The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Is Jesus The Narrow Gate?

Is Jesus the Narrow Way?
The following passages are usually taken as Jesus speaking of Himself being the narrow door or narrow gate. But Consider that the narrow gate and door is Judaism.
Matt 7:12 All those things, then, which you would have men do to you, even so do you to them: because this is the law and the prophets.
V. 13 Go in by the narrow door; for wide is the door and open is the way which goes to destruction and great numbers go in by it.
V. 14 for narrow is the door and hard the road to life and only a small number
make discovery of it.
Luke 13:24 Strive to enter in at the narrow gate: for many, I say to you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Neither Jesus nor the Scripture call Jesus ‘the narrow gate or difficult way.’
1.) Many times in Scripture Jesus describes Himself with the words “I AM…”
John 6:51:“I AM the living bread.”
John 8:12: I AM the light of the world.”
John 10:9: “I AM the door.”
John 10:11: “I AM the good shepherd.”
John 15:1: “I AM the true vine.”
But Jesus never says “I AM the narrow gate.” Or "I AM the difficult way.” He could’ve called himself any of these but He did not. He says He Is The Only Way, but never the Narrow, Difficult, Hidden Way.
2.) Would any doctrine change had He clearly stated He was the door, gate, or way we should work to enter?
If we read these verses as though He spoke of Himself that would mean He taught that salvation is a result of working hard yet still not making it. They could read something like this:
Luke 13:24 "I AM the narrow gate. Strive to enter in by me, the narrow gate: for many, I say to you, will seek to enter in by me and shall not be able.
Matt 7:14 “Narrow is the door and hard the road to life. I AM the narrow door and only a small number find Me.”
This is salvation by keeping the Law.
3.) Might something change if one believes Jesus isn’t the narrow way, but that Judaism is?
Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi speaking to Jews. In Matt.7:12 He is talking to Jews. He came for the Jews.
Matthew 10:5-6; Matthew 15:24.
So, if Jesus is not the narrow, difficult gate and path and we can put these terms within the religious timeframe in which they were spoken a great shift in our view of His work on the cross will occur. The relentless pursuit of God for us and His constant desire for relationship with us can finally make sense. Luke 14: 16-23 can take on a new light as His servants compel many to come. Not just a few. This change of perspective can help us see that we can easily become His children and run into His wide open arms.
The gate has been made easily accessible by Jesus. He made the gate and the path open to everyone when, at His death the VEIL, which separated everyone from God, WAS TORN DOWN from top to bottom.
2Cor 3:14 but (the Jews) minds were hardened: for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remaineth, it not being revealed to them that It Is Done Away In Christ.!
2Cor 3:15 “but unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart.” There is no veil. The barrier between God and man is gone! We can now see God as the Prodigal Son’s Father. He watches for all to come to Him. When we do He runs toward us.
The url (below) presents an ancient Jewish view of the gates which I believe pre-dates Jesus use of it.
jewishencyclopedia.com/artic … stament-of
Bob Collins
©2012

In my opinion, neither Jesus nor Judaism is the “Narrow gate” or the “Difficult road.” Rather these represent the way of discipleship to which Jesus pointed people. He also compared this way to a person who builds a tower and counts the cost to see whether he has sufficient funds and/or materials with which to finish it.(Luke 14:28).

Jesus said, "Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:33 NKJV)

What do you make of John 10:7?

“Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I AM the door of the sheep.”

You mentioned it (in verse 9), but didn’t say how think it does or doesn’t relate to the narrow gate… so just curious. Or did I miss that. I read the post three or four times, but found it a little confusing. :blush:

I think I’d agree that Jesus IS the narrow gate. No one comes to the Father except through Him. We all must be conformed into the image of Christ, whether in this life or a subsequent one, whether through learning and chastisement and corrections of course (in this life or another) or (as some believe) in an instantaneous cleansing.

Few may find the narrow gate or the narrow way; but the Way, the Truth, and the Life doesn’t just sit around waiting for people to find Him: He goes out looking for the 100th sheep and brings it home to much rejoicing. :slight_smile:

Other paths certainly lead to destruction; but Jesus isn’t only a static path that lays there on the ground unmoving. (Although some Arminians basically go that far, teaching that Jesus only laid the road and opened the door and that’s it He doesn’t do anything else for anyone.)

Let’s remember that the “narrow way” is a metaphor/simile, a metaphor that can be used to illustrate different concepts. The immediate literary context is what we should use to determine what the metaphor is illustrating.

In Matthew, Jesus said this in the Sermon on the Mount, I think that Jesus is refering to the convergence of:

  1. Right Attitudes,
  2. Right Doctrine and.
  3. Right Practices.

In Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount Jesus starts of with the Beattitudes. If one’s attitudes are not right then everthing one thinks and does is polluted.

Jesus then starts challenging the doctrine and the practices of the Pharisees. In fact, when He says “you’ve heard it said…”, Jesus is referencing the Oral Law of the Pharisees. The Pharisees believed that the Written Law, the Pentatuch, could only be understood, interpreted, and lived out “correctly” by viewing it through the Oral Law, the teachings of the Pharisees. This Oral Law was passed down verbally from rabbi to rabbi until around 200 A.D. when a scentence outline of it was recorded in the Mishnah, which was then expanded upon in the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds.

These “traditions of the fathers” perverted the written law, nullifying it of it’s power to bring life. For example, though the Written Law says, “Do not commit murder”, some of the commentaries said that only applies to another Jewish man, leaving it ok to murder women, children, and Gentiles. Another example, thought he Written Law says “Do not commit adultery”, this was primarily only applied to women and women were the only ones expected to be faithful to their husband. Amoung the Pharisees a married Jewish man could sleep with a single woman, a prostitute, even another Gentile man’s wife and not be considered breaking the “Written Law” because of what it was interpreted to mean. Thus Jesus strongly denounces the doctrine, the traditions of the Pharisees!

And of course Jesus specifically denounced some of the practices of the Pharisees like praying or giving in public to recieve the accalades of man.

So in Matthew the “Narrow Way” is having one’s attitudes right, doctrine right, and practices right - such righteousness leads to abundant life! Unrighteousness in attitude, beliefs, or practice leads to destruction and death! Relatively few people, even relatively few believers find this “narrow way” and live the abundant life of the Kingdom of God!

John’s message was different than Matthew’s. A primary theme of Matthew is Jesus opposing the Pharisees; Matthew wrote to the Jews, possibly from Jerusalem, likely just a few years before the destruction of Jerusalem. John wrote to everyone with a theme of encouraging everyone to put their faith in Jesus - a radically different theme than Matthew! In John and in Luke, Jesus uses the simile of the “narrow way” to illustrate that faith in Him is the only means by which one is brought into relationship with God. For truly one day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess (proclaim allegiance to) Jesus is Lord!

Different contexts = potentially radically different meanings of the metaphor/simile.
Luke