The Narrow Door

The Narrow Door (Luke 13:22-30)







By: Gladys Raquel Hernández




Someone asked Jesus if few people would be saved and He answered:

“Do all you can to go in the narrow door! A lot of people will try to get in, but will not be able to”. (Luke 13:24)

This biblical verse is very important and invites all human beings of the planet to reflect seriously about the expression: “The Narrow Door”.

Jesus was referring to the fact that it is not always easy for all the people in the world to live a proper Christian life such as He has taught and is established in the Sacred Scriptures as regards the ten Commandments and further Laws and teachings that God has ordered to obey and follow so that we could be able to live according to His will, and therefore, we could be blessed by Him. (Deuteronomy 5:1-21)

Even though the salvation of an individual is due to God´s Grace and not due to his works or any merit whatsoever, Jesus teaches us that if we allow Him to inhabit our hearts and govern our lives, God´s Commandments and His Laws can be perfectly fulfilled through Him. That is, God will always strengthen and comfort us when we fall down, when we go wrong or when we commit sins, considering that His mercy endures forever.

“Shout praises to the Lord! He is good to us, and his love never fails”. (Psalm 107:1)

The Sacred scriptures state that even the Jewish people could not obey God´s Laws as He would have wished them to.

We should view the following biblical verse that establishes this concept:

My friends, the message is that Jesus can forgive your sins! The Law of Moses could not set you free from all your sins. But everyone who has faith in Jesus is set free”. (Acts 13:38-39)

However, a Christian person who is matured in his faith cannot abuse of God´s Grace and basically must make great efforts and be brave during all his Christian life.

“I´ve commanded you to be strong and brave. Don´t ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the Lord, your God, and I will be there to help you whenever you go”. (Joshua 1:9)

Therefore, if we do not obey God faithfully, we will lose our eternal salvation. On the other hand, when people in general refer to death, they usually think that any person who dies, goes to God´s presence. How easy it is for people who belong to the world´s system to solve this topic, isnt´t it? Did Jesus mean the same? The answer is: No.

Jesus continues talking:

"Once the owner of the house gets up and locks the door, you will be left standing outside. You will knock on the door and say, “Sir, open the door for us!”. But the owner will answer, “I don´t know a thing about you!”. Then you will start saying, “we dined with you, and you taught in our streets.” But he will say, “I really don´t know who you are! Get away from me, you evil people!” Then when you have been thrown outside, you will weep and grit your teeth because you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets in God´s kingdom. People will come from all directions and sit down to feast in God´s kingdom. There the ones who are now least important will be the most important, and those who are now most important will be least important”. (Luke 13:25-30)

This alarming message on the part of Jesus is clearly addressed to the human race of all times. We have free will to decide and choose what kind of life we want to live and which path to follow during all our lives.

According to what we decide and choose, God will guide us step by step towards His right paths or not, because He will never compel us to do anything. However, the consequences of disobedience will be terrible.

We can view this biblical verse and should pay attention to it:

“Turn to the Lord! He can still be found. Call out to God! He is near”. (Isaiah 55:6)

Otherwise, we can view the consequences:

“The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everyone who does wrong or causes others to sin. Then he will throw them into a flaming furnace, where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain. But everyone who has done right will shine like the sun in their Father´s kingdom. If you have ears, pay attention!”. (Matthew 13:41-43)

We are confined into God´s Laws and into His Plan of eternal salvation, as we are His creation!!! We can neither escape nor decide different alternatives.

Therefore, we should look for our God only!

AMEN!!!