Matthew 7:13-14

 

 

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Seemon on the Mount by Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834-1890)

Click to enlarge
"Sermon on the Mount"
(Bloch)

Matthew 7:13 "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. (NASB: Lockman)

Greek: Eiselthate (2PAAM) dia tes stenes pules; oti plateia e pule kai euruchoros e odos e apagousa (PAPFSN) eis ten apoleian, kai polloi eisin (3PPAI) oi eiserchomenoi (PMPMPN) di' autes;
Amplified: Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it.  (Amplified Bible - Lockman)
KJV:  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
NLT: You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. (
NLT - Tyndale House)
Phillips: "Go in by the narrow gate. For the wide gate has a broad road which leads to disaster and there are many people going that way. (
New Testament in Modern English)
Wuest: Enter through the narrow gate, because broad is the gate and spacious is the road, the one that leads away to ruin and everlasting misery. And many there are who are constantly entering through it. (
Erdmans)
Young's: 'Go ye in through the strait gate, because wide is the gate, and broad the way that is leading to the destruction, and many are those going in through it;

REFERENCES

Albert Barnes
Brian Bell
John Calvin
Rich Cathers
Oswald Chambers
Thomas Constable
Ron Daniel
J N Darby
Bob Deffinbaugh
John Gill
David Guzik
Danny Hall
Matthew Henry
F B Hole
IVP Commentary
Jamieson, F. B
S Lewis Johnson
John Lightfoot
John MacArthur
J Vernon McGee
Phil Newton
A W Pink
A W Pink
A T Robertson
Gil Rugh
J C Ryle
Marvin Vincent
Steve Zeisler
Precept Ministries
Notes

Matthew 7
Matthew 7:1-14
Matthew 7:12-14
Matthew 7
Matthew 7:13-14
Matthew
Matthew 7:1-14
Matthew Commentary
Matthew 7:13-27 Fatal Failures of Religion Mistaken Identity
Matthew 7 Commentary
Matthew 7
Matthew 7.13-23 Routes and Fruits
Matthew 7
Matthew Commentary
Matthew 7
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Matthew Audio - 101 Messages!
Matthew 7
Matthew 7:13-14: Which Way to Heaven
Matthew 145 Mp3 Audios - Thru the Bible
Matthew 7:13-14 Two Ways to Live
Matthew 7:13-14: The Way of Salvation

Matthew 7:14-15: The Way of Salvation

Matthew 7
Matthew 7:13,14 Which Road Are You On?  

Matthew 7 Commentary
Matthew 7
Matthew 7:7-23 : Accept No Substitutes
Inductive Study on Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 7:6-28

Enter through the narrow gate: Eiselthate (2PAAM) dia tes stenes pules (3:2,8; 18:2,3; 23:13; Proverbs 9:6; Isaiah 55:7; Ezekiel 18:27-32; Luke 9:33; 13:24; Luke 13:25; 14:33; John 10:9; 14:6; Acts 2:38-40; 3:19; 2 Corinthians 6:17; Galatians 5:24)

Enter (1525) (eiserchomai from eis = of motion into  + erchomai = come, go, enter) is literally to enter into or come into and is given in the form of a command (aorist imperative) which means to do it now, do it effectively, do it even with a sense of urgency.

Narrow (4728) (stenos from histemi = to stand) is derived from histemi meaning to stand and pictures obstacles standing close to each other, and thus means restricted,  less than standard width, limited in size, a small breadth or width in comparison to length. The KJV reads " Enter ye in at the strait gate" where strait means narrow or cramped or affording little room (there is no "wiggle room" when it comes to entering the Kingdom of heaven for their is but One Door, John 10:9).

Vincent records...

 A remarkable parallel to this passage occurs in the “Pinax” or “Tablet” of Cebes, a writer contemporary with Socrates. In this, human life, with its dangers and temptations, is symbolically represented as on a tablet. The passage is as follows: “Seest thou not, then, a little door, and a way before the door, which is not much crowded, but very few travel it? This is the way which leadeth into true culture.”

Spurgeon writes...

Do not be ashamed of being called Puritanical, precise, and particular: Enter ye in at the narrow gate.”

It is a way of self-denial, it is a way of humility, it is a way which is distasteful to the natural pride of men; it is a precise way, it is a holy way, a strait way, and therefore men do not care for it. They are too big, too proud, to go along a narrow lane to heaven; yet this is the right way. There are many broad ways, as Bunyan says, that abut upon it; but you may know them by their being broad, and you may know them by their being crowded. The Christian man has to swim against the current; he has to do more than that, he has to go against himself, so strait is the road; but if you wish to go down to perdition, you have only to float with the stream, and you can have any quantity of company that you like.

***

Do not be ashamed of being called narrow. Do not be ashamed of being supposed to lead a life of great precision and exactness. There is nothing very grand about breadth, after all. And I have: noticed one thing: the broadest men I have ever met with in the best sense ]lave always kept to the narrow way, and the narrowest people I know are those who are so fond of the broad way. I could indicate some literature which professes to be exceedingly liberal; it is liberal indeed in finding fault with everybody who holds the gospel, but its tone is bitterness itself towards all the orthodox. Wormwood and gall are honey compared with what the liberal people generally pour out upon those who keep close to the truth. I prefer to cultivate a broad spirit to a narrow heart, and then to talk about the breadth of the way.

J C Ryle comments that...

