Follow Jesus Christ

Someone asked Jesus, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” Jesus confirmed that relatively few are saved, invoking an old Jewish maxim that the path to salvation is narrow and that people generally choose the broad road where they feel comfortable. Yes, Jesus used some wise insights coming out of Judaism of his time—the metaphor of the narrow way does appear in the writings of Jewish sages. But most Jews believed they were chosen and close to God by virtue of their biological descent. In modern Christianity there is a view that Jesus’ atonement was for everyone, so all believers are saved; moreover, some hold the dogma that everyone—indeed, every single person, even unbelievers—will be saved. That resembles the idea of salvation by virtue of natural belonging to the Jewish people.

Jesus warned his contemporaries who understood the Gospel and had every opportunity to take the path of spiritual salvation but for some reason postponed their dedication to God. This especially applied to his fellow countrymen who saw Jesus personally but did not hurry to accept his teaching. They were born Jewish and observed the precepts of the Tanakh—what else was there to do? For such people the door of salvation can close. Religious forms cannot supply the spiritual content necessary for drawing near to God.

Salvation is a matter of personal choice. The problem of delaying that choice is tied to the conviction that “I have time,” to the belief that proximity to religion equals proximity to God, to the sense of a “birthright” to salvation. Yet there comes a moment when the door closes and the illusion of belonging vanishes. Jesus addressed primarily Judaism and its adherents, who had to decide for themselves whether to accept Jesus’ teaching or not. Clearly the door to God is always open—but for a person as an individual, not as a representative of a people or a religion. Judaism was given a unique opportunity to accept a new revelation of God, but it rejected Jesus, and from that point of view the door was closed for those hoping to rely on Judaism. Perhaps in the future a reformed and renewed Judaism will be able to accept the teaching of Yeshua.

“Someone said to him, ‘Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door, for I tell you, many will try to enter and will not be able. When the owner of the house gets up and locks the door, you will stand outside knocking and say, “Lord, Lord, open the door for us.” He will answer, “I do not know you, where you come from.” Then you will say, “We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.” But he will say, “I tell you, I do not know you; depart from me, you who work lawlessness.” There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west, north and south, and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.”’

Here Jesus is not speaking about asceticism, merits, secret knowledge, or some particular spiritual practice. He is speaking about inner readiness and the choice of a life direction. The gates are narrow not because God demands too much, but because religious status, self-confidence, and ego cannot squeeze through. The gates are narrow for belonging “by tradition,” for faith “by inheritance,” for religion without inner change. Yes, Jesus was nearby and taught in their streets, but exterior proximity does not mean interior connection. The kingdom of God is a state of consciousness and will, not geography or history. From this perspective, doing “unrighteousness” simply means living outside the truth.