The Narrow Door
He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.”
Luke 13:23-24
When Claire and I moved to London, we had great difficulty trying to find somewhere to park our car. We eventually secured a space in our apartment block’s garage, however this requires an impossible ninety degree turn to get into it. The space is also so narrow that if there was a car in the next space, neither we nor the people parking in that space would be able to get in or out of our cars. Fortunately for us, the neighbouring space is currently empty, and Claire is an expert at tight parking, having grown up in a busy city, so she can just about manage to get the car into the space.
In today’s verses, Jesus tells his followers that getting into heaven is very difficult indeed. He tells them that to enter God’s kingdom requires a great deal of effort, since the door is very narrow. Many people will try to get through the door but will find that the treasures of this world that they have gorged themselves on have resulted in them being unable to get through that narrow door. In order to pass through the door it is necessary to follow a careful spiritual diet, avoiding the temptations of the flesh and striving to serve Christ by loving God and loving others. Only then will it be possible to pass through the narrow doorway and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Many believe that by simply living a good life, being nice to people and giving money to the poor is enough to gain entry to God’s heavenly kingdom. It is these people who will find themselves disappointed. It is worth remembering just how narrow this doorway is in the coming weeks as we seek to live out the Gospel in our daily lives.