 

our Lord gives us a general caution against the way of the many in religion. It is not enough to think as others think, and do as others do. It must not satisfy us to follow the fashion, and swim with the stream of those among whom we live. He tells us that the way that leads to everlasting life is "narrow," and "few" travel in it. He tells us that the way that leads to everlasting destruction is "broad," and full of travelers. "Many are those who enter in by it."


These are fearful truths! They ought to raise great searchings of heart in the minds of all who hear them. "Which way am I going? By what road am I traveling?" In one or other of the two ways here described, every one of us may be found. May God give us an honest, self-inquiring spirit, and show us what we are!


We may well tremble and be afraid, if our religion is that of the multitude. If we can say no more than this, that "we go where others go, and worship where others worship, and hope we shall do as well as others at last," we are literally pronouncing our own condemnation. What is this but being in the "broad way?" What is this but being in the road whose end is "destruction?" Our religion at present is not saving religion.


We have no reason to be discouraged and cast down, if the religion we profess is not popular, and few agree with us. We must remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ in this passage: "The gate is narrow." Repentance, and faith in Christ, and holiness of life, have never been fashionable. The true flock of Christ has always been small. It must not move us to find that we are reckoned singular, and peculiar, and bigoted, and narrow-minded. This is "the narrow way." Surely it is better to enter into life eternal with a few, than to go to "destruction" with a great company (J. C. Ryle. Expository Thoughts)

 

Jesus concludes His sermon four warnings arranged in several paired contrasts, even showing how "narrow minded" Christianity is! Christianity is not a both/and but an either/or proposition. Jesus leaves no room for a middle ground or for being a "spiritual mugwump" (In early 1900's a term that came to mean a politician who either could not or would not make up his mind on some important issue, or who refused to take a stand when expected to do so)

 

Jesus' hearers would have been familiar with the image of "two ways" because the language of "twos" was a common teaching method in Judaism (see examples below) as well as in Greco-Roman philosophy. This last section is a call by Jesus for a decision. He is not leaving room for any middle ground. And so we see Him contrasting...

 

Two gates, two ways, two groups, two destinations (Mt 7:13-14)
Two trees, two fruits (Mt 7:15-20)
Two professions of Jesus (sincere and false), two destinies (Mt 7:21-23)

Two builders, two houses, two foundations (Mt 7:24-27).

 

Robert Frost wrote a secular poem that closely parallels Jesus' words:


"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I---
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
."

 

Wiersbe observes that in regard to one's eternal destiny...

 

the greatest danger is self-deception. The scribes and Pharisees had fooled themselves into believing that they were righteous and others were sinful. It is possible for people to know the right language, believe intellectually the right doctrines, obey the right rules, and still not be saved. (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)

 

Keep in mind that most Jews believed that Israel as a whole would be saved (a delusion Paul dealt with vigorously in Romans 2) and that the few who were lost would be exceptions to the general rule. Jesus' teaching radically destroys that delusion.

 

Enter (1525) (eiserchomai from eis = into + erchomai = come) means to go or come into and so to enter into. The aorist imperative conveys the sense of urgency, calling for immediate and effective action! Don't delay! Enter now! This is the idea. Don't just admire the principles of the Sermon on the Mount and yet never follow those principles.

 

Narrow (4728) (stenos) means compressed, strait (KJV), restricted or limited in extent, amount or scope as a narrow gorge between high rocks. Stenos comes from a root that means “to groan,” as from being under pressure, and is used figuratively to represent a restriction or constriction. In the present context the picture refers to the strict requirements relating to the entrance to eternal life, specifically God's perfect standard of righteousness (see Matthew 5:20) in stark contrast to the self-righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (and every other false religious system that ultimately is based on man's best efforts which always fall eternally short of God's best effort manifest by His Son on the Cross.) This gate is constraining and beset with difficulty, but it ends in life with God. On the other hand the wide gate leading to the broad, easy way ends where it began, in separation from God. Jesus' point is that choosing Him is neither the popular nor the easy way.

 

Gate (4439) (pule) is a  leaf or wing of a folding entrance and here describes a door or gate. Note that there are only 2 gates and every person will enter one or the other. To not choose to enter the narrow gate is in fact a choice to enter the wide gate and subsequent destruction.

 

In John Jesus taught...

 

"I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (John 10:9)


"I am the (specific, exclusive) way, and the (specific, exclusive) truth, and the (specific, exclusive) life; (absolutely) no one comes to the Father, but through Me." (
John 14:6)

 

Comment: In Greek the definite article "the" is important as it speaks of specificity...in other words, had Jesus been one of many ways, He would not have used the definite article "the" but would have identified Himself as "a" way, "a" truth, "a" life, one of many gates/ways. Jesus did not teach that there are many roads that lead to the Kingdom of Heaven but clearly taught "I am the only Way."

 

Many are skeptical, agnostic or even antagonistic regarding Jesus' teaching on the narrow gate and scoff at the idea of such rigid "exclusivity" regarding salvation. The Gospel message however is clearly very dogmatic, very exclusive and very narrow. Obviously while we as Christians are not to be narrow-minded people per se, we must be narrow-minded regarding the way, the truth and the life, if we truly believe that salvation is found in no one else, and that there is no other name under heaven that has been given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). As offensive as such a truth may be to non-Christians, we must continually make it clear in our witness (our life, then our lips!) to them, for without Christ they are lost and bound for hell.

 

Here are a few other NT passages that support this "narrow minded" view and to encourage you to defend the faith once for all delivered to the saints...

 

Matthew 5:20 (note) