This morning I have been reflecting on what appears to be one of the more difficult passages in scripture, Jesus' comments about the wide path leading to destruction and narrow path leading to life. I am adding the preceding statements of Jesus as I believe they set the context in which we must understand his comments. Here are the verses - Matthew 7:7-14 NIV:
[7] “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. [8] For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. [9] “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? [10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? [11] If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! [12] So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
[13] “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. [14] But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
It is important to note that these statements are made in the greater context of the Sermon on the Mount, what many believe to be the basic foundations of all Jesus' teaching and in a sort of foundation of the Kingdom of God, as established by Jesus. In the preceding discourse Jesus is describing, to the Jews who were familiar with the Law, the heart and motivation required for entrance into the Kingdom of God. Ultimately, He states that entry is through relationship with Him and His Father, and the Kingdom has relational requirements for all of us, a changing of heart and mind, of action and response, of motivation and purpose. He is summing up this whole section in his comments in verses 7-12. We have a loving Father who desires to care for us, and also a call to love others, to treat others as we ourselves would want to be treated, all relationship focused.
I believe that it within this context that He makes the next statements about the wide path and narrow gate. So it is in that context, relationship focused, that I reflect and think about His statement. It is also contextually being delivered to Jews who did not have this paradigm of personal relationship with the Father, but rather had an understanding of religious duty, a works mindset, if you will.
As I was thinking about these statements, I saw again the bulls-eye of a target, similar to that which I think about when understanding the idea of sin, and the Hebrew word that is translated sin. The word is "chata" and it primarily means to miss the mark, or miss the way. If applied to an archery target any arrow not in the middle of the target would be considered to have missed the mark, whether by two inches or two feet. In essence there is a very narrow gate, some would call it a window, that an arrow must pass through, and a narrow path it must fly upon to strike the target.
Taking this understanding and applying it to our life, if the path forward is relationship with the Lord, relationship with the Father, and therein we find life, then in the context of all the relationships available, all the opportunities to choose to pursue relationship with Him, we see a similar picture. There are many things we can give our time, energy and focus too besides relationship with Him and thus the gate and path would seem narrow in the greater context of all opportunities. If we are truly talking about a relational paradigm then it is indeed a personal gate that we each must pass through.
From a historical perspective, there were few in the recorded history of the Jewish people who really understood the relational paradigm Jesus was discussing. David is a great example of one who understood this path. His writing in Psalms and his recorded reign and life in First and Second Samuel provide us a good representation of someone who is walking in relationship, stumbles (several times), and gets back on the path and finishes well. The Jews would ahve known the story of David, but by and large this did not appear to be their personal expereince.
Back to the verses that are my point of reflection, we find that Jesus actually refers to himself as the gate (John 10-7-9), and speaks about entering through the gate. Looking back to His invitation and comments here in the verses from Matthew, we could conclude that the invitation is to relationship with Him. In relationship with Him, we encounter the Father (John 14:23), and are empowered by the Holy Spirit (Eph 3:16). In relationship with Him we find life (1 John 5:20).
At the time that Jesus spoke these words, His assertion was very true, there were few that had relationship with Him, few that were walking down that path. After His resurrection, He was no longer limited by His physical body and able to be with us living in us, as He promised in John 14:20. He sends the Holy Spirit, poured out at Pentecost, to reveal to us Himself, His teaching, and the path forward. The gate is no longer limited by the reality of his physical body and we can all know Him and be in relationship with Him. He is able to reveal Himself to us, to speak to us all, to interact with each and every one of us, and in this context the gate, although still narrow in that it is Him, is now available to each of us. We all have the opportunity to enter into relationship with Him!
My prayer is that more and more people find this narrow path, for it is no longer hidden and found by a few, but it has now been revealed to the world and is available to each of us. My prayer is that many, in their pursuit of truth and life, will find the one who is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). My prayer is that the Church learns to express this relational paradigm rather than the rules and right living that is so often the focus in her presentation of what it means to be a Christian. We are supposed to be in relationship with Him, first and foremost. The Body of Christ gets its name and connectivity from our shared relationship with our head, Jesus Christ.
In summary, today I am encouraged to continue to pursue relationship with Jesus, and in this relationship to find my way, the truth and life I am seeking. I am encouraged that Jesus has made Himself available to us all, that He is no longer limited or hidden and that each and every one of us can have relationship with Him. We can know Him and speak with Him and hear from Him, just like we do in any relationship, because He is with us, even to the end of the age (Matt 28:20).
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