The Narrow Door

As we continue in Luke 14:22, the author tells us that Jesus was on a journey to meet His destiny in Jerusalem. If this took place in a modern movie, we would hear the ominous and stirring tone of the background music as the Lord traversed the countryside through the small towns and villages. We would see montages with only the sound of that music as Jesus interacts with everyday folks on His way to Calvary.

Those common people seem to understand that Jesus had great purpose in His mission and that is reflected in the question that everyone asks everyday in our daily lives. That question is, who and how many will be saved and going to heaven?

In the presidential election that just passed and in almost every other election that we have ever had, the candidates pander to their constituency. The answer that Jesus gave was anything but what would come out of a candidates mouth. He answered the question that came from one of the villagers who asked, “Lord will there only be a very few of us going to heaven? Jesus told this person that the door to heaven is narrow.

If Jesus was a false prophet He would have said that the door is wide and all you have to do is give me some money and I will give you my rules to follow so that you can go there. He went on to say that the door to heaven will be closed at some time in the future by the Father.

He further paints a picture of people standing outside of the locked door requesting that it be reopened and the people gathered will say things like, “you know us, we ate and drank with you and we watched you teach in our streets”. The bible says that the Father will tell these people to go away because they are people who do evil.

At that time, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth as those on the outside watch the children of God enter into the kingdom of heaven. Jesus goes on to tell us that we may be surprised by who actually makes it into heaven as those who are despised now will be honored then.

That reminds me of a joke. A woman dies and goes to heaven and is issued an old beat up VW to drive and a clean, modest apartment to live in. She sees her gardener go by one day, being driven in a Rolls Royce to a mansion on the hill. The woman went to complain and was told that her gardener spent his whole life serving God and based on that fact, greater things were given to them. As she drove her little car home her spirits were lifted when she saw her pastor pull up to his pup tent on a skate board.

There are many people who go through the motions of serving God and only serve themselves. We read of the Pharisees and the religious leaders in the time of Christ and judge them when all of the time our actions are worse.

If God chose to call all of His believers home on a Sunday during church services, would there be enough people gone to notice? Would those who were left behind know why?