Apparently, this was part of a pericope system in the past. The following is most of a sermon I preached on it in 1995.
“Strive to enter through the narrow door,” Jesus says. He’s responding to someone’s question, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” I’m not sure that Jesus ever fully answers that question. Some verses seem to state that only a few will be saved – like the picture of the narrow door and then the shut door. Many won’t strive hard enough. Many will be left outside the door. Other verses seem to state that huge numbers will be saved. People from every corner of the world are seated at the banquet table in the kingdom of God. How does Jesus answer this question? Will there be few or many who are saved?
“Strive to enter through the narrow door,” Jesus says. The Greek word translated strive is agonizomai. We get our English words, “agonize” and “agony” from the root of the Greek word. A form of the word is used of Jesus praying on the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed with such agony that his sweat became drops of blood.
It seems that it is extremely difficult to enter through the narrow door, but the situation gets worse. Perhaps, with enough effort – and a rigorous diet, one could squeeze through a narrow door, but Jesus’ next picture is of a shut door. There is no opening. I don’t think that any amount of effort could squeeze us through the keyhole – if there is one. There is agony outside the narrow door and even more agony outside the shut door.
Why are the people on the outside of the door? Twice Jesus says, “I don’t know where you come from.” Often when we use that phrase, “Where are you comin’ from?” We are asking about motives. What’s inside the person. Why are they doing what they are doing. These people have done very religious things. They ate and drank in Jesus presence – could that be holy communion? They were taught by Jesus – could that be attending Sunday school? They’ve done the right things, but that isn’t enough. Why are they doing them? Are we religious because of what we might get from God? Do we treat God like a huge vending machine in the sky – we put in our quarter’s worth of religious deeds – going to church and Sunday school – and expect God to drop out kind of blessing for us? Is Jesus suggesting that we have to do even more – that we have to try even harder – that we need to agonize even more about the door into the kingdom? Jesus wants to know where we are coming from.
However, after the shut door, the picture changes. We have a glimpse into the kingdom of God. We see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – the Jewish patriarchs in the kingdom. We see the prophets in the kingdom. We would expect to see these heroes of faith in the kingdom. They are part of the few we would expect to see in the kingdom of God. But we also see people from the east and west, north and south. It sounds like there is a huge crowd from around the world in the kingdom. It seems like a whole lot of people will be saved, not just a few. How does this world-wide crowd get into the kingdom? We aren’t told. Perhaps they agonized hard enough and got through the narrow door. Perhaps they were known by the homeowner who opened the door for them. However, I think that the presence of this huge, international crowd illustrates a brand new way of thinking about the kingdom.
Our translation says that they “will eat in the kingdom of God.” A more literal reading of the Greek would be, “they will be made to sit in the kingdom of God.” They don’t seat themselves. Someone else seats them at the heavenly banquet table. Who is that?
The same word is used earlier in Luke (12:35-40) in the parable of the watchful servants. When the master returns and finds the servants waiting; the master “makes them sit down to eat” and he serves them. It is the master – it is God who seats the international group at the banquet in the kingdom. This is a gracious picture of God. …
I think that the agony we face before the door is not the narrowness of the door, but a struggle within ourselves. Will we continue to try and struggle through the narrow door? Will we try to make all our inner motives pure enough for God? Or will we admit “I can’t” do it and accept God’s gracious invitation to sit at the banquet?
There is another story where Jesus talks about a narrow passage. He says: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The eye of a needle is a very narrow door.
The disciples ask Jesus, “Then who can be saved?” He answers, “What is impossible for humans is possible for God.”
I’m not sure that it is possible for us to strive hard enough to enter through the narrow door. I’m not sure that it is possible for us to always have the pure motives that God requires. However, what is impossible for us, is possible for God. It can be agony for some to admit that they can’t do it themselves, that they need help, but our confession of “I can’t,” opens us to hear and receive God’s “I can”. God can get us through the narrow door or even through the eye of the needle. God can open up the closed door. God seats us at the banquet in the kingdom. What we can’t do, God can.
The Greek word “agonizomai” translated “strive” in our lesson, the root of our word “agonize” also means “to compete,” “to be in a contest.” Usually in contests there are winners and losers. There are those who come in first and those who don’t. What does it do to the competition if the first will be last and the last first? What does it do to our striving if coming in first doesn’t matter?
“Lord, will only a few be saved?” someone asks Jesus. It is clear from other scriptures that God wants everyone to be saved. God invites all to come and be seated at the banquet. Does this mean that everyone will be saved? I don’t think so. Some won’t trust God. They won’t accept God’s grace. They will want to do it on their own.
But for us who are here this morning. We have heard God’s word of grace. We are invited to this little banquet of heaven – a little bread and a little wine. At this meal God comes to us in the body and blood of Christ. It’s no longer a matter of us striving to get to God, but believing that God comes to us. If God has come to us, the rules are all changed. There is no more striving. There is no more contest. There is no more agonizing about the narrow or shut door. We celebrate the heavenly feast now with bread and wine in anticipation of the great banquet in the kingdom of God. Where not a few will be saved, but a great crowd from east and west, north and south and even a number of us from Wyoming who have heard and believe God’s word of grace.
