One of the Bible's Hardest Verses: Matthew 7:14

                I used to ask my students at Colorado Christian University, “What is your favorite Bible verse?” I would get lots of different answers. Then I asked, “What’s your most unfavorite verse?” What verse of the Bible do you like the least? Not that it isn’t true. It’s just that you don’t like the truth it expresses. That question was usually followed by silence.

I would like to share one of my unfavorite verses with you today. It’s Matthew 7;14: Straight and narrow is the way and few there be that find it. It’s not that I doubt the truth of this verse. I believe it is absolutely true. I think you can prove it’s true. It’s just that I’m uncomfortable with the truth it states.

So what does it say? Jesus tells us that there are two groups of people. Those who go through a wide gate and those who enter the narrow gate. He tells us where each are they headed. The first group is headed for destruction the second group is headed for life. The first group is lost and going to hell, the second group is going to heaven. There are only two gates. Jesus does not offer gate number three, gate number four, and so on. Just two gates.

But what’s even worse is His statistical analysis. Jesus in a sense plays the sociologist here. He gives quantities for each gate. The wide gate is taken by the great bulk of humanity, the narrow gate by the few. Only a small percentage of the human race goes through the narrow gate and on to eternity with the Father.

When I survey the world and history I can see that Jesus is absolutely right. There is no question that the number of His true followers is very, very small relative to the number of people who go the way of the world. I wish it were not so, but it is.

I remember many years ago sitting in meetings preparing for the coming of an evangelist to the city of Denver. The group leader said, “let’s win Denver to Christ.” I thought about this verse. We are not going to take Denver for Christ. The vast majority of the population of Denver has no interest in the narrow gate. They have heard the gospel but they love the world too much. Those who love the world do not love God. We might be able to reach a small number of the people of Denver but that’s all.

This verse means that the great majority of people will not respond to the gospel no matter how it is presented. All the evangelistic techniques and programs aren’t going to change this.

This verse means that a country with a large, allegedly “Christian” population has very few real Christians. That includes America. Only a few Americans are traveling through the narrow gate.

This verse means that Christians are a small, secret, nearly invisible, society operating in a large hostile environment. We are always going to be a tiny minority.

This verse means the path Jesus has set out for you is challenging. The way of discipleship is at times, very hard. If you find yourself discouraged, dry, experiencing the dark night of the soul, persecuted, do not be surprised. That’s how the narrow way is.

MLJ notes that since the gate is narrow you can’t take anything through it but yourself. You have to leave everything else behind.

However, however. Do not be discouraged. Let me offer encouragement.

Despite our tiny numbers we are still the most powerful influence on the planet. Christian culture is the most powerful that has ever existed, and Christian culture was built by the few, traveling through the narrow gate. You can see this by the influence we have on people who hate us. People who deny any validity to our message still have their brains full of our truth and doctrinal assumptions as I said in a recent video.

It means a very few people have wielded a ridiculous amount of power. I read history and think about the tiny number of people who have made the world a dramatically better place for everyone.

Furthermore, even though the number of people who enter the narrow gate is few there are still millions who will respond to the gospel. One percent of the world’s population is 80 million people. We need to keep proclaiming the Gospel everywhere and to everyone.

Finally, the few will surprise you. They are from every tongue and tribe and nation. They come from every background. Some have lived terrible, sinful lives, but there still comes a time when they enter the narrow gate.

So be encouraged. Make the decision today to go through the narrow gate and rejoice that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ has made that possible.

More: “The Christian Beliefs of People Who Hate us;” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4XNyZRx9xU

Though small in number followers of Jesus Christ will still triumph: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIxSvawjZmo