Saturday 23 November, 2019

22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 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.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 “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. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”

The idea of the ‘narrow door’ as mentioned by Jesus in this passage is interesting, particularly in relation to a question about how many people can and will receive salvation. Anything that is wider will be easier to get into than something that is more narrow. I think of being in a parking lot – if there was a smaller car spot available right next to a bigger, more open car spot, I would – without hesitation – drive my car into the bigger spot, because it would require less work and concentration to get into, even though both spots were freely available to me.

I think this is the point that Jesus is trying to make here, when asked about how many people will be saved. The door may be narrow, but it’s available to everyone, because Jesus came to save one and all. However, Jesus knows that living as He asks us to is not easy, it requires more effort & discipline to do as He asks than it does to do whatever we want whenever we want.

This makes me ask the question of myself – where am I at with my own spiritual discipline? It can be so easy to use my time doing whatever I want, instead of spending time with God. Yet, when my spiritual life is lacking, it can become much easier to ignore what He asks of me and to succumb to temptation & live outside of what God calls me to; to choose the wide and easy gate.

God thank you that you sent Jesus to make salvation available to all. It’s your desire that everyone would know you. Help me to make the choice daily to put you first, even when it is hard, so that I may live as you call me to, in ways that are honouring to you. Amen.

Written by Ps. Madelaine Tarasenko