Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

        Matthew 7:13-14

On which path do you find yourself? Are you on the path with the many or on the path with the few? Is your current life trajectory leading you to death and destruction or life and salvation? 

We live in a culture that seems to be “all in” on depravity and ungodliness. When we look at the world from a 30,000 ft vantage point, we would be hard pressed to make an argument in favor of the world’s course. Today’s passage deals with the harsh reality that we are all on one of two paths. This life direction all hinges on whether or not we belong to Jesus Christ. For those who are saved, we enjoy life, forgiveness, and restoration. For those apart from Christ, life is limited to the here and now with a dreadful expectation of the eternal future. To ignore this passage would be fatal since Jesus makes it abundantly clear that all of humanity takes one of two paths. The idea of dismissing eternity altogether would be to make Jesus out to be a liar. Likewise, the idea that “everyone gets to go to heaven” would also be making Jesus out to be a liar. We would do well to take Jesus’ words to heart and begin a self-examination as to our own spiritual condition and, for those of us claiming the name of Jesus, to evaluate our daily walk with Him. A good starting point would be a closer look at this brief but eternally important passage from God’s Word.

Let’s begin with Jesus’ instruction for us to “enter through the narrow gate.” Jesus tells us which of the two paths we should take. The Bible is so life-giving because it informs us of everything that we need to know as we live this life and prepare for the future. But perhaps more importantly, the Bible points us to the Savior and guides us into a deeper and more intimate relationship with Him. This passage certainly meets all of these criteria. When we examine Jesus’ words, we realize that He desires for us to make the right decision. His invitation for us to “enter through the narrow gate” demonstrates His great love for us and corresponds with the reality that He “desires for all mankind to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). So if Jesus is reminding us that there are only two options in life and that we should take the right one that leads to life, why are there so few that choose this route? In order to answer this, we need to look at the idea of a “narrow” path and the implications that come along with that.

The path that leads to life is described, by Christ, as “narrow” and “small” while the path that leads to destruction is depicted as “wide” and “broad.” So, let’s consider two reasons why the road to eternal life is so narrow. First, salvation of the human soul comes only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Many reject this truth, unwilling to come to Christ by faith. This could be largely due to the fact that embracing Christ means rejecting everything else. All of the world’s philosophies and religions cannot accomplish, for the human soul, what Jesus can. This exclusivity of salvation through faith in Christ alone becomes a stumbling block for many. Yet the gospel is clear: it is inclusive and exclusive at the same time. It is inclusive in that Jesus invites us all to “enter though the narrow gate” but it remains exclusive because that narrow gate means surrendering our lives to Christ alone. There simply is no way for the human soul to be saved other than through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Consider the words of Jesus Himself:

I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 

        John 10:9

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

John 14:6

Once again, it is important for us to recognize that rejection of the gospel is to make Jesus out to be a liar and, consequently, it puts the unbelieving individual on the path that is wide and broad. Consider that gospel being presented in the 1st century:

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.

      Acts 4:12

The “no other name” is a reference to the name of Jesus and the gospel is still as true in the 21st century as it was in the 1st century. Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life! And because of Jesus’ obedience to go to the cross on our behalf:

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

        Philippians 2:9-11

This is why Paul, when presenting the gospel, could say:

…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved…

      Romans 10:9

So, one reason why the path to life is narrow is because it in only found when we surrender of lives to Jesus Christ and enter into a personal relationship with Him. But there is also another reason why Jesus describes the road to life in this manner.

Living a godly life in an ungodly world is no easy proposition and perhaps the “many” find it easier to live on their own terms rather than surrender to what they believe to be a life of difficulty. It’s human nature. Which is easier: physically working out or sitting on the couch? Which is easier: working hard or being lazy? We could go on with illustrations of comparing the easy to the difficult but the lesson here is that living for Christ in a fallen world is not the easy route. Persecution is no stranger to the people who are openly living out their faith. And when we see the Light being shone into the darkness, we see the darkness squirm, screech, and mock. There are dozens of examples of this in our world everyday but when we determine to live for Jesus and not for ourselves, we can expect to have resistance from the “many.” Sadly, this can even come from those closest to us. Consider the words of Jesus on this topic:

Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.

        Matthew 10:34-36

It’s completely predictable…when we live for Jesus, only those doing the same will join us and spur us on to persevere in our walk with Christ. Being on the narrow path means that we will have to endure persecution, insults, and gossip from those who are on the path to destruction but we should rejoice because these hardships are merely affirmations that we indeed are on the path that leads to life. 

So the path that leads to life is “narrow” because it is only found in Christ and it is descriptive of the more difficult road traversed by those claiming the name of Jesus. We would do well to remember what Jesus said about discipleship:

And He (Jesus) was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

Luke 9:23

Following Christ requires, intentionality, focus, and perseverance. We live in a world full of distractions so in order for us to flourish in our walking the narrow path, we need to rely on the power of the presence of God in our lives daily, staying in His word, and consistently looking for ways in which to further the kingdom of God. 

Finally, let’s take a look at the “many” and the “few.” It’s tragic but true. The majority of this world, according to Jesus, will not choose the path to life. The world invests all of its energy and resources into building in the temporal realm while completely ignoring the eternal. We are reminded all throughout scripture not to make this fatal mistake yet many, will indeed, follow this path. But we, as Christians, have the tremendous privilege and opportunity to share with others what it means to be saved. We can tell those on the path that leads to destruction that there is an exit ramp, a detour, that will put them on the road to life, abundant and eternal. There is simply no reason for anyone to find himself or herself on the broad road and not take this opportunity to get on the path that leads to life. All we have to do is admit to God that we are on the wrong path and call on Him to save us and put us on the path that leads to righteousness, joyfulness, forgiveness, and life!

Share your relationship with Christ with someone today and, should you find yourself in the “many,” surrender your life to Jesus and watch Him do amazing things in your life today! 

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

    John 3:16-18