Luke 13:22-30 - Just A Few

Introduction

In Luke 9:51 we were told that Jesus “set his face” toward Jerusalem. And in our passage this morning we learn that Jesus hasn’t lost His way. He hasn’t forgotten His purpose. He is still headed for Jerusalem. He is still headed to the cross where He will die for the sins of His people.

But as He goes, He gives further lessons on the Kingdom of God.

[READING - Luke 13:22-30]

Luke 13:22–30 NASB95

22 And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ 26 “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; 27 and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.’ 28 “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 yourselves being thrown out. 29 “And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. 30 “And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”

[PRAYER]

[CONTEXT] The Kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God. It’s that Kingdom that was at hand when Jesus came preaching and healing during His public ministry.

A little earlier in Luke 13 we saw Jesus teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath when He saw and healed a woman who had been bent double for 18 years.

The enemies of Jesus in the synagogue didn’t recognize the coming of the Kingdom. They didn’t recognize the King!

But the Kingdom was growing inside the heart of the woman healed and inside the hearts of all those others who were rejoicing over all the glorious things done by Him.

It was like a mustard seed that does’t look like much but grows large!

It was like a small amount of leaven workings its way through bread!

The Kingdom was at hand and it was growing!

But obviously not everyone welcomed the King or His Kingdom, so just how many would? How many would enter the Kingdom? How many would be saved?

Look at Luke 13:23...

Luke 13:23 NASB95

23 And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them,

Before Jesus was born, the angel announced that His name would be “Jesus, for He (would) save His people from their sins,” (Matt. 1:21).

Sin is disobedience to God. It’s us doing what God has said not to do. It’s not doing what God has said to do. Sin is rebellion against the authority of God.

Sin is also rebellion against the holiness of God. And when God’s holiness meets our sinfulness the wrath of God results.

If we meet God without being saved by Jesus, the Son of God, then we meet God in His wrath. We will spend eternity in the conscious torment of hell.

Some people balk at the idea of an eternal hell and lake of fire where unrepentant unbelievers will be punished forever. They think, “Forever? Well, that seems like a long time. Seems like an overreaction. Surely, that can’t be true. Maybe God won’t keep them there forever; or maybe he’ll just put them out of existence instead of sending them to hell at all.”

Let me say two things: (1) The Bible teaches that unrepentant unbelievers will be punished in hell where the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. And if the Bible teaches it, it’s true. (2) God is just. Therefore, God cannot overlook sin forever or just shrug it off. And because He is just, when He punishes, it always fits the crime. God is infinitely holy, and so our sin against Him is an infinite infraction. It follows then that the punishment for an infinite infraction, will be infinite itself. The Bible says that the punishment for the infinite infraction of sin is infinite dying in hell; it’s eternally suffering as a unrepentant unbelieving sinner in the fire of God’s holiness.

This is what Jesus came to save us from.

But would only a few be saved?

This is a question that has tied up many minds for many centuries.

Much of what Jesus taught led to the conclusion that perhaps only a few would be saved.

He said things like...

Matthew 5:20 NASB95

20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 7:21–23 NASB95

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

Matthew 19:23–24 NASB95

23 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

So based on these things and many others like them that Jesus taught, it’s a legitimate question, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?”

[TS] Jesus responds with three WARNINGS...

Major Ideas

Warning #1: A Narrow Door (v. 24)

Luke 13:24 NASB95

24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

Jesus was asked a yes or no question, but He doesn’t give a yes or no answer. A yes or no answer would have missed the point for the one asking. Yes, compared to the billions who have lived, live now, and will live in the future—Yes, only a few will be saved. But the real question is, will one of the few be you?

If one of the few will be you, then you must enter through narrow door.

The narrow door is none other than Jesus Himself. He is the only way of salvation. There is no other mediator between God and man except Jesus. There is no other way to the Father except through Him. There is no other sacrifice for sin except Jesus.

