The Narrow Gate

I've been thinking a lot recently about the parables from the Gospel. Like (far too) many things in church, we get so used to hearing them year after year that they almost become "stale", as though there was nothing new for us. So, in an effort to combat this - because we know every verse of the Bible has infinite meaning for us - I've been going back and looking at some of them from a new angle. Duc in Altum - putting out into the deep.

So, for today, I looked at this very brief (two verses) lesson from Matthew 7:

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, 

and those who enter it are many. 

How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. 

And those who find it are few."

I think this was one of those verse pairs that seems so obvious it doesn't merit additional thought. "Yeah, yeah, it's easier to sin than to do the right thing, I get it." some people that totally aren't named Nick might have thought at one point or another. But like any verse, this one holds SO much meaning if only we "put out into the deep". 

So, in this passage we are presented with two options: the wide gate and the narrow gate. Okay, good with this whole architecture thing so far. One gate (the wide one) leads to destruction and one (the narrow one) leads to life. Alright, getting a bit violent.... "and those who enter through (the wide gate) are many". Hold on. That's the "bad" gate, yet it's the one most people enter? I think that phrase says something about the nature of sin. 

It doesn't always seem like the "obvious wrong". If sin was always clear-cut, nobody would be on the bad road. For example, pretty much everybody agrees that murder is a bad thing. Yet, for the majority of us it is an easy sin to avoid. Therefore, since many enter the wide gate we can reason that sin is often found in small, more difficult-to-avoid encounters. Resisting the temptation to judge (Matthew 7:1). Refusing to stay angry at somebody or hold a grudge (Matthew 5:22). Sin is found in the little things we often allow ourselves out of a lack of self-control. 

Right off the bat we have Jesus establishing sin as a difficult temptation to avoid. But he also makes it clear that our calling goes much deeper than avoiding sin. Jesus didn't just say "Don't enter the wide gate", but "Enter through the narrow gate". Being a holy person isn't merely avoiding evil, but doing good. 

And, we know already, it's not often chosen. 

There is another, more difficult implication of this passage: We will have to go against the grain. We will have to reject the things of this world in favor of those of the next. We will, in turn, be hated by the world.

"If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.

If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;

but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, 

the world hates you.

Remember the word I spoke to you, 'No slave is greater than his master.' 

If they persecuted me, they will persecute you." - John 15:18-20

Jesus is warning us up front that the path will not be easy. We will be hated and persecuted for the sake of God. We will be denounced and called every terrible name. We will be slandered at best, murdered at worst. We will be hated...but we will be strong. 

The world looks at what we do and sees something wrong with it. They see us willingly choosing to give up everything from meat on Fridays to our sexuality (pre-maritally, anyway) and they see something wrong. They question why we are "opposed" to so many good things.

The fact, though, is that we do not oppose them, nor see them as bad - for God looked at creation and said "It is good". All creation is, though, not the end in itself. It is meant to direct us toward God. The beauty of creation is supposed to lead us to the even greater beauty of God. The world chooses only to see the beauty of created things, not the creator. They stare at the finger and praise it for being good (which it is) but fail to see what it points at - God. 

The world sees us love to the point of death and sees something bad. Who would die for somebody else? What is more important than my own life? Moreover, do I not have a full right to my body and everything in it? Isn't it mine with which to do what I please?

Nope. It's God's. Even now, as I write this, I imagine how some of my more "worldly" friends would interpret it. They would be reading this with scorn. We will be made fun of, if not worse. 

God is calling us all to something great. God has chosen us out of the whole of creation to be His people. We belong to Him. We are destined for greatness. We are called to push against the tide of the world to do the things that the world has rejected. We are to be beacons of light in a troubled world. We are called to go so far against society that we may be killed for it. 

If one examines only the media, they would think the Catholic church was failing. They would see nothing but ridicule for an "obsolete" organization. The church, however, is stronger than ever. We will revolutionize our generation. It's hard enough being a teenager as is, but it's even harder being a teenager who is willingly going against society in a time when peer review is stricter than any other time. 

We will be tried, but not overcome. The church (and remember, we are all the church) will face hardships but we will never be defeated. 

"You are Peter, and upon this Rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18)

If the gates of hell itself cannot overcome Christ's church...what chance does the world have?