Matthew 7:13-14
Key Verse: “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14 CSB)
If you were to approach people on the streets and ask them the way to get to heaven or to experience salvation, you would likely get several different responses. Some might deny that there is anything beyond this life at all. Others might say that it is about doing what is good or about being sincere in whatever you believe. Others might suggest that all roads ultimately lead to heaven, and so it doesn’t matter which path you choose.
In Matthew 7, however, Jesus speaks very clearly about how a person finds salvation and experiences eternal life with God. He does so by contrasting two different paths that people are traveling. One is a “broad” or spacious road. It’s the road that most people are on, thinking that they are on the right path. Though it’s the easy or more comfortable road to be on now, it’s the one that you don’t want to be on. It’s a road that is not going to end well because it ultimately “leads to destruction” or ruin.
On the other hand, there is a much different road than we can walk. While the first road is broad and easy, this one is marked by difficulty and hardship. It’s not a comfortable road to be traveling. It’s a road that is far less traveled. “Few find it,” Jesus says. But it’s the road we want and need to be on because it’s the only road “that leads to life.”
The Scriptures are clear that there is only one path that leads to salvation and eternal life. “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven, given to people by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the only way that leads to life. He is the “narrow gate” through which we must enter.
So what does this mean for us today? What is the right response to those of us who have found this road? The first response ought to be one of gratitude. If few find the road that leads to life, as Jesus has said, then thanks are to God that I am one of them! Praise God for His amazing grace in opening my eyes to the truth of His Son Jesus Christ.
The second response should be a heart of perseverance. Jesus makes it clear that following Him will not be easy. If you’re looking for a life of comfort and ease, Jesus is not the answer. But if you are looking to walk the road that will ultimately lead you to life and peace forever with God, then following Jesus is the only way.
So don’t give up! Even when the road gets hard, just as Jesus promised, don’t stop following Him. Lean on His strength. Keep your eyes on Him. Remember that it will all be worth it in the end.
Prayer: Thank you Jesus for leading me onto the road that leads to life with you forever. I am grateful again today for your incredible grace. I know that following you will not be easy. So help me today to persevere through whatever difficulties may come. Be my joy and my strength as I follow you. Amen.
