Luke 13:23

Verse of the Day Devotion Luke 13:23 

“And someone said to Him, Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” – Luke 13:23 

The question asked is sad because the answer is yes.  This question was a subject of debate in Jesus’ day and could have been asked of any rabbi. Opinions on the question ranged from inclusive to exclusive. Some rabbis taught that all Israelites have a share in the world to come, whereas others believed that the Most High made the world to come for the sake of a few. Throughout the central section of Luke, Jesus emphasizes the difficulty of entering the kingdom. His questioner is not identified, but the honorary title Lord coupled with the question itself, suggests, if not a disciple, someone familiar with Jesus’ teaching. Jesus does not reply directly to the questioner but takes the question as an opportunity to instruct the gathering around him.

His answer is intriguing.  “Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” Luke 13:24. What He is saying is that they will seek to enter in, but they will not strive to enter in.  This Greek word for strive is taken from the Grecian games. In their races, and wrestling, and various athletic exercises, they strove or agonized or put forth all their powers to gain the victory. Thousands witnessed them. They were long trained for the conflict, and the honor of victory was one of the highest honors among the people. So Jesus says that we should strive to enter in; and he means by it that we should be diligent, be active, be earnest; that we should make it our first and chief business to overcome our sinful propensities, and to endeavor to enter into heaven. This same figure or allusion to the Grecian games is often used in the New Testament. In Paul’s letter to the Church in Corinth, he writes “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.

We must give our all to enter in, just as the Greek athletes did in their striving to win.  And in like manner, we must strive to enter by the narrow gate.  And there is a distinct difference between the narrow and the wide gate.  Matthews gospel puts it this way. “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14.  And it is important to remember that once the narrow gate is closed, at His return, it is closed for good. “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.” Luke 13:25. Matthew uses a different phrase regarding those who did not stive to enter in.  “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Matthew 7:23.  Hard words, but necessary for us to understand.

Therefore, I want to encourage us all to not just seek or hope for, but to strive to enter by way of the narrow gate.  To give everything we have to God and work as hard as possible to devote our entire life to Him. This can be difficult at times, but in the long run it will be worth everything we did to make it through.  God loves us, and He wants us to be with Him for eternity, but it is up to us to choose which path we will take.  And there is no doubt regarding which path is better: the narrow path.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Matthew 7:13-14

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 7:13-14 

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” – Matthew 7:13-14       

These two verses speaks of the way to our eternal future.  Jesus here is telling His listeners that there are two choices, however, one of them is the way that leads to life, while the other only says it leads to life, but it is a deception.  Let us look closely at these two gates.

First, there is the wide gate.  This is an easy gate to pass through.  It is wide and spacious, that requires little work to pass go through.  This is the gate of deception.  It is an easy gate to find, therefore many pass through it.  In fact, they will come to this gate without the need to seek it, for they will eventually come to it.  It is like a popular road that many travel on and when they get to the wide gate, they will walk through it.  However, this gate does not lead to life, it leads to destruction. 

This gate is the one that denies the reality of Christ.  They may have heard of Him and may even act as though they are a Christian.  However, they choose to do things their own way rather than God’s.  People choosing to take this gate may attempt to find the easy way.  They choose teachers who preach what they want to hear, not what they need to hear.  Paul put it this way in a letter to Timothy.  “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4.  They may think they are saved. but they will find themselves sadly mistaken.

The second gate is what is known as the strait or narrow gate.  This is a difficult gate to go through.  It  is a very narrow gate, so narrow that few find it throughout their lives.  This is the gate that true disciples of Christ know of and pass through.  This probably refers to those gates in Rome that were for private entrances which were not readily seen.  Those who find and go through this gate are those who have studied the scriptures and know what God requires of them.  And, like the Bereans, they would check out everything they read and heard to ensure they were following the truth.  They found the gate because they searched for it, validated it was the correct gate, and then passed through.

This leads to our calling as Christians.  We are commanded to lead the world to the narrow gate, explaining what reality is regarding our eternal existence, while showing that the wide gate may be easier to find, but will only lead, as our focus verses tell us, to destruction.  It is imperative that we go into all the world, giving them the map to the strait gate, showing them how to get there, and why it is the desired way.  It is the only way to eternal life with Christ, and we are the ones to tell everyone this truth. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.  

Matthew 9:37

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 9:37 

“Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” – Matthew 9:37      

Jesus and the disciples were ministering throughout the land.  “Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.” Matthew 9:35. They were traveling throughout Galilee teaching the people in their synagogues.  He was proclaiming the good news to them, speaking of the kingdom of God as well as healing them from every kind of illness. 

He saw many Jewish converts, and though there were many scribes and teachers in their towns, they did not teach the truth about the gospel.  They taught the old ways, the law and keeping it strictly to stay in good standing with God.  And with their arrogance and pride, none of them really cared for their souls, just about their living the Jewish life.  There were none to teach them about the grace of God and the idea that He was the Messiah who came to pay the penalty for their sins.  And with this, they were not able, even if willing, to heal or deliver them from their diseases or sicknesses.

Seeing this, Jesus felt compassion for them.  “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36. They only had people to guide them in the ways of Judaism, but not in the new life He presented to them.  They were fatigued, not in body but in their minds and spirit. He was touched by their infirmities as the merciful High Priest.  He was the good shepherd and He felt saddened that there were no other teachers at their disposal to help them understand the gospel.  There were so many who needed a good shepherd, but there was no one to lead them.

We find the same situation today.  There are many in this world who have not yet heard the truth of the gospel because no one took the time to go to them.  There are also many who have heard the truth but have not fully understood it because no one has taken the time needed to explain it to them so they can accept it as truth.  There are also many who hear and accept it with joy, but there is no one to help them become rooted in this new life, and when affliction or persecution arises because of their choice to accept the gospel, they fall away.  Or, they accept it but when they begin to worry and fret, or become enamored with worldly things, they focus on their trials and desires and become unfruitful. 

As Christians, we are called to be shepherds; to reach out to the lost and help those who are new to the faith build their foundations on the Word of God.  We are also called to help our brothers and sisters in Christ through difficult times, praying for and encouraging them.  We are to pray for the lost that God will lead us to those who need Christ in their lives, even though they do not realize it themselves.  We are to pray that God will lead us to fellow Christians who need fellowship and desire help in growing in the fear and admonition of the Lord.  We are called to help everyone we come into contact with to come to the faith and help them grow.  This is the role of the shepherd.  To guide and lead and protect.  As Jesus said, the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Lets be hard workers for the cause of Christ.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.