Near the conclusion of His Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus exhorted His disciples with the following words:
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. 14 For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Mt 7:13–14.
It is not surprising that Jesus encouraged His disciples in this way in this context. Matthew chapters 5-7 include some of the most challenging teachings of Jesus in the New Testament. The way of discipleship for Jesus certainly is narrow, but what precisely did Jesus mean to convey with this language?
Does Jesus mean to say that folks can only pass through this gate single file? Must one wait in line? Is Jesus saying something akin to Yoda when Luke asked him if the dark side of the force was stronger? “No! No…quicker, easier, more seductive.” Was George Lucas borrowing from Jesus? Possibly…but not quite.
The New Testament word translated narrow is the Greek word stenós. Stenós is an adjective in Greek, and narrow is a pretty good translation. However, in my view it would be a mistake to assume Jesus’ intention begins and ends with the Greek language. The Gospels have translated Jesus’ teachings into Greek, but beneath that translation lie the Semitic languages of Aramaic and Hebrew. When the word stenós is used to translate the Hebrew of the First Testament, the Hebrew word it translates is tsar. Tsar is usually used in the First Testament to indicate distress—e.g., 2 Samuel 24:14:
14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress; let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into human hands.”
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), 2 Sa 24:14.
The way of discipleship, according to Jesus, is narrow in the sense that it is pressing or squeezing. In other words, Jesus is not describing a one-lane highway, or a footpath in a field, or even a neglected road in a forest. He is describing a tight squeeze that is challenging to pass through. And this is more evident still by Jesus’ further description of the road that leads to life as hard. Hard is the Greek word thlibō. Thlibō means pressed, squeezed, or pinched, and it can be used metaphorically to refer to oppression, affliction, or distress.
To use the Hebrew word, the gate and the road that lead to life are tsar—roads of distress, of pressure. It’s no wonder that few find such a way. Who’s looking for a tight squeeze? Is anybody really searching for a pressure-filled road? Of course not. That’s why Jesus indicates that few find it. It’s not that it’s hidden or that it requires a special map to find. The way of life is plain enough in the teachings of Scripture. But, it hides in plain sight from those who wish to find a way that is free of suffering and distress.
Jesus describes the road to destruction, on the other hand, as quite easy on the suspension. The word translated wide (platús) indicates broadness or flatness, and the word translated easy (eurú-chōros) also means roomy or wide. In other words, the road to destruction presents itself as an easier, more relaxed way, and Jesus insists that many choose to enter it.
The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5-7 delineates what the twentieth-century theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, described as the cost of discipleship. Even a cursory read of Jesus’ description of the way to the Kingdom of Heaven can leave a leisurely traveler full of despair. On another occasion described for us in Matthew 19:16-30, Jesus instructed a wealthy man to sell all his possessions, give the proceeds to the poor, and only afterwards to follow Him. After the man walked away sad, Jesus said that it was near impossible for the wealthy to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, to which His disciples exclaimed:
“Then who can be saved?”
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Matt. 19:25.
Jesus’ only encouragement to them was that with God all things are possible.
This exchange dovetails well with Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount because, to extend the metaphor, the narrow way may require the shedding of gear to pass through. If we truly wish to follow Jesus, we will need to pass through some squeezes so tight that we will have to shed weight and provisions in order to continue the journey.
Of course, Jesus’ encouragement is that His disciples do not make this journey on their own. Jesus is with them, and God will make the journey possible. But still, it will be no relaxed trip. The way of life presses on those who take it, squeezes those who wish to pass through it. It is a way of pressure and distress. Judged by mere appearances, only a fool would take it. But, we who claim faith in Jesus follow Him, and Jesus denied Himself, took up His cross, and squeezed through the narrow gate.
The history of Christianity is filled with people, both clergy and laity alike, who have sought to widen the passes of the narrow way so that it might appear more appealing to a greater variety of people. Others have sought to place greater emphasis on the destination and leave the road itself undescribed as a way of enticing folks to begin the journey without full awareness of their commitment. And, then, of course, there are plenty who have switched the signs, identifying the wide road as leading to life and the narrow road as leading to destruction.
Do not be deceived by these tactics. The road to life is a pressing road, and those who find it are seeking the way of Jesus, however difficult a squeeze it may be.
If we are to seek the pressing, squeezing road and follow Jesus, we must divest ourselves of the desire for safety, security, ease, and pleasure. These experiences are to be received with thanksgiving when they are given by God in proper season, but they cannot be sought. If we are to find the pressing, squeezing road that Jesus trailblazed before us, we must be looking for precisely that. Jesus goes on in the next verses in Matthew 7 to warn His disciples not to fall prey to false teachers and false prophets. That is a fitting warning because such folks always diminish the pressing, squeezing, distressing facets of the road of discipleship.
False prophets and false teachers offer shorter ways, short cuts, easy principles, and can’t-miss formulas. Jesus never pretended that the road to life was anything but impossible by human effort alone. The way of life is traversable only by those who have gone all-in with Jesus and who are enabled by God Himself. For those looking for a road possible to traverse without God, you will find only the road to destruction. The pressing, squeezing, distressed way that leads to life cannot be traversed without God, and this is precisely why so few find it.
Seek the narrow way. If it is described in the teachings of Scripture and looks to be impossible, you’ve found the gate. You will only enter by placing faith in Jesus to make the impossible possible. This is the road to life. Embrace the call to find it.
~ J. Thomas ~
Josh,
Thank you for this thorough review of testing the spirits, recognizing a true prophet. Mid way, I wondered if you should have preached this explanation before sharing your visions. You are not speaking as someone who is delusional and I agree, though you are sometimes very excitable in your sermons it is out of your passionate and urgent belief in God’s word. I did not reach out to you following your revealed vision. I did have conversations and agreed, its not like you to be dramatic for your own purposes. Time is the test, but not to find ourselves fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah. The earth and the Nations are in turmoil and we are ever nearer to Jesus returning.
I, for one, am grateful for your insights, your teaching and your hesed.
Diane
Thank you, Diane. God is on the move.