“[Jesus] went on His way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, ‘Lord, will those who are saved be few?’ And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door’” (Luke 13:23-24a).
The question of salvation. Will those who are saved be few? That is a question that is often asked today. Who will be saved? Am I saved? Is everyone going to be saved?
So, Jesus gives this answer: “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24). What kind of an answer is that?!
As Jesus gave this answer, He was on His way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. But His journey to Jerusalem was not a straight line. He wasn’t taking the expressway. But He took every detour route along the way.
Instead of taking the short cut, Jesus took the longest way possible as He was on a spiritual pilgrimage. Surely, Jerusalem was His ultimate goal, but He knows Jerusalem will finally be reached. The city where the salvation of the world will be accomplished.
We, too, are also on a pilgrimage. And along this pilgrimage, we have a choice of two paths. There is a wide path and a narrow path. The wide path looks easy. It’s paved. It’s flat. It’s giving into the culture around us. It’s the way of the world. The narrow path looks difficult. It’s bumpy. It’s letting God lead. It’s the way of God. The wide path is the way to hell. The narrow path is the way to heaven.
Jesus says, “Strive to enter through the narrow door” (Luke 13:24a). Right now, as I am preaching to you, the narrow door is open, and many will try to enter it through their own means, on their own terms, but they will be unable to do so. They will think they have lived a good enough life. They will think they have given enough to good causes. They will think that they have just enough faith.
But your life is never good enough for God. He doesn’t want “C” students of the faith. He wants perfection. You see, your belief – when it’s not completely true to Jesus – can never be good enough.
The narrow door is currently standing open, but the time is coming when that narrow door will be closed forever. When Jesus returns, bodily descending from the clouds, at that moment, the narrow door will be closed.
The current time of grace will end on that Day. The time of grace will end when the narrow door that has stood open all this time is finally closed. And everyone who did not enter through the narrow door will be left outside in desperation banging on that narrow door screaming, “Lord, open to us!”(Luke 13:25a). Then Jesus will answer from behind the door, saying: “I do not know where you come from” (Luke 13:25b).
Then those on the outside will scream, “We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets!” (Luke 13:26). This is like us saying, “We came to church when we felt like it! We sang hymns! Isn’t that good enough?” These are the words that will come out of your mouth as if what you have done can save you. As if just going through the motions of the Divine Service can save your soul. So, just a mere acquaintance with Jesus and His teachings will not save you.
So, how can anyone possibly pass through the narrow door? To that Jesus says, “strive.” Now, a better word for “strive” is “struggle.” Now, this command to “strive” or “struggle” does not mean that it takes a moral effort to pass through the narrow door, nor does it mean that entrance is gained by a human responsibility. Rather, the struggle through which one enters is repentance, which is a work of God in the human heart.
You see, this struggle is produced when the Word of God calls one to repent and trust in Jesus Christ, but at the same time, the sinful human nature is warring against God’s Word. This is the struggle.
St. Paul told of his inner struggle in Romans 7. He wrote, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me”(Romans 7:15-20).
So, those who follow their fleshly desires cannot please God. But if you are in the Spirit, you will live.
St. Paul’s inner struggle is our inner struggle. But the good news is that by having this struggle, you know that the Holy Spirit is in you. It is because of the Holy Spirit that you notice this struggle. It is the Holy Spirit leading you to repentance.
And entrance through the narrow door is gained by those who repent and see in Jesus the Lord of the banquet.
Right now, many will seek to enter through the narrow door and will not be able. These many are seeking to get through by their own merits, by their own deeds. These many refuse to repent of their sins. And so, they will not be able to enter.
So, getting back to the question of salvation: “Will those who are saved be few?” (Luke 13:23). And Jesus does actually answer that question. Yes. Very few, indeed. But Jesus doesn’t want to leave us in despair. You see, no single person can pass through that narrow door by his or her own efforts. The only way to enter through that narrow door is by grace.
So, how do we enter by grace? First, there must be atonement between God and man. The Son of Man must die. The Son of God must die. Jesus must shed His blood. He must continue His journeying to Jerusalem. He must reach Jerusalem, the city where the salvation of the world will be accomplished. He must atone for yours and my sins. He must die a shameful death on the cross. He must, because He is the Way through the Narrow Door. He is the Narrow Door.
As the Narrow Door, Jesus doesn’t force us to labor on our pilgrimage or to labor upon reaching your destination. He calls us. He directs us. He leads us.
Jesus, the Narrow Door, first called you to faith through a Baptism of repentance to the forgiveness of sins as He gifted you the Holy Spirit. But Jesus didn’t leave us to fend for ourselves. He also gave us proper worship through His Means of Grace so that we would remain steadfast “to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).
You see, by your regular reception of the Lord’s Supper, by remaining faithful to God’s teaching and to your fellowship with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus’ Word of Law and Gospel changes hearts and with your changed heart, He bestows upon you the honored place at the heavenly feast.
God is, indeed, gracious to us. Each time you repent of your sins against God and your neighbor, He smiles at you and says, “I forgive you all your sins.” As you partake of the Lord’s Supper, you have a foretaste of the eternal feast of heaven, the forgiveness of your sins, the very Body and Blood of the sacrificial Lamb of God. He uses these Means of Grace to keep you on the path to, and through, the Narrow Door. He uses these Means of Grace to guarantee your salvation. So, when you continually receive His grace and live according to His grace, there is no longer a question of salvation. You now have the answer. And God never lies (Titus 1:1-2).
So, repent of your sins. Receive the Lord’s forgiveness that He won for you on the cross and enter through Him, who is the Narrow Door! Come, receive His forgiveness, rest in His Word and recline at His table! Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +
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