about this. He writes about this struggle extensively in chapter 7 of his letter to the church in Rome.

The truth is, like it or not, we’re fighting against ourselves when it comes to entering that door.

The narrow door means accepting we have done wrong - but within us there’s something that refuses to admit we must change.

The narrow door means bowing to Jesus as master - but within us there’s something that fights against bowing to anyone except ourselves.

The narrow door means putting God first - but within us there’s something that wants us at the top of the list instead.

The narrow door means choosing to serve others, not ourselves - but within us there’s something that demands we be served first

It’s a fight to enter that door. We’ll have to make every effort. Don’t think this is going to be easy, just a walk in the park. That’s not the expectation that Jesus is setting here.

But where his first picture highlights the risk, his second picture closes with encouragement: v29 people from east, west, north and south, people from everywhere - people like you, people like me - they will still enter through this narrow door and come, take their places at that great and final feast in the kingdom of God.

...

Don’t procrastinate. Don’t presume. Make every effort.

Let’s pray.

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