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Excuses seem to roll easily from the lips. Without effort, one can face a dilemma and promptly produce what seems to be a reason for an action or neglect of an action. The defensive mechanism in the mind churns quickly with attempts to wriggle out of responsibility. So, a worker has a good excuse for why he was late for work five days in a row; the student comes up with an imaginative reason for why he could not finish his assignment; the public figure comes up with a convincing rationale for why he cut a deal under the table. Excuses are only as good as the denseness of the one hearing them! If the hearer sees through, then the inevitable accountability occurs.
Jesus dealt with this natural tendency in humanity, especially as it came to issues of the soul. No area of human existence hears more excuses than with a person and his soul’s condition before a holy God. Our Lord explained one series of excuses in a memorable parable (Luke 14:15-24). A certain rich man gave a big dinner, inviting many guests to his feast. When the time came for the feast, as was customary in that day, a servant came to each invited guest to declare, “Come, for everything is ready now.” But they began to rattle off their excuses. Though the feast would have been beyond the scope of the guests’ ability to put together, they found reasons not to attend. One said, “I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.” Imagine that; he bought a piece of land sight-unseen, then, unfortunately, at just the time of the feast, he decided that he needed to survey his investment.
A second said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.” In our day, someone might say, I’ve bought a new John Deere tractor, and I’m anxious to get in the driver’s seat; consider me excused. Did he have to actually yoke up the oxen the day of the feast?
My favorite is the last one. “I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.” Just because you have a wife you cannot come to the feast? Surely, she would have been included in such an occasion. Instead, the man used his wife as his reason for not going to the feast.
Each of the excuses, when closely considered, is as limp as a willow branch! None make sense; that’s just the point. Excuses like this lack validity.
Of course, Jesus had more in mind than attending a dinner party. He pointed toward the eternal feast of those gathered in His Father’s house around the eternal banqueting table. It’s the wedding feast for the bride of Christ.
What’s your excuse? You may have ditched your excuses and run to Christ. Thanks be to God for His mercy toward you! Yet some of you may still be laden with excuses about your soul. You’ve heard the gospel many times. You’ve been spoken to and confronted about the issues of your soul and eternity. You’ve heard the call to repent of your sins and trust in Christ. Every time, you’ve trotted out one of your many excuses for why you cannot consider these things at present or why you will not turn from your sin or why you dare not become a follower of Christ. Jesus Christ has declared your excuses invalid. He commands you to give attention to your soul. Will you? Will you heed the kindness of His mercies in putting a divine finger upon your soul’s need?
One day, Jesus traveled to Bethany and entered the home of Martha and Mary. Martha busied herself with preparing a feast for Christ. Mary sat at His feet, eyes glued on Him and ears attuned to every word He spoke. Meanwhile, Martha was steamed! She complained to Christ that Mary had abandoned her to do all of the meal preparation alone. Jesus responded, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be take away from her” (Luke 10:38-42).
Martha, preoccupied with doing even some good things, neglected that which was most important—the condition of her soul. Perhaps the neglect would have been obvious had she been indulging in harlotry and drunkenness. It wasn’t that she was doing anything evil; she attentively sought to prepare a meal for Jesus Christ and his disciples. That wasn’t a bad thing at all. Yet Christ pointedly explained that her attention focused on things that didn’t last. Her sister, though for the moment despised in Martha’s eyes, had “chosen the good part.” Mary turned to Christ and received from Him words of life. Martha remained in earshot, busying herself in doing noble deeds yet when it came down to it, she neglected her soul.
Do you have genuine concern for the condition of your soul before God? I’m not asking, do you like going to church or do you enjoy being with Christians or do you think that Jesus Christ is God’s Son. Rather, have you laid aside the other things that preoccupy you or excuse your attentiveness so that you might give full concern for your soul? Our text presses this matter upon us.
The question seemed reasonable enough to ask the Savior of sinners. “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” I think this is a very intelligent question. For one thing, it presupposes the need for “being saved.” It is an acknowledgement of the human condition—that we are separated from God by reason of our sin; we are at enmity with God; our minds and hearts are darkened by sin; we are living under the wrath of God. The need is for a Savior—that is, one who can deliver us from the condition that has separated us from God; one that can remove every obstacle to a right relationship with God. Every person needs to be reconciled to His Creator. The Creator and the creature at enmity don’t square with the creation.
For another thing, whether this questioner happened to be a disciple or someone in one of the villages through which Jesus passed, he recognized that Jesus Christ was the appropriate source to answer his question. He alone would know if there would be many or few being saved. Yet Jesus did not answer his question directly. He answered it, though in doing so, Christ called this man into an accounting of his own relationship with the living God.
Maybe the question aimed at Christ was a means to deflect some of the intensity that surrounded being in His company. Imagine for a moment that you walked with Jesus Christ through the cities and villages on the way to Jerusalem. Christ had already been confessed as God’s Son and Messiah (Luke 9:20). He had already foretold of His impending death and resurrection (Luke 9:22; 44). You had heard Him say, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). You heard His warning, “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25). And another warning against waffling, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). You heard His condemnation of Capernaum for their pathetic excuses in turning away from Him (Luke 10:15). And you heard Christ’s declaration, “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). So you ask, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?”
