May 23

Two Roads and Two Gates

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. — Matt 7:13 BSB

All truly valuable things come at a cost. So it’s no surprise that the glorious privilege of being a Christian cannot be attained without effort. To open the way and give us the right to become children of God, Jesus had to come from heaven in love and give His life. He also told us that anyone who would enter His kingdom must follow the same path of self-denial and sacrifice that He walked. Jesus said, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”

In one of His parables, Jesus compares salvation to a treasure hidden in a field. A man discovers the treasure and sells everything he owns to buy the field. In another parable, He describes a merchant who, after finding a pearl of great price, sells all he has to acquire it. In both stories, the point is clear: we must give up everything to gain Christ and the blessings that come with Him.

Here, Jesus presents the truth in another way. There are two roads in life and two gates into eternity. One road is broad and easy, sloping downward, leading to a wide gate. It’s not difficult to walk this path. The other road is narrow and leads to a small gate. To walk this path, one must leave the crowd behind, abandon the easy road, and take a more rugged route. The gate is too small to pass through with baggage like worldliness or self-righteousness. If we want to enter heaven, we must accept that the way is narrow and requires self-denial. The crowds aren’t headed toward heaven; they’re going elsewhere.