Pentecost 13

"Christ: The Narrow Way"

Luke 13:22-30

August 22, 2010

Intro: Have you noticed how our Lord uses the word narrow as He relates it to the Kingdom of God. He refers to the narrow door and the narrow way. Often we hear references to moral, law-biding people as living on the "straight and narrow." Actually, many of our images of narrow seem more negative than anything.

Yet, narrow is not necessarily totally confining. As I think of narrow, women's gymnastics comes to mind. The balance beam is narrow, just 4 inches wide. Yet, some of the routines done on that narrow beam were simply amazing. The Christian life may seem like life on a balance beam but the things the Lord enables us to do are also simply amazing to behold.

Read text: Luke 13:22ff. He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. And someone said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 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.' Then you will begin to 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 where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!' In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teetvh, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."

Today's Gospel finds Jesus posed with a question of generalities. "Lord, are only a few people being saved?" Jesus takes the opportunity to redirect the question from the general to the specific. He responds to the fellow asking, "You make every effort to enter through the narrow door. At this point we might ask the Lutheran question: what does this mean?

It's a typically human thing to point fingers at others while ignoring the same condition in ourselves. The fellow in the crowd seems worried about others but Jesus would have him examine his own heart first. Get your own house in order and then you can worry about others.

Maybe it's time to ask a variation on the Lutheran question. What does my salvation mean to me? What does it mean to say I'm saved? What does it mean to not only say I'm a Christian but live a Christian life? What does it mean to sacrifice of my time, talent and income for the work of the Gospel? Does being a Christian mean anything to me?

Jesus puts our spiritual quest in terms of entering through the narrow door. From the outside, the door may not look like much but it opens into wonderful place. How do we find the narrow door? The door is the Gospel that opens the Kingdom of Heaven to us. The door must be pointed out to us. Criers are posted near the door to invite those who pass by in. Although everyone is invited, we are told only the few actually enter.

This brings us to the nagging and unanswerable question "why?" Why do so many pass up the invitation? It's a question we can't answer. It's the question of the guy in the crowd. When we ask, Jesus redirects the question to us. Have you entered through the narrow door? Are you rejoicing that the Holy Spirit has directed you to the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The most troublesome portion of today's Gospel is the great surprise to those who thought they knew the Lord but were sent away with the chilling words, "I don't know you." How can this be? Obviously, there are people among us who believe they are Christians but in the eyes of the Lord are not. It made me stop and ponder, how would those words possibly be directed to me? It's a question we all need to ask ourselves.

Who are those who think they know the Lord but are sent away? These are the ones who hear the Word

but never allow it to penetrate their hearts. Faith is a simple thing that is also deeper than we realize.

Faith has two components. The Christian is to both: KNOW and BELIEVE; BELIEVE and KNOW. You need both.

Sadly, there are too many people who call themselves Christians who don't know the Lord. Oh, yes, they believe. They believe in Jesus. But, they really don't know Him. They don't know who He is or what He has done to be their Lord. On the other hand, there are those who have knowledge of the Lord but no belief. Their Christianity is little more than an academic exercise. For all intentional purposes their Christianity is little more than their moral philosophy of life. The reality of Jesus Christ eludes them.

If your faith is nothing more than an emotion on one hand or a moral philosophy on the other, you are missing the depth and beauty of the gift God has given you. It's kind of like cooking. You can follow a recipe exactly but, even if it tastes good, there's something missing. A good cook puts their heart into their mixing of ingredients. Their cooking isn't an intellectual exercise of precise measurement and mixing of ingredients.

So it is with faith. Your faith is not just the intellectual knowledge of Bible and Catechism facts. These will not serve you well unless the heart wraps itself around them and they become real and part of the very fabric of your life.

When the Holy Spirit is at work in individuals and congregations you see living faith gathered around the Word and the sacraments. When the Holy Spirit is at work in a congregation you see love and service at only within but beyond its walls. When the Holy Spirit is alive in individuals and in congregations, you see joy and enthusiasm for the work of the Gospel. When the Holy Spirit is alive among us, we don't need to beg for money or volunteers. When our faith is alive, our love is evident.

The Great Commission sends the Gospel into all parts of the world. Now, if the door is narrow, how can people find it? The Gospel must be proclaimed. People need to hear the Good News that Jesus died on the cross for them to forgive their sins. God undertakes this wonderful work and He uses us to do it.

Isaiah tells us that the Jews were scattered into the world to be God's witnesses to all the nations. Paul went first to those Jewish communities scattered throughout the Mediterranean region with the Gospel. Using those contacts, the Gospel quickly spread into all the world.

As Paul reminds us: "We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and Christ the wisdom of God." The Holy Spirit continues to gather people from north and south, east and west into the Kingdom. Together we share the Lord's love in His word and in His sacraments. We rejoice that people from every corner of the earth have an opportunity to enter through the narrow door. Whether we witness locally or through missionaries that go into the world for us, we share in the proclamation that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Although the door to the Kingdom is narrow, people from every nation, language group, tribe and ethnicity have entered. Even if we don't understand why it seems only a few are being saved, the Lord would have us rejoice that our names are written in the Book of Life. Thanks be to God! Amen.