How many people will be saved? This is a significant question that has consumed philosophers and theologians with no shortage of opinions. In Sunday's passage, Jesus is confronted with the question by someone walking alongside him. The Jews had long believed that a small and faithful remnant group of people would be those for whom Messiah would come for and it seems that the question was tilted in that direction. The person wanted to know what kind of Messiah Jesus was based on the scope of those he came to save. Will it be a small subsection of the Hebrews, all of Israel or something else.
Jesus answers the specific question with his trademark non-answer. As Eugene Peterson puts it "mind your own business" and put effort into entering the kingdom of God, the narrow door. Jesus redirects the question to focus on each person doing what they can to enter into God's kingdom by the narrow way rather than worry about who is in and who is out. So what is the narrow way?
The narrow way is Jesus and his atoning death and life giving resurrection which all people are able to enter by faith. It is a humbling way, that requires people to come into new life on God's terms and forsake any claims to his kingdom based on kinship or religious observance. It is wide open to people from all walks of life, ethnicities and races but very specific and limited. Jesus concludes that anyone who tries to get in by any other means will be left out. The door will be shut at some point and the outside existence will be deeply grievous and full of angry rage.
For us, we should strive to not only enter the narrow way of Jesus but to walk in it with all our strength.
Church Recap: Luke 13:22-30
How many people will be saved? This is a significant question that has consumed philosophers and theologians with no shortage of opinions. In Sunday's passage, Jesus is confronted with the question by someone walking alongside him. The Jews had long believed that a small and faithful remnant group of people would be those for whom Messiah would come for and it seems that the question was tilted in that direction. The person wanted to know what kind of Messiah Jesus was based on the scope of those he came to save. Will it be a small subsection of the Hebrews, all of Israel or something else.
Jesus answers the specific question with his trademark non-answer. As Eugene Peterson puts it "mind your own business" and put effort into entering the kingdom of God, the narrow door. Jesus redirects the question to focus on each person doing what they can to enter into God's kingdom by the narrow way rather than worry about who is in and who is out. So what is the narrow way?
The narrow way is Jesus and his atoning death and life giving resurrection which all people are able to enter by faith. It is a humbling way, that requires people to come into new life on God's terms and forsake any claims to his kingdom based on kinship or religious observance. It is wide open to people from all walks of life, ethnicities and races but very specific and limited. Jesus concludes that anyone who tries to get in by any other means will be left out. The door will be shut at some point and the outside existence will be deeply grievous and full of angry rage.
For us, we should strive to not only enter the narrow way of Jesus but to walk in it with all our strength.
For more on this subject, check out Bible.org at Lesson 66: The Narrow Door (Luke 13:22-30) | Bible.org