Narrow is the Way

Following Christ has never been the popular decision. There are many followers, yes, but the world as a whole has not made this decision. There are two different paths that we can take in life and the Lord lays them out for us in these next two verses.

"Enter by the narrow gate..." Matthew 7:13a, NKJV

The original King James version uses the word strait instead of narrow to describe the way to Christ. A strait is a narrow passage of water connecting two larger bodies of water. Christ is that narrow passage between this world and heaven. Charles Spurgeon wrote of the narrow gate as well and stated that "it demands for self denial and strictness of obedience, and watchfulness of spirit." Choosing Christ is never the easiest or the most popular thing to do. Everything in nature follows a path of least resistance. If there is any friction or difficulty then there must be another easier way, and there is.

"...for wide is the gate and broad is the path that leads to destruction, and there are many who go on it." Matthew 7:13b, NKJV

The other way is broad, wide and much easier to navigate. I get an image of a broad path and friends being able to walk side by side. It is much easier to go in any direction as long as you have company. Following the Lord has a singularity of spirit with it; it is a very private and personal journey. However, the much easier gate is wide and popular. There have been various different movements in America that have left empty hearts and broken lives, but they were popular at the time. Even in the religious corners of America, death and destruction has been the ultimate end. Different religious leaders lead their followers down a wide path like Jim Jones, Applewhite or Koresh. Think of the path that you are on; is the path wide, is it popular?

"Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matthew 7:14, NKJV

Again, Jesus revisits the narrow gate. The world around us gives us examples of this spiritual truth. Think of the birth canal. The mother goes into labor and forces her child through a strait of flesh into life.

In the original King James, the word difficult is replaced with narrow. Very interesting. This word narrow can be defined as hardship or tribulation. We can even go as to say that it is a pressing like we see with grapes.

The word find is also very interesting. it means "to find by inquiry, thought, examination, scrutiny, observation or to find by practice and experience." Most who inquire about the Lord decide that He is not right for them. Others who think about the life they must lead decide another way is better. If we open the gate to examination most find it to be unappealing. And still others find it through practice and experience. How did you find the gate?

An Active Search

In our Christian walk, there needs to a an active and constant search. Think of it like a search and rescue mission. There is an intense search search by many different individuals over a large grid for evidence of the missing person(s). Take that idea to a more personal level, bring it down to a singularity. The Apostle Paul encourages the Christian to, "walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise..." (Ephesians 5:15) The idea of walking circumspectly is to walk exactly, accurately or diligently. A friend of mine once described it as walking in all directions at the same time. To walk with exactness is to walk with purpose and knowledge; but what happens when you do not know where you are going?

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7, NKJV

These are all action words, words that produce action. Asking produces giving; seeking produces finding; knocking produces opening. With this verse comes a verse with a promise attached.

"For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7:8, NKJV

This is the promise, if you actively pursue the Lord, you will find Him. The Lord does not hide Himself from those who want to find Him.

"Or what man among you who, if his son asks for bread, you will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?" Matthew 7:9-10, NKJV

Even our nature proves the attributes of God. When my children tell me in the morning that they are hungry, I give them breakfast food to eat. I do not give them dirt or anything else. The idea that the Lord is portraying here is that our love for our children reciprocates the love that the Lord has for us. We are created in the image of God, His attributes are imbedded within our beings.

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:11, NKJV

God is good, man is inherently evil. However, though we are evil, we still know how to give good gifts to our children. How much better would those gifts be coming from a God in whom no evil exists?

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12, NKJV

Whenever we see a therefore, we must find out what it is there for. Because of the concept of knowing how to give good gifts, we must then also translate that into our daily relationships with our fellow man. I tis just like the Christian faith, where would we be today if no one had given us the Gospel. Lost. The same can be said for the physical. Give and it shall be given; whether it be monetary, a gift or a favor.

Judgement

Judgement is an obvious sin of every human heart. Even great men of God have been corrected by the Lord because of their judgement of heart. I Samuel 16:7 states, "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart." We as humans tend to judge through wrong motive, bias or various other reasons. I am in no way saying that every human being judges out of prejudice. The idea that is tying to be conveyed her is that we cannot sees as the Lord sees, so we can never judge as He is able to judge.

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgement you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." Matthew 7:1-2, NKJV

This is not necessarily saying that the Lord will judge us for our judgement, rather our fellow man will judge us the same way that we have judged. As I read this portion of Scripture I am reminded of one of my favorite movies. In a "Knight's Tale" Rufus Sewell's character Count Adhemar uses the phrase, "You have been weighed, you have been measured and you have been found wanting." This character is easily detested. By the end of the movie, Count Adhemar is defeated and the same line is used on him. I use a fictitious film to portray a truth for one reason. There is a sense of satisfaction for the audience as Adhemar is being judged just as he himself had judged. I do not feel that this is a place any of us would want to find ourselves, on the receiving end of judgement, so why then would we ourselves judge.

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove he speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?" Matthew 7:3-4, NKJV

I love how the Lord approaches the subject of judging by using this word picture. The answer to His rhetorical allusion is obvious. It is impossible to remove a speck when a plank is impeding your own vision. "A speck of sawdust and a plank are identical in nature; they differ in size. Instead of dealing with the personal problem, the one who judges seeks to divert attention away from self." (J. Dwight Pentecost) The size of the two objects is also related to intimacy. The better understood something is, the more defined it becomes. Our own problems in life seem bigger and though the plank and speck may be same in nature you may not fully understand the speck.

"Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Matthew 7:5, NKJV

The solution to the problem is obvious. Take care of your own problems so that you may be able to help another in need. We have a better chance of helping our brothers through experience. A recovering alcoholic has a better opportunity to minister to a struggling alcoholic because he has overcome the obstacle in his own life. Experience is key in our walk with the Lord. When watching infomercials, they always seem to have testimonials of how they love the product. This is a key in getting one to buy the product because of other's experience with the product and their satisfaction.

"Do not give what is holy tot he dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces." Matthew 7:6, NKJV

This seems to be a very obscure verse and almost out of place. But is it really? "[We] are not to judge, but [we] are not to act without judgment." (Spurgeon) How do we classify a dog or swine unless we make a judgement call? Judgement has it place, but that judgement comes as one purifies himself. After the plank is removed, then we can see clearly. Who is a dog or a swine? The term "dog" here is a derogatory word and the swine of course is an impure creature. "Count not men to be dogs or swine; but when they avow themselves to be such, or by their conduct act as if they were such, do not put occasions in their way for displaying their evil character." (Spurgeon) By action, men will show themselves to be dogs or swine. It is our duty and responsibility not to throw the pearls of Jesus Christ before them. We see this precept practiced by Jesus throughout the Gospels in His interaction with the Pharisees and other religious leaders. Jesus words were always directed to the masses or to the disciples. There was the occasional Pharisee who Jesus ministered to like Nicodemas and Jarius, religious men who proved themselves to not be swine or dogs. Those who reach out to you help are not dogs, those who desire spiritual advice from you are not swine. In short, do not seek for the dog or the swine.