Two Roads (There are really only two choices.)

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.”

This is Jesus’ way of starting to close out his sermon. He has several impossible commands such as loving your enemies, doing good to those that hate you, not putting your good deeds on display that others may love you. And, his purpose in all of it was really mounting an impossible list of to-dos to show that the work that his Father wants from is to believe in the Son. That’s it. That’s how you’ll overcome the world, is by believing in the Son.

My take on this specific command from Jesus that we “Enter through the narrow gate (or straight gate as the translation may read) is that there are two choices that we have. There is one choice to make but only two options. If we are to enter God’s kingdom, the way is narrow and small. There isn’t a lot of room for error. Or the alternative is a broad path that is wide and very roomy.

Hearing this recently mixed with some other things made me think. The broad way includes options like all out rebellion against God. It also includes the proud attitude that “I am really okay because I am a good person.” It also includes the option to say that I am a Christian when there has been no change in your heart. But, to contrast these three options (and there may be more, but these are clear) there is a narrow road and small gate that leads to righteousness – that is right standing before God.

And, as I alluded to in the introduction entry to this series, I’m wrestling mentally, emotionally, and willfully to know whether I am dancing and silly little dance in this wide street or if I am crawling and scratching and moving cautiously in the narrow way. I think if we are to know that we know – or at least for me that is – we must wrestle. In the same way that Jacob wrestled with God until he changed his name, we must wrestle with the truths of God’s word to know that our names are changed and written in his book because in the last day, I don’t want to be found to have made the wrong choice.

20 Wisdom calls aloud in the street,
        she raises her voice in the public squares;
21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out,
        in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:
22 "How long will you simple ones love your simple ways?
        How long will mockers delight in mockery
        and fools hate knowledge?
23 If you had responded to my rebuke,
        I would have poured out my heart to you
        and made my thoughts known to you.
24 But since you rejected me when I called
       and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,
25 since you ignored all my advice
       and would not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh at your disaster;
       I will mock when calamity overtakes you-
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
       when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
       when distress and trouble overwhelm you. – Proverbs 1:20-27

In dealing with a child that came to stay with us recently, one night when we were against the wire of a deadline. I laid out two choices for him. I offered him an opportunity to do his reading assignment or lose a privilege AND stay up until he read. In his words, he said, “I choose neither.” What followed was a rather short discussion where I said, that is not an option and if you persist in saying that you choose neither (which is not one of your options), the removal of privilege is the default AND we will sit here until you read. And so it is with us by not choosing, we really are choosing to take the broad path. So my friends, I encourage both you and me to choose life, seek life, and cry out to God because he will not deny us. But we must make our choice before it is too late. Remember “only a few will find it.”

Almost forgot!!  (mUcH lUv mY frIeNds!!)