THE GOSPEL OF LUKE: - Vital Christianity

125He addressed these words to the whole company of His hearers. He did not think it waswise to simply gratify the curiosity of His questioner by a direct reply. Instead He chose toemphasize with him, and all around him, their own immediate responsibility. In looking out fortheir own souls, they would soon find the question answered. In making ever effort to enter in atthe narrow door they would soon find out whether the saved were many or few.Jesus wants us to know in no uncertain terms what our responsibility is. The door isnarrow and the enemies of our souls are many. We must be active. Instead of inquiring whatother people are doing and whether many of our neighbors, relatives and friends are servingChrist, we must make sure that we are in fact doing so. The unbelief and indecision of others willnot excuse us at the Day of Judgment. We dare not follow the crowd to do what is popular whichultimately ends in destruction. Rather, we must be willing to go against the current of our timesand swim upstream. Whether many go with us or not, our resolve must be to "Make every effortto enter in."Whatever others may think, the message is clear: we must take initiative. We are not tosit still and wait for the grace of God. We are not to go on still in our sin and rest with the excusethat we can do nothing until God draws us. We are to draw near to Him in the use of the meansof grace (Jas 4:8). It is through obedience that God fulfills His will in us. Therefore we are to"Strive to enter in."THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS ZEALOUSLY EMBRACED (Mt 11:12)The immediate context of Jesus’ statement concerning how people enter His kingdom(Mt 11), He was speaking about John the Baptist, a man of great purpose and resolve. And heasked the people what they expected to see when they were introduced to John and his ministry.Did they expect “A reed swayed by the wind?'" (Mt 11:7). If so, then they would be disappointedsince John was a man of tremendous determination. Instead of trying to please his audience bytickling their ears, he told the truth and nothing but the truth. So Jesus makes it plain to Hishearers that the kingdom of heaven was moving forward with power and that those who wantedto be a part of this movement would have to be people, like John the Baptist, of strong characterand forceful resolve, not "reeds swayed by the wind." Jesus used this occasion in which he hadsuch high praise for this prophet, this man of faith, to challenge the crowds to strive for suchfaith in their own lives (v. 15). It was in this context that Jesus made a statement that has puzzledbiblical scholars for centuries:“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has beenforcefully advancing and forceful men lay hold of it” (Mt 11:12).