Saturday's Scripture Story
A Big Festival Behind a Small Door
Luke 13:22-30
The Narrow Door
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.”
In the parallel passage from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Jesus acknowledges that there will be few people that enter the narrow gate – or narrow door as this story describes.
But in this particular story, there will be a surprise perspective for many of us. The story is shared by Jesus because a Jewish man asks if only a few will be saved; by the end of the story Jesus has placed many of the Jews outside the salvation door. This would clearly have been a surprise to the Jews, who carried the name “chosen people.”
A second surprise would be that many Gentiles (non-Jews) will have come from the north, south, east and west and will be at the banquet table with the Jewish patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob behind the narrow door feasting with God. So as you read this story and hear Jesus telling the people to strive to enter this narrow door, remember that He was not going to be with these Jews much longer and was encouraging them to take this teaching seriously.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, instill in me the awareness that there is a difference between associating with You and identifying with You, that there is a difference between knowing about You and knowing You, that there is a difference between hearing about You and believing in You. I don't just want to approach the door, be near the door, or be aware of the door; I want to enter the door and walk through the door; I want to be in You and experience the blessing of unity of God through You. Amen