A moment ago, I mentioned the sin and damnation that Jesus saved us from when He gave His life for ours. Because His sacrifice was perfect, without the spot or blemish of sin, Jesus paid for our infinite infraction against God in only 6 hours on the cross.

And then when He had paid for every sinner who would be saved, He said, “It is finished.”

He bowed His head, gave up His spirit, was buried in a borrowed tomb, and was raised on the third day—proof positive that Jesus had been accepted as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus is the only One to live a perfect life free from all sin. He’s the only One to die on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He’s the only One to rise from the dead so that through faith in Him—and in Him alone—we can be made right with God.

Jesus is the narrow door.

But you’ll notice that we must strive to enter through the narrow door.

Now, we are not striving to enter in the sense of earning our salvation. No, this kind of striving is the same as enduring to the end, which Jesus said we must do if we are going to be saved.

It’s not that striving or enduring to the end will save you. It’s that striving or enduring to the end are the result of having been truly saved. If we are not striving or enduring with Jesus, then it can only mean that we’ve never been saved by Him.

There’s a lot of things that will come along and choke out your striving if you’re not a true follower of Jesus.

Sure, you might follow for a bit, but then your pride will come along and say, “Don’t strive. You don’t really deserve hell for your sins. You’re not a murderer or a rapist, God won’t send you to hell. You’re much better than people like that.”

And if it’s not your pride, it’ll be your sin-loving flesh that says to you, “Don’t strive. You don’t really deserve hell. That sin we love is not so bad. It doesn’t really hurt anyone. God won’t send you to hell if you keep just that one.”

And if it’s not your pride or your flesh, it’ll be this Satan-following world, which says to you, “All your happiness can be found here. All your longings fulfilled can be found here. All the stuff and entertainment and frivolousness here can make you whole and content.”

If you’re not a true follower of Jesus; if you don’t really believe Him as your crucified and resurrected Savior, then eventually your own pride, your own flesh, or this sin-loving world will kill your striving for the narrow door—or enduring with Jesus to the end.

As Jesus says at the end of v. 24, “…for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

Their pride, their flesh, or this world will choke them out.

How about you?

Is your striving being choked out?

[TS] ...

Warning #2: A Limited Opportunity (vv. 25-27)

Luke 13:25–27 NASB95

25 “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ 26 “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; 27 and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.’

[Illus] I don’t know if you know about the McRib sandwich at McDonald’s. It’s not always on the menu, but when it is McRib lovers apparently go nuts.

I have a friend who is a McRib lover, and one day when a commercial for McRib came on another friend said, “I’m going to text him to make sure he knows. He’ll be exited.” (I imagine the guy who invented text messaging did it because he knew people needed to tell one another about the McRib.)

But like I said, the McRib is not always on the menu. When sales are down or Ronald just gets the itch, they bring the McRib out and announce, “The McRib is back, but only for a limited time.”

That limited time is meant to communicate to you that time is short; that you better get your McRib before it’s too late. You had better act now while supplies last.

We know what a limited opportunity looks like.

The McRib has shown us.

Salvation is a limited opportunity.

But salvation is not a limited opportunity that rolls around again and again. It is available now—in this period of time between the ascension of Jesus and the return of Jesus—but once Jesus comes, the opportunity to be saved will never come around again. Some people will find this out the hard way—that’s what Jesus gets to in v. 25.

Those who belong in the Kingdom of God have all come in and the master of the house (i.e., King Jesus) shuts the door. All who are supposed to be in are in, and all who are supposed to be out are out.

There is no more opportunity to enter.

But those who are out will beat on the door, “Lord, open to us!”

But the Lord will respond, “I do not know where you are from.”

Though they called Him Lord and were certain that they would be welcomed in, He did not know them. He didn’t even know where they were from. They were strangers to Him because they had not trusted Him.

But these people have a defense ready. We see it in v. 26, “We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.”

But Jesus will say to them in v. 27, “I tell you, I do know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.”

