Keep your eye on the prize

 

Once again Jesus is wasting no time in making his way to Jerusalem: “He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem.” (Luke 13:22-30) Because we know the end of the story, the very mention of Jerusalem strikes an ominous chord since it meant rejection by his followers and the horror of the cross. Along the way some unnamed person in the crowd asks Jesus, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” Whatever his motives, the enquirer may have been aware of the increasing opposition from some religious leaders as Jesus' message continue to inspire increased interest. Jesus did not answer the question directly but in typical fashion answered his question with a question and asked, “Will the saved be you?”

Jesus was speaking to a crowd made up mostly of Jews who faithful to the Hebrew Scriptures, tried to live in basic accordance with them. In giving his answer, Jesus was not addressing a faithless audience. He was talking to religious people, most of whom assumed that they would go to heaven because they were good Jews. 

He provides his audience and us important and practical lessons on the subject of his Kingdom which he says requires our earnest effort and  our urgent attention. It requires our dedicated focus because the entrance door is narrow. It requires our urgent attention because the door is soon to be closed. It requires our careful self-examination because once it is closed, the door will be eternally-closed.

Our Lord did not say, “Good question sir! Now, let’s divide up into groups and come up with a consensus as to what each of you thinks about what I said and report back.” Jesus was in a hurry; he’s moving quickly, his time is limited and he wasn’t interested in speculation about theology. He was concerned about the personal salvation of his listeners. So, rather than opening it up for discussion, Jesus gave a command that applied the question to his hearers’ hearts: “Strive to enter by the narrow door.”

Strive implies a concerted effort. I am reminded of our young competitive Olympians whose dedication to their sport is all consuming. It can be said that every athlete who wins strives to win. They invest great energy and effort into winning. It is not an accident if they win. It is the result of deliberate and sustained effort and commitment.

The fact that the door is narrow implies that it takes some deliberate thought and effort to go through it. There aren’t many doors into this “place,” so that we can’t take our pick. There is one and only one door which is Jesus Christ. He alone is the way, the truth, and the light. “No one comes to the Father except by Him” says John. There isn’t one great big door that’s easy to find and we can stroll through without giving it much thought. There is one narrow door. 

Jesus isn’t talking about being united with God by works or human effort. He is talking about our attitude toward it. He has been telling us all along that nothing takes precedence over our relationship with God. Nothing on earth should get in the way and that our relationship with Him and our quest is not just good for an occasional stimulating theological discussion but requires living in a God centered way through love and Jesus’ teachings. Our journey is not easy and we, like the Olympic athletes, must dedicate our lives to the goal and strive to enter by the narrow door every day of our lives.