But He answers with the call to take action with regard to your own soul. Here’s what you are to do, according to Jesus Christ. “Strive to enter through the narrow door.” Strive—pursue—agonize—intensely seek after entering through the narrow door to eternal life. All other pursuits are to be left behind. Nothing is to take the prominent spot in your life above striving to enter the narrow door. The word that He used, “strive,” is the root of our word, agonize. It was the agony of an athletic contest rather than the conflict of battle; so it was not a reaction to an attack but the intentional pursuit of a lofty goal. It refers to “whole hearted action” [Leon Morris, TNTC: Luke, 225]. You see the need for Christ, for the forgiveness of sins, for living to the glory of God, for being sure of your eternity, and for being reconciled to God. So, you do not sit and do nothing. You “strive to enter through the narrow door.” You lay everything else aside. You must have Christ! You must know that nothing stands between you and His kind, holy face. You must know that you will see His welcoming face instead of His face of wrath. So you “strive to enter through the narrow door.”
You do not “strive to enter” in order to gain merit. You know that all merit rests in Jesus Christ. You know that He obeyed the law of God fully, thus satisfying God’s requirement of righteousness. You know that He bowed His neck to the wrath of God on the cross, so that God’s justice might be settled on your account. You know that forgiveness of sins is only through faith in the sufficient work of Christ. You know that He rose from the dead, conquering death and the devil. You know all of these things. But they are not yours. You know them from afar. You see them. But they are not yours. You are worlds from Him, or so you feel in your soul. So you “strive to enter.” You give yourself without restraint to entering that narrow door of life through Christ. You do not stop until you have entered the narrow door.
It’s not that Jesus Christ is so narrow in Himself. His death is altogether sufficient for the whole world. “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). There’s no littleness to His power to save. He is big with mercy! But by reason of your sin, the door is narrow. You cannot have Jesus and your sin. You cannot have Jesus and your idols. You cannot have Jesus and your excuses. The door is too narrow that leads to life. It squeezes out all other allegiances. No other god can cling to you when you go through that narrow door. You cannot go through the door with someone else clinging to you or you clinging to them. It’s “narrow.” It’s a solitary life of devotedness to Jesus Christ. There’s no other love that rivals your love for Him. There’s no other life that you desire to live but that of a follower of the Lamb. There’s no other obedience that you will give yourself but that of obeying Him.
I recall a venture that I made with several friends many years ago. We decided to explore a cave not too far from our home. We had been told that it had a large cavern beneath the rock; but to get there we had to pass through a narrow opening. This opening was so narrow, so confining that no backpack could be worn nor a jacket if we hoped to pass through. Once we started through there was no turning back because there was no room to maneuver any way but going on through. Everything that clung to us had to go if we would enter through the narrow door to the cave and into the cavernous room beyond. I remember thinking that I would never make it through that narrow opening! But abandoning everything that hindered me, I passed through and entered into the amazing cavern beyond the door.
You may think that you cannot go through the narrow door. Christ calls for your obedience; He demands that you follow only Him; He calls for you to die to your self daily; He demands that you lay down your life for the gospel. Only through that door can you find life and rest for your soul. Only through that door will you know what it means to be reconciled to God and forgiven of your sins and assured of eternity in God’s presence. “Strive to enter through the narrow door.”
But someone might make an excuse in light of Christ’s command. ‘I’m waiting to see if I’m elect. I’m waiting for Christ to call me.’ He does not give you permission to analyze the mysteries of divine election. Nor does He give you leave to probe the inner working of the Spirit’s call. He just tells you this: “strive to enter through the narrow door.” Lay aside your excuses. Abandon your vain, philosophic reasonings. Give every ounce of your being to entering into life through Christ. He does not save you for your striving to enter. There’s no merit gained by such an effort. But He has appointed the means to your salvation. He calls for you to strive to enter through the narrow door. Turn from your sin; repent of your sin, and believe in Jesus Christ as your Deliverer.
Jesus’ command is not without clear warnings. He is eternally serious about commanding you to “strive to enter through the narrow door.”
Notice that He warns, “for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” They seek to enter, but as He will further explain, they do so only after the day of grace has passed. The time to strive to enter the narrow door is not later but now! It’s not when we strategize, thinking that late in life or upon our death bed we shall begin to strive to enter the narrow door. Some try, Jesus said, but the time has passed for them and they “will not be able” to enter the narrow door.
They have heard the gospel again and again but so filled with love for sin and apathy for Christ, they refused to turn from their sin toward Christ. Yet death will creep up on them. Eternity awaits them. Then every recalcitrant sinner will beg to enter in; but the day of God’s gracious gospel invitation for them is over. “Many,” Jesus said, will be in this condition of waiting, offering excuses, and then, when the day of grace is gone, they will try to enter the narrow door—but too late.