When Jesus said, “…depart from Me, all you evildoers,” He quoted from Psalm 6—a psalm of David in which David says...

Psalm 6:8–10 NASB95

8 Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my supplication, The Lord receives my prayer. 10 All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed.

Jesus gives these words their full meaning.

He is the One saying to all who refuse to repent and believe, “Depart from me, all you who do iniquity.”

He is the One who has wept for His enemies (cf. Luke 19:41-44).

His is the prayer that has been heard and received by God.

And all His enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed.

Are you an enemy of Jesus?

Are you an evildoer?

If you haven’t trusted Jesus, you are.

Listening to the teachings of Jesus and sharing fellowship with His followers won’t save you. If you would be certain of your salvation, you must personally trust Jesus for salvation.

You must trust Him...

You must believe Him...

You must count on Him...

You must depend on Him...

You must look to Him...

...and Him alone for salvation!

Don’t let this limited opportunity become a missed opportunity!

Trust Christ today! Trust Christ right now!

And trust Him until He comes or until you go to be with Him!

[TS] If you don’t, you are an enemy and evildoer and a dark reality waits for you...

Warning #3: A Dark Reality (vv. 28-29)

Luke 13:28–29 NASB95

28 “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 yourselves being thrown out. 29 “And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.

Jesus was speaking to a Jewish audience. He was and is the Jewish Messiah or Christ. And it was to the tribes of Israel that He first presented Himself. And it was those Jewish people who first rejected Him as Messiah.

As a result, they (and anyone else who refuses to believe on Jesus for salvation), will find themselves in that place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, which a description of hell.

And what would hell be for a Jewish man or woman like those to whom Jesus spoke in this passage?

It would be to look on the patriarchs of the Jewish people—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; it would be to look on the all the true prophets of God like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Jeremiah, Amos, Nahum, Obadiah, etc.—to see them in the Kingdom of God and to realize you are being thrown out.

Why would that be?

It would be because the patriarchs and the prophets believed that all the promises and prophecies were fulfilled in Messiah Jesus—the very Jesus that most of the Jewish people rejected.

But not all Jewish people rejected Jesus as Messiah. His disciples and His apostles; people like Peter, James, John, Andrew, Matthew, Paul, etc. took the Gospel all over the world.

Their pattern was to go preach the Gospel in the synagogues first. Sometimes they found believers there, but many times they didn’t.

They then turned to preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles (everyone who wasn’t Jewish), and there they found many believers—people from east and west and from north and south, who were ready to recline at the table in the Kingdom of God.

They recline because in Jesus, they have found their rest.

They recline because in Jesus, they have found their peace.

They recline because in Jesus, they have found their satisfaction.

They recline because in Jesus, they have found their Savior.

And should they say to their Savior as they recline with Him in the Kingdom of God? How about Psalm 107, which Jesus quotes from in v. 29?

Psalm 107:1–3 NASB95

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary 3 And gathered from the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south.

This should be the song in our heart if we have been saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus.

[TS] ...

Conclusion

Luke 13:30 NASB95

30 “And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”

Jesus used this saying in different contexts to teach different lessons. But here—in terms of salvation—He teaches us that the Jews were first, which meant everyone else was last. But because of their rejection of Jesus, those who were last have been made first. In other words, Gentiles more readily believed on Jesus for salvation than Jews.

Why was this case? Why is this still the case? The Bible has the answer. Listen to the explanation in Romans 11:25-36...

Romans 11:25–36 ESV

25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” 28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

If God is sovereign, then He is sovereign over salvation. He will saved all He has planned to save from before the foundation of the world. Not one of them will be lost.

But not one of them—Jew or Gentile—will be saved apart from faith in Jesus as Messiah, Christ, Son of God, crucified as the sacrifice for our sin, risen so that we can be justified in Him before God the Father.

That God chooses to save a few is His sovereign business.

The question you must wrestle with is this, “If He saves only a few, will one of the few be you?”

Romans 11:33–36 ESV

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.