THE GOSPEL OF LUKE: - Vital Christianity

72THE NARROW DOOR: THE DANGER OF BEING SHUT OUTLuke 13:22-30There is no doubt that Jesus shocked the person asking Jesus the question that suggestedthat only a few will be saved. After all, his assumption was that God’s kingdom belonged onlyfor his people the Jews.ONLY A FEW ARE SAVED (13:22-23)On the heels of the lesson on the parables of The Mustard Seed and The Yeast comes alesson about who and how many will be saved. During His teaching ministry Jesus isconfronted by a curious question:“ Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as He made His way toJerusalem. Someone asked Him, ‘Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?’"(vv. 22-23)We do not know who this enquirer was. It is very possible he may have been a selfrighteousJew, trained to believe that there was no hope for the uncircumcised—the Gentiles--and no salvation for any but the children of Abraham. Or he may have been a person whoenjoyed asking curious and speculative questions. Whoever he may have been, the point is thatwe can identify with such a question.In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated,"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the roadthat leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gateand narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Mt 7:13-14).We have only to look around and it quickly and sadly becomes obvious that the saved arefew. It is a dreadful conclusion. While salvation is offered to all people, only a few embrace it.Solomon declared,“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Pr 14:12).Like one of Frank Sinatra’s song states,“I did it my way.”