MATTHEW 7:24-25
Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.
The Narrow Gate
MATTHEW 7:13-14
“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
REFLECTION
At the conclusion of Jesus’ sermon, he calls us to make a choice, and there are only two options—the wide path, the way of the world, and the narrow one, the path Jesus has just described.
This either/or way of thinking is not popular in our culture. Most believe there are many ways that lead to God and it is important to follow whatever path YOU think is right. Jesus says the opposite is true, and he calls us to follow him alone. Jesus also makes it clear that this path is not an easy one. There are boundaries on the narrow path that sometimes make the journey difficult. To enter the narrow gate, we must leave behind our sin, our pride, our selfish ambition, even, if necessary, our family and friends. So, if this road is so difficult and few enter it, why must we go through it? Because Jesus warns us that the easy path leads to destruction. Jesus does not explicitly define “destruction” here, but other Scriptures say it is a place of wickedness (Psalm 1), death (James 29:8), and curses (Deuteronomy 30:19–20).
This choice changes everything. Will we follow God on the narrow way, or will we run with the rest of the world down the wide way? The goal is not an easy life—it is an obedient life. Let’s remember the words of Jesus in the Beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn, the meek and the humble, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted. Blessed are those who choose to live like Jesus.
We read that the narrow path is full of good boundaries that help us live a life of fullness and righteousness. Which boundaries make the narrow path hard for you? Why is it worth it?