How can I up my game to enter the kingdom?
From Lukeâs Gospel, we read that Jesus responded to the question, âLord, will only a few people be saved?â by saying, âStrive to enter through the narrow gate, for many will attempt to enter but not be strong enough.â A more intimidating parallel statement of Jesus is found in Matthewâs Gospel where Jesus says, âEnter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life, and those who find it are few.â The âlifeâ of which Jesus speaks is the life of the Kingdom of God, a.k.a., the Kingdom of Heaven. The lack of strength, lack of life and the destruction of which he speaks is the loss of the Kingdom of Heaven for any given human.
The rest of our Sunday Gospel from Luke seems to say a âwe knew youâ presumption will be the cause of âmanyâ being âcast out,â and that there will be a surprise(!): eternally blessed guests from all over the world with Jesus forever. Basically, the Christian notion âto be savedâ is to wind up with Jesus forever in Godâs heavenly Kingdom. Years ago, Gospel passages like this weekendâs led me to take them totally at face value. Then I learned how often Jesus spoke with hyperbole in his warnings, that we would take his Gospel teaching seriously deep into our hearts and lives on earth. And why should we? We must âstriveâ to be âstrong enoughâ to enter the narrow yet open gate leading to eternal life.
Most of us are used to the two truths about God as the ONE who is âall-powerfulâ and âall-mighty.â Jesus our Lord does not always come across to us as the God of power and might. And the worldly human history of âpower and might,â except as encouraging a similar amount of expended effort, is helpful only in the inverse. Wonderfully, we hear of strength, the strength to enter into Heavenâs realm, accessible to us here and now. Can anyone here now really know the numbers and percentages of those who will be saved and those who will be cast out? Seemingly the same or just subtle in any difference, the strength of Jesus is very often more helpful to us than his âpower and might.â His strength to get us âenteredâ into the ways of Godâs Heavenly Kingdom is our passing through the narrow gate, appropriately called the discipleâs âroad less traveled.â We are pushed by Jesus to strive throughout life for that unique strength which is his love and his way applied by us in the times we live. Thus we ask, where am I already strong, and more so, where do I need to strive more for the Kingdomâs heavenly strength?
Striving with you,
Fr. Matt Ellis