Listen to the way that Christ sets this forth. “Once the head of the household gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from’.” The house is the kingdom; the head is the Lord Himself. Notice that Jesus personalizes this: “you begin to stand…you begin to knock…you begin to say.” Could there have been some in the crowd that listened that He aimed for in particular? Even so, could there be some among us this day that Christ takes aim to rescue you from eternal damnation? The day pictured is when the master of the house shuts the door. He closes the way into the kingdom. When that door is shut, many will be pounding away at the door, crying to the top of their lungs, “Lord, open up to us!” The aorist imperative shows a sense of urgency in their cry. They see the folly of their previous delays and excuses; now when they finally want Christ to open the door to the kingdom, they find it shut. “I do not know where you are from.” He disavows them; they are doomed.
Ah, some quick thinking is needed! “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’.” Yes, yes, You know us! We were around You a whole lot! We heard the gospel preached. We felt the distinct warmth of Your presence in worship services and at the Lord’s Table. We listened to the Bible taught and discussed. We have Christian parents and Christian siblings and Christian children. We went on youth retreats and attended conferences. We even read some Christian books along the way. We gave a shot from time to time at reading our Bibles but You know how it is; we were pretty busy with school and work and family and all of the activities that we had to be part of. Oh yes, we mustn’t forget to add that we saw some Christian movies. We attended Christian schools. We had devotionals with our families. We listened to Christian radio stations; and we even liked some of the Christian music! We even read Pilgrim’s Progress and The Chronicles of Narnia. We had every intention to follow You but…You know how it is. We’ve been really busy; maybe even a little distracted for a few years. We really didn’t mean to let things go so long and so far.
But with resounding finality, the voice of the Lord speaks, “and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers’.” It’s not about how close you were to Christians or to even becoming a Christian. It’s not about how many Christian-oriented things you participated in. It’s not about how many times you attended church or conferences or camps. It’s about your sin. You are an evildoer—one given over to unrighteousness. Your guilt has never been taken away by the sacrifice of Christ. You’ve never turned from your sin. You’ve had the gospel. You’ve had the opportunities to run to Christ. But you didn’t. “Depart from Me, all you evildoers.”
There’s no more sobering line in Scripture for those who have trotted out their excuses to the invitation in the gospel, than what Christ says here. “I do not know where you are from; depart from Me.” Similarly, in Matthew’s Gospel (7:21-23) we find those who think that nearness to Christians and participation in Christian-styled activities qualifies them for the kingdom of God. But Jesus declares, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy 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.”
Are you the subject of Christ’s warning? To hear these words and feel the sharp pain in your heart that exposes your damnable unbelief is to yet see the mercy of Jesus Christ toward you. He speaks these words so that you might run to Him. “Strive to enter through the narrow door!” Do not delay; the Savior calls for your obedience.
How can we be so sure of this warning from Jesus Christ? He has spoken clearly through His Word. The God-breathed Scripture, preserved through the centuries by God’s sovereign power, declares the truth concerning your soul and eternity. You must take God at His word by faith. Or else, you must rest your eternity upon your own suppositions. Who will you trust: the living God who offers grace or your own fickle imaginations?
Christ envisions a look back by those who must depart from Him because of their unbelief. “In that place [that is, the place where those not with Christ must dwell forever] there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.” The opportunity to respond to the gospel—to receive of the grace of God through Christ—gone! The bitterness that lasts for eternity, “weeping and gnashing of teeth,” a scene of continued horror, anguish, and regret, never ends. To add to the bitterness of soul, the last good thing upon which you gaze is that of the patriarchs, the prophets, and citizens of the kingdom—those that testified of Christ—but you would not listen. In stubbornness and hardness, you turned away. Forever the image of those witnesses to the gospel is stamped upon your conscience and the reality of your own eternal folly never leaves you.
Those listening to Christ were Jewish. With smugness, they thought that the kingdom of God belonged to them. But He told them that the kingdom was much bigger than their puny limitations. Many of them thought they were in the kingdom by virtue of their heritage and participation in the religious ceremonies, yet they would be cast from God’s presence while those that did not have the patriarchs and prophets to point to the Messiah, would enter into the kingdom. “And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.” Here is the assurance of the gospel’s power! From every direction of the compass, from every corner of the globe, sinners will “strive to enter the narrow door” and by God’s grace, enter the kingdom. Every believer is included in this description as those that will recline at the table in Christ’s kingdom!
That’s what the last verse of our text does; it warns against presumption. “And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.” The kingdom of God does not operate on human intuition or imagination. It’s only those that humble themselves before God who “strive to enter by the narrow door,” repenting of their sins, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ that will enter into life. Some who thought that by reason of their Christian heritage and pedigree that they were guaranteed entrance into the kingdom will find themselves left out. Some thought to be far from the kingdom will be first in God’s sight.
Let not conscience make you linger, nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth is to feel your need of Him
(Joseph Hart, “Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy”).
Strive to enter by the narrow door. The Savior welcomes needy sinners.
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