A narrow door was something that I dreaded. During my schooling, I would deliver furniture in Milwaukee to homes on the lakefront property. Many of these homes were in the one hundred-year-old range. I was convinced that when they were first built they were inhabited by short skinny people. Every door was a little different from the one next to it. There were some homes that had been brought up to date. The door frames were widened, but it was impossible in some of the dwellings to have their furniture delivered because the front door was simply too narrow.
When Jesus admonishes the crowd listening to him to make every effort to enter through the narrow door, it wasn’t because they wouldn’t fit. It wasn’t because they had to keep people away. It was because there are so many temptations that would steer the Christian away from the door. Is it your sinful flesh that you can’t shake because it’s a part of you. There isn’t prime time television anymore, but as you binge watch your favorite show, will there be a PSA telling you to take a break and read your Bible? Of course not! Finally, there is the devil who waits… and waits… until your weak, until your hand is on the door knob, and then he clamps down like a roaring lion ripping you down with guilt.
Before we go further, it’s essential to point out that Jesus is the narrow door. He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Since Jesus is the narrow door, we don’t have to worry about being worthy enough to enter. We don’t need to try to live up to God’s standards. Jesus has done that for us. Want to hear more? Watch this Sunday’s message taken from Luke 13.
Book(s): Luke
Tag(s): Faith, Temptation
Speaker(s): Fred Guldberg