Journeying together towards the “narrow gate.”

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Gospel: Luke 13: 22-30

Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. 
Someone asked him,
“Lord, will only a few people be saved?” 
He answered them,
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough. 
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will say to you in reply,
‘I do not know where you are from.
And you will say,
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
Then he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from. 
Depart from me, all you evildoers!’
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. 
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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John Stephen Akhwari was chosen to represent Tanzania at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, running the 26-mile marathon. There were 75 competitors from 41 countries. It was a brutal race at a punishing altitude.

Though his chances of winning the marathon were slim, they dropped to zero after he stumbled, smashed his shoulder, dislocated his knee, and was nearly trampled to death by a group of other runners jockeying for position.

After receiving emergency medical treatment, he pushed the doctors away, got up and continued the race.

Almost an hour after a winner was crowned – and nearly every spectator left the stadium – Akhwari stumbled across the finish line.

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When asked why he didn’t quit – even after dislocating his knee, he said, “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.”

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In today’s Gospel, someone asks Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” It’s something we may have wondered, too. How many people will enter the kingdom of God?

While our first reading from the prophet Isaiah says there will be “many nations,” and the Gospel says that people will come from the, “east, west, north, and south,” Jesus does not give an exact number or percentage.

He only encourages us to, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate.” 

To “strive” means, “to struggle or to fight vigorously.” It’s a very physical verb implying effort; grit; momentum. 

Think of those athletes striving to win first place in that Olympic marathon. John Steven Akhwari was nearly trampled to death because people wanted to win! 

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Thankfully, our journey together towards the kingdom of God is not that kind of race. We don’t have to compete with one another; it isn’t a zero-sum game. Everybody can enter the race; everybody can win. 

Still, in today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us that heaven’s entrance is “narrow.”

Imagine if Jesus said, “The gate leading into the kingdom of God is ‘pretty wide,’ let’s say wide enough to fit 7 out of every 10 people.” 

Most of us would respond, “Great! That means I’ve got a better than average chance of getting in. So long as I’m living a slightly better life than my neighbor, I should be okay!”

But that’s not what he says. He says it’s, “narrow.”

Why not have a wide, easily accessible entrance?

Why must it be narrow?

When ancient cities had wide gates, enemies could sneak in with large crowds; it was nearly impossible to discern who was coming or going.

Cities with narrow gates admitted people in a single file line, much like airport security today. There was no sneaking in; each person was screened individually and either permitted or denied access.

The same idea applies to God’s kingdom; each person is screened individually as we are held accountable for our actions. God either allows or denies us access.

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The good news is that the door is open.

“After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,” Jesus says, “then you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’”

We should all strive to enter into a relationship with God now, securing a place in his kingdom. If we mosey along at a snail’s pace, expecting the door to be open whenever we decide to show up, then we may find it closed.

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How much effort are we putting into the race? Are we moseying along? Or “striving” to enter through the narrow gate?

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“My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.”

Just as John Stephen Akhwari never gave up – in spite of the hardships he faced – so you and I must be like well-trained athletes striving to enter the kingdom of God.

Our vision statement reminds us of this: “We are all generations journeying together with Jesus to satisfy our hungry hearts. Come and see!”

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Image credits: (1) Western Hills Church of Christ – Podbean (2) The Ultimate Display of Determination, YouTube (3) Quora