When The Small Door Shuts Many Will Be Surprised
Have you ever noticed how easily trivial things get on your calendar? Have you ever struggled to schedule the things that are truly important? It is easy to busy ourselves with unimportant things. It takes effort to set aside time to focus on what is truly important.
There are times in our lives when it becomes clear that we have not prioritized the important and have let the unimportant fill our days. Tragedy and loss are often the experiences that provide this sort of clarity. When we lose a loved one, we realize how much we have neglected our other relationships. When we lose our job, we realize how emotionally draining and dissatisfied we were with our previous career path. These clarity moments are painful and informative.
These experiences often lead to life-changing decisions. In our passage today, we will read how Jesus tried to guide his listeners to a moment of clarity. He believed they were missing something incredibly important. They were distracted by the unimportant and were in jeopardy of facing eternal loss. Today, you may experience a moment of clarity as we study the words of Jesus when he tried to encourage his audience to consider the eternal consequences of their present choices.
Big Idea: When the small door shuts many will be surprised.
Jesus spoke of salvation as entering through a door. This door is not large, but small. The width of the door speaks to the exclusivity of Jesus. Jesus offers salvation to all, but that salvation is only in him and no one else. This door is open to all, but it is not always open. The opportunity to accept the offer of salvation is limited. The door won’t be open forever. Jesus doesn’t want his hearers to be surprised when the door of salvation is shut and they find themselves on the outside. Jesus doesn’t want this for you and neither do I. Let’s see together the urgency Jesus places on the offer of salvation.
The Question About the Saved
Luke 13:22-23a, “22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, ‘Lord, will those who are saved be few?’”
This is an interesting question, but an unimportant question. The amount of Jews who would be saved was debated in Jesus’ day, but many believed that most Jews would be saved, besides a few exceptions (Sanhedrin 10:1). Many Jews at the time believed that their heritage would get them to heaven. Their family tree and genealogy gave them a sense of optimism and hope that they would experience eternal happiness and communion with God. Jesus dismissed this question as unimportant and didn’t answer it directly. Instead of answering the question of how many will be saved, Jesus warned that many would be lost. In light of this fact, the questioner should focus their attention away from this spiritual arithmetic and toward the integrity of their faith. Let’s look at how Jesus responded to this question.
Striving to Enter and The Urgency of Action
Luke 13:23b-24, “And he said to them, 24 ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.’”
Jesus saw the important issue as whether or not the audience would enter heaven and not the number of people who would be saved. The important issue was not how long the list was of those who would be saved but if one’s name was on the list. Jesus answered the question with a command, “Strive!” Answering with an imperative shows that Jesus was not concerned with giving them trivial information, but moving them to action. The command to “strive” is in the plural, which means Jesus was exhorting his entire audience. The word “strive” was used to describe the physical labor of someone competing in athletic games. This word is where we get our English word “agonize.” Jesus was clearly challenging his hearers to take serious action concerning their salvation.
Seeking vs. Striving
There is an important contrast between “seeking” in the future and “striving” in the present. There is a difference in urgency and energy. In this context “striving” implies a lot of effort right away. “Seeking” is too casual and, as we will see in the next few verses, too late. These seekers are not genuine. Their energy toward the matter of their salvation is inadequate and anemic. They are treating the most important thing in their life as unimportant. In the proceeding verses, Jesus will explain why many will “seek” salvation and not be able to find it.
The Closed Door and The False Sense of Security
Luke 13:25, “25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’”
The master of the house is Jesus. This is made clear in verse 26 when those who knock at the door mention how the master of the house ate with them and taught in their streets. Jesus’ shutting of the “door” changed the opportunity of experiencing salvation. Those that are knocking on the outside are too late. This explains why Jesus commanded the crowd to “strive.” The offer of salvation will expire. God’s patience is not infinite. There is a definitive moment when our time is up to experience God’s salvation. That definitive moment is death.
Hebrews 9:27, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
Why did they wait to address the important issue of their salvation? Why were they “seeking” now after the door was already shut? They were under the false impression that they were safe. They felt safe because of their heritage and their proximity to Jesus. Their family line to Abraham and their familiarity with Jesus made them feel safe.
