THROUGH THE STRAIT AND ON THE NARROW
THE SCENARIO StenoS walks worthily on the strait and narrow. But StenoS’ shoes are exceedingly worn—StenoS wears them out at the clip of about one pair per year. It’s their walk you know—the way of their walk, an excellent walk—that’s so hard on a pair of shoes. Cracking, creaking, soon crummy shoes crowning, nevertheless, an excellent walk. Like unto the walk of their Hero, and Friend, and Lord God Jesus Christ.
In the outworking of this scenario please consider the following in the context of Matthew 7:13-14:
1. What is meant by “strait gate” in this context?
3. Why is the gate to eternal life strait?
4. Why is the path narrow that leads to eternal life?
1. What is meant by “strait gate” in this context? Many renderings have it as “narrow.” Alluring Sirens—from within (self) and without—obstruct (straiten) this “gate.” (The gate to eternal life is meant, as discussed in the next point.) Jesus is the Strait Gate (John 10:7-9). Here in John Jesus tells us explicitly that He is the Gate to Eternal Life, but we all know that He is in fact the Strait Gate thereto (obstructed, by evil forces; not much preferred over against a plethora of other “gates”). Do you dear reader understand it that way too? Why or why not, please explain.
2. The strait gate to what? Jesus said the gate is strait that leads to eternal life. Like passing through the eye of a needle for some (Matthew 19:24—here “rich” need not be restricted to material wealth, yet cf. Mark 10:17-23). A tight squeeze. Tight, but not impossible, of course. Why is it not impossible? Grace is why. ‘…Ask, seek, knock, and ye shall find, the door shall be opened unto you…’ (Matthew 7:7, “A Letter of Invitation”). Still, soberingly, not all seekers shall make it (Luke 13:24—thus, it is truly by God’s grace that we enter into eternal life). God’s grace is broad whilst His Gate is strait. Strait gates require broad grace. We may rightly try to “flatten” ourselves and labor and work to squeeze through, but nay, no way, it is grace that gets us through.
3. Why is the gate to eternal life strait? It is strait because the flesh is at odds with the Spirit, who imparts eternal life; and moreover, the Word of God (Jesus, Scripture) constrains carnal desires of many stripes. Such things as these exceedingly straiten, as suggested in point 1.
4. Why is the path narrow that leads to eternal life? It is narrow precisely because it issues from a strait gate (=Jesus). StenoS has passed through the Strait and is on the Narrow. The strait gate, and narrow path, to eternal life. Narrow paths accommodate the Few. By contrast, the madding crowd—in a lather servicing the flesh—tramples all over itself in its ruthless haste on the broad path that accommodates the Many, and that leads to destruction. The broad path issues from the broad gate (=Satan).
5. Eternal Destruction. Going by Matthew 7:13-14, we see how easily this can happen; in fact, it would appear to be the norm—broad gate, broad path well-traveled. Most people just do not take this seriously enough (no sensitivity to the same). And that is because they do not take the Word of God seriously enough (no sensitivity to the same). Too many other things under the sun that have priority in these peoples’ lives. Folks have the right to make that choice because that is the way God designed it. Please note that God can hardly get someone to take His Medicine for a deadly disease that they think they do not have or is thought to be a concocted fantasy-disease (thus is Sin a fantasy-disease to not a few).
6. Eternal Life. In contrast to point 5, we see how not very easily this happens, largely for the same reasons as mentioned in point 5. But we want to consider a different angle in this point. We wish to be positive here, because the subject is exceedingly positive. Though eternal life issues but to the Few as said above, we would argue that the Few here still make up rather an appreciable number, which soberingly qualifies the numbers of the Many. According to an online encyclopedia there were a little over two billion professing Christians worldwide in 2012; of course, only God knows how many of those are fit for eternal life according to His rules and standards. But the point is that taking say fifty-year time slices over the last two-thousand years each of which produced x-numbers of Christians who then did their part in passing along the Salvation Banner Jesus Christ to multiple others in their life’s journey and so on in positive feedback fashion, one can appreciate that the number of people qualifying for eternal life may be quite large—and that is the “Few” here… The kind of growth here spoken of would be exponential, because any time some population P grows with time owing to some factor k such that the new population Pnew is k times Pold, then we say that P follows exponential growth, and that would seem to be the case here where the proportionality constant k is a study in its own right, and the initial population Pinitial is not necessarily understood to be that at the birth of the Church, but probably goes back to God only knows where in Old Testament times. (Maybe Noah and progeny? Adam and Eve?)[1] So, there are some difficult terms in the computation left to get at (k, Pinitial), but nevertheless the growth per se since the inception of God’s Salvation Program has probably been exponential which bodes for quite a “good-sized” Kingdom of God. And it continues to grow, and the exponentiation is taking place on an ever-burgeoning base, like compounded interest, also a function of exponentiation, manifests its staggering growth later and not sooner. Thus, God’s Kingdom makes its most impressive numbers-gains later and not sooner here in the interim whilst our Lord Jesus waits to be sent yet once more to consummate the End and set in motion God’s plans for His Kingdom going forward. But then again, care must be taken in this analysis, because God does not “play” the numbers like we humans—no doubt Kingdom quality, not Kingdom quantity, motivates God, where quality is tantamount to holiness. And so, it would follow, God places before each of us a (His) Strait Gate and adjoining Narrow Path. Indeed, this in-gathering design suggests strongly that Kingdom quality, not quantity, motivates Jehovah God, as would be expected of a holy God.
7. Dearest Christian friend, God knows us by name, has always known us by name, and will always know us by name—though His Eternal Kingdom shall no doubt be vast, none of us will be a nameless face lost in a huge crowd and immense expanse.
My frame was not hidden from You,
when I was made in secret,
and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me,
when as yet there was not one of them.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them! Psalms 139:15-17
From the Strait Gate issues a narrow path, a path, the only path, at the end of which, lies our eternal home with Jehovah God. Let us be counted amongst the Few that thus traveled Home. Christ richly bless you and your walk dearest fellow Christian traveler, as by His grace you make your way Home on the Strait and Narrow.
Praised be your Name great Jehovah God. Amen.
“A Letter of Invitation.”
Jesus, Amen.
< http://jesusamen.org/aletterofinvitation.html >
Henry, Matthew.
Matthew Chapter Seven Commentary.
Isaiah Chapter Fifty-seven Commentary.
Jesus, Amen.
< http://jesusamen.org/commentaryisa57.html >
Wikipedia.
< https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religious_populations >