Traveling with the Right People

"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14)

That which really comes to mind when I think about this week's closing theme - "traveling with the right people" - has to be those occasions when I have been privileged to be involved with missions teams in sharing the good news of Christ not only here in the continental U.S. but also internationally. Talk about traveling with the right people! What a blessing to work side by side with devoted followers of Jesus Christ on such occasions!

As we wrap up our consideration of Jesus' discourse concerning the "narrow" path and the "broad" path, we find ourselves faced with this very issue - those who travel each of these thoroughfares. Note here that Jesus said of the broad way that "many' are those who walk it. And why do you suppose the broad way that leads to destruction is today so well-traveled? I believe that it is so first of all because it attracts so many different types of people. While it is true that many atheists and pagans will travel its wide path, still it is also true that many a devout "religious" person will walk it as well. Very simply, it will be traveled by all of those who have never genuinely put their trust in Jesus Christ so as to be saved by the grace of God.

But this "broad" way is also flooded with so many people because they will think that they are safely on the other road. Jesus warned men of His day that all of these will face Him ultimately having lived under such a veil of satanic deceit:

"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness'" (Matthew 7:22-23)

These folks, then, will have convinced themselves that they were on the "other" road the whole time, all because of their supposed "religiosity." Yet Jesus will destroy their delusions by revealing to them that they have been on the wrong road the whole time!

Jesus also told His listeners that the "narrow" way by contrast will only be found and entered by the few. Once again few will travel here because on the other road are so many who believe themselves to be traveling on this road instead. You see, beloved, God's gate is not small nor His road narrow because God's love and grace are limited. Not at all! Rather they are so because those whom He loves so much are not willing to pay the price to walk here.

Finally, this will be a road walked by so few because in the final analysis people simply do not want Jesus Christ. That is an extremely bitter pill for us as Christians to swallow today! Yet the Scriptures teach us that those who want to come to Jesus can come to Jesus. But as we find so clearly spelled out in the words of the Apostle John:

"This is the judgment, that the Light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil" (John 3:19)

How sad that the reality which we must face is that so many today choose to walk the "broad" way because they believe that it will lead them at last to a loving and non-judgmental God! As the Apostle Paul expressed to the saints in Corinth concerning this greatest of all tragedies:

"And if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

What pathway are you walking today, my friend? This is a wonderful moment for each of us to take a long look and make sure that we are, indeed, on the "narrow" way that leads to eternal life. Quoting Paul's words to the Corinthians once again:

"Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you - unless indeed you fail the test?" (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Ron