(Sermon text: Luke 13: 22 - 30)
Given at Church of the Redeemer, Cairo, IL, Saturday, August 25th, 2007; and at St. Mark’s Church, West Frankfort, IL; and St. James’ Memorial Church, Marion, IL
Yet another disturbing text is set before us this morning….For the past four Sundays, our Gospel texts have challenged us, prodding us into action, asking us to change our ways, spiritually.
Today’s text does the same: “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able”,[1] Jesus says.
As we consider the impact for our lives, in this sermon, let’s look at some of the salient features of Jesus’ teaching as Luke reports it to us. And then, let’s consider what Our Lord’s intent might have been in addressing His original audience. We will follow the original setting’s intent with the meaning for the church to whom Luke was writing, and will conclude with some considerations for our own day.
As we look at the passage, the following key points can be seen:
- “Lord, will only a few be saved?” (verse 23): Essentially, this question (note that it is posed to Jesus by an anonymous member of the crowd that had been following Jesus on His way to His death and resurrection in Jerusalem – Jesus’ remarks seem destined to be received by a large audience which spans the breadth of time) is one which seeks to understand the big picture. It strikes me that it’s a question which is loaded with expectation, with wanting to know the secrets of God, of wanting to know “who’s in and who’s out”. It is a question which has as its focus the final things of God, God’s eternal and great plan for humanity. It also echoes a common theme which was found in First Century Judaism: the idea that there would only be a small remnant of faithful Jews who would find favor in God’s sight.[2]
- “Strive to enter through the narrow door…” (verse 24): Jesus’ answer is indirect and mysterious.[3] Jesus does not answer the question in a manner the questioner seems to want. Instead, Jesus’ answer invites further inquiry and thought. Jesus’ answer asks the listener to “do his/her part” in working out their faith. Jesus’ answer invites an ongoing effort in the life of faith. Jesus’ answer also places limits on the way to salvation….the narrow door’s image signifies an acceptable way, while there are other ways that are not acceptable.
- “When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door…” (verse 25): Jesus’ point here seems to be that there is an urgency which should be a part of our struggle to find the way to God. Jesus’ answer places time limits on our search. “Get up and get going, find the way while you can” seems to be the point in Jesus’ answer.
- Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” (verse 30): Here we have a reversal of roles, which is a very common theme in Luke’s Gospel account. The result of God’s action is unexpected, and is not based on normal human expectations.
Let’s turn our attention now to the meaning and application of Jesus’ teaching, first as it might have applied to Jesus’ original hearers, then to the church to whom Luke was writing, and finally, to us today.[4]
- Jesus’ original hearers: The Gospels do not paint a very flattering picture of spiritual life in Jesus’ time…..Many Jews of 2,000 years ago seem to have placed a great deal of importance in their status as “God’s chosen people”, which was the result of an accident of birth. The portrait of spiritual life back then shows a people who were consumed with outward religious observance, but who were spiritually poor. People seemed to be following a whole lot of rules, but without a genuine orientation toward the truths of God. Complacency and pride seemed to be commonplace.
- The church to whom Luke was writing: Many scholars think Luke penned his Gospel account late in the first century, perhaps in the period of the years 85 – 90 AD. About six decades had elapsed since Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension. The church had eagerly looked toward the skies, awaiting Jesus’ return. But it’s possible that the church’s gaze had grown weary, waiting for the Second Coming to occur. Perhaps some in the church were beginning to ask themselves the question, “If we (the church) are going to be here for awhile (until the Second Coming), what are we going to do until that happens?”[5] And perhaps some in the church were beginning to focus on the church’s social aspects, or its worship habits. Maybe some were getting complacent with their status as God’s (new) “chosen people”. Jesus’ warnings would have applied directly to those misconceptions, if they were present in the First Century church, I think.
- Twenty First Century Christians: We shouldn’t be too hard on the Judaism of Jesus’ day, nor on those to whom Jesus spoke the words, “Strive to enter through the narrow door.” For all the changes that occur over time in ways of living and in the cultures we create, human beings are still subject to a remarkably unvarying set of spiritual diseases. These diseases include: arrogance, pride, a focus on outward religious practice at the expense of true inner spiritual health, a reliance on our own abilities to perceive and know God’s truth, a sense that “we” are OK, but “they” are not, and so forth.
So, some lessons seem to pop out at us from the pages of Holy Scripture today. They might well include:
- Beware of spiritual arrogance. Because we know something of the truth of God, and have some familiarity with Him, it does not automatically follow that we know all there is to know. Nor can we stop our search for God. “Strive” Jesus commands us, an ongoing, open-ended command to do our part in coming to know God.
- There are limits to the way in which God can be found: Jesus firmly rejects some ways, while endorsing another. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”, Jesus says in John 14: 6. The way we know God is through the person and work of Jesus Christ, as it is revealed in Holy Scripture. For the Christian, the “word of God, written” remains the authoritative source of God’s revelation, the “narrow door” for us today. There are limits to our search for God, and without limits, there can be no community of faith.
- Be on the lookout for misplaced spiritual emphases: It’s easy to focus on outward religious observances, for that is what is most easily seen and practiced. But true spiritual maturity occurs when we realize that the things we do as part of our Christian worship are merely tools that are meant to enable us to see beyond the immediate realities of life into the mysterious realities of God. All good worship points beyond itself to the God who calls us into relationship with Him.
- Who’s “in” and who’s “out” might surprise us. Jesus calls us to look beneath the outward appearance into the orientation of the heart, which is the ultimate battleground upon which we strive to enter the narrow door.
May God’s Holy Spirit enable us as we strive to enter through the narrow door.
AMEN.
[1] Verse 24
[2] This theme was quite common among one of the Jewish groups which was extant in the First Century, the Essenes (who were the creators of the Dead Sea Scrolls).
[3] As we read the four Gospels, we can see that Jesus’ answers were quite often just that: indirect and mysterious, open-ended
[4] Such an approach to studying Holy Scripture can be quite helpful. Though we cannot know with certainty what the intended meaning might have been for the original hearers or for the church a writer might have been addressing, the grounds for applicability across the ages is found in the commonality of human experience, which changes little over time in its basic concerns and conditions.
[5] One of my New Testament professors in seminary maintains that this question was very much on the church’s mind late in the First Century.
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