The Rejection
Luke 13:26-27, “26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’”
Jesus accused the questioner and crowd of falsely relying on their Jewish heritage for their salvation. The master of the house, Jesus, said twice that he didn’t know where these outsiders came from. The master's “not knowing” is not a statement of his ignorance, but his lack of recognition of their origin. Their origin does not offer them the opportunity to come into his house. Their heritage was not a guarantee of acceptance. They have not responded to the teachings of Jesus with faith and repentance and are therefore classified as “workers of evil.” The heritage couldn’t hide the fact that they were evil. Only faith and repentance could grant them forgiveness for their evil.
The Consequence of False Faith
After the outsiders are rejected they appeal the decision of the master of the house. They remind the master that they have heard his teachings and have shared meals with him. These people are pleading to be let in based on proximity and familiarity, not faith and repentance. They are aware of them, but they have not put them into action. Sadly their false sense of security has left them outside of the master’s house, outside of God’s salvation. When the small door shuts many will be surprised. The next few verses describe the surprise of these outsiders.
Consequences of Rejection
Luke 13:28-30, “28 In that place 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 you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
The Urgent Call to Action
Here Jesus gives us a description of what life is like outside the master’s house. On the other side of the door, there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” These actions are expressions of pain and anger. Weeping is an expression of disappointment and the gnashing of teeth is an expression of rage. Those outside are disappointed and frustrated. The “gnashing of teeth” by the wicked in Psalm 112 is about them seeing the prosperity of the righteous. Those outside the master’s house are saddened that they are not in his company and disgusted by those who are. Jesus’ Jewish audience would be surprised that they were not eating with the patriarchs in the end-time messianic banquet. Their surprise would not only be about their exclusion, but also because of the inclusion of the gentile nations.
The Illustration's Conclusion
Jesus adds to the severity of the situation by mentioning that those who knocked were “cast out,” which implies the use of some force. Their lack of response to the teachings of Jesus brought about the active opposition of God. Imagine the shock Jesus’ hearers must have felt as he closed this illustration. They anticipated a warm reception as they passed into the next life, but instead, they are cast out of God’s presence and the door of salvation is closed to them forever. Jesus doesn’t want this to be the destiny of his audience. His story was a warning, not a prophecy. He desired that the crowd would take this matter seriously and strive to enter the narrow door of salvation.
Closing Thoughts
Strive, because the small door will shut. The door to salvation is small and it is offered to all. It is small because the way of salvation is through Christ alone. Only through his death and resurrection can we find forgiveness for our sins, and the way to restore our relationship with God. This door will shut. And after it shuts, it cannot be opened. The master of the house will not let those who are on the outside of that closed door come in. My encouragement to you is the same as Jesus’ to the crowd, strive! Don’t think you will stroll into the kingdom because of your heritage or your familiarity with Jesus.
Exhortation to Believers
If you are a follower of Jesus, it is important to examine your faith. You need to be sure your faith is true. True faith bears fruit, and finishes the race of life. I encourage you to “strive” by examining if your faith has truly changed your behavior, and that you are still holding onto your confession of Christ as the resurrected Savior of your life.
Invitation to Seekers
If you are not yet following Jesus. Please, strive! Ask life’s most important questions before your life is over. I was speaking with an Atheist friend just a few days ago and my encouragement to him was to ask the most important questions. Don’t let the unimportant keep you from the important. I told him that he may answer those questions differently than I do and I would respect that. I would disagree with him over those answers but I would be pleased that he was asking. I don’t think anyone should go through this life without asking life’s deepest questions. This is a safe place for you to strive and struggle with questions about God. We respect the pace you take in answering these questions and I also must tell you that the door will shut. It won’t be open forever. There are no second chances after death. This life is your chance and I don’t know how long you have and neither do you. Strive now while the door is still open.
Discipleship Notes:
Head: Read Luke 8:4-15. Describe the differences between each soil. How do the length of time and circumstances bring out the differences?
Heart: Read Matthew 7:21-23. What do the people in this illustration claim to have done? How do they address Jesus? What does Jesus say they are not doing? How does Jesus address them? How do you think these people felt when they heard Jesus’ words about them?
Hand: Read Hebrews 3:12-14. What problem does the author warn his readers about? How does he instruct them to address this problem?
Habit: Who in your life provides accountability and encouragement to grow in your faith and bear fruit? How do they do this for you? How can it improve?
Check out our pilot 5 Day Bible Study Reading Plan for this message by clicking here.
