Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
(Matthew 7:13-14)
(Matthew 7:13-14)
Over the years this has meant NO SMOKING, NO DRINKING, NO CUSSING, and definitely NO GAMBLING!!! One could include a few other "sins", but for the most part, a Christian must abandon these vices specifically to navigate the "narrow road" successfully.
A Self Examination
NO SMOKING. That's an easy one. I despise, I detest, I loathe cigarette smoking. The smell, the concept, it makes me angry.
All I have to do to travel the "narrow road" is to avoid smoking? Sure, no problem. I wish everyone would!!!
NO DRINKING. I must be honest. I like beer. Heineken, Sam Adams, these are some of my favorites. I like wine too. A full-bodied, "earthy" Cabernet makes a well-prepared New York Strip that much better.
Even though I won't be driving, no beer or wine is allowed on the narrow road? Fair enough. I like it but I don't need it. Sure! No problem. Man, this narrow road isn't as difficult as some say!
NO CUSSING. This one is more difficult. If people would get off my nerves, I wouldn't have to cuss. What is so bad about this word or that word? They are only words.
But all I have to do is stop saying them, and I'll make it to the "narrow gate"? Sure, I'll give it a shot. I can be colorful and descriptive without the use of "bad words".
NO GAMBLING. After smoking, this one is the "second easiest". I like to play cards. Throwing some money in the pot creates interest; however, I learned early that only a "fool" gambles to win money. A few cycles of 8-hour shifts followed by earnings donated to the local river boat cured the habit instantanously.
To gain access to the "life" road, all I have to do is not gamble. Sure, no problem!!! I'll play video games instead.
An Assessment
So far this "narrow road" doesn't seem to be so narrow. I would venture to say that a sizeable marching band could parade down it with enough room for children to steak out territory and wait for candy thrown from floats. But Jesus, Himself, said that, if we want "life", we should follow a "narrow" road leading to a "narrow gate" implying that it isn't a "cakewalk". He even included that only "few" would "find it". Surely the "rules of the road" must include more than NO SMOKING, NO DRINKING, NO CUSSING, and definitely NO GAMBLING.
They do.
I have often found the following activity quite entertaining when teaching classes at church:
"Okay, I'll give $50 dollars to the first person who can find in scripture where it says that you are not supposed to smoke. "
The sounds of pages turning, nearly ripped from their bindings.
"Give up? No? I'll help you out. It's not there..."
"Okay, new contest. Find one place in the Bible where it says that you can't gamble. $100 says that you can't!!! Ready. Set. Go!!!!"
Matthew...Mark...Luke...John...nope...let's try the Old Testament!!! With all those laws, its got to be in there some place!!!! &%*$
"Ah, ah, ahhh... no cussing!!!!"
"Times Up!!!! Anyone find it? If you did, you must be using a 'special' translation because its not in there. Pay up everyone!!!"
At this point, some reading this may already be on the phone. He said its okay to smoke and gamble!!!! He collects on bets during the actual class time!!!
Calm down. Focus, Danielson. Let's hope that "the point" is not a Mac Truck because there may not be much left of you if it is.
The Problem
We Christians often have difficulty with the concept of context. We yank a passage like Matthew 7:13-14 in order to target those vices which for some, are most readily visible, but ironically, are not even specifically mentioned by Jesus or any of His apostles. In the process, we miss, much like the pharisees of the time, the intent of Jesus' message.
It was a sermon. It should be examined in context. What did Jesus say as a whole?
You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
- Matthew 5:38-42
- Matthew 5:38-42
Whoa, ho, ho!!! Now this is getting a little personal. You are telling me that if someone hits me in the face, instead of knocking him on his @$$ (no cussing), I have to let him hit me again?!!! You're nuts!!!
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
- Matthew 5:43-48
- Matthew 5:43-48
You have lost your mind!!! I have to love my enemies? The people I can't stand? The very individuals who seek to do me and my family harm? Good luck with that one, mister!!
I have to pray for those who "persecute me"?!!!! Let me know how that works out for you, because I'm starting to think that this road is just a little too "narrow"...
What I've Learned
I hate smoking. I can do without drinking. I don't need to gamble. I can use different words. But when reading Jesus' entire sermon, and what he specifically referenced, the narrow road is quite difficult. Someone wrongs me, and I want to make things difficult for them. Someone hits me, and I want retaliate with such force that he or she never considers it again. Resisting these "human" and natural reactions are what makes the "road" small. These are the radical principals that turn our lives upside down, just as they did when Jesus uttered the words.
Ironically, we often miss Jesus' intended meanings for the very same reasons that many did so 2000 years ago. Jesus' "beef" with the Pharisees was that they had such an unhealthy obsession with "the law" that they were almost inhuman. They didn't give a "darn" (no cussing) about the sick, the widows, and the children, but they could surely tell you how many steps one could take on the Sabbath. The human elements of love and compassion were replaced with an overwhelming concern for "superficial" behaviors that had no effect on one's fellow man in the slightest.
There he goes again with all this "love and compassion" while excusing and nearly encouraging people to SMOKE, DRINK, CUSS, and definitely GAMBLE!!!
Seriously, you should seek counseling. Do I have to spell it out? I'm not saying anything right now about these things. Right or wrong. Good or bad. My point is is that the tough stuff, the things that make the "road to life" difficult are those things that Jesus mentions in His sermon, and if you don't quit obsessing about the SMOKING, DRINKING, CUSSING, and GAMBLING, you may not have taken the time to look down and see which road it is that you are actually on.
I will end with a hypothetical question. There are only two people in the world. One smokes, drinks, cusses, and gambles; yet, he loves his enemies to the point of going out of his way to help them. The other never smokes, never drinks, never cusses, and definitely, never gambles; yet, if someone were to cross him, he would soon regret it.
Who is more "Christ-like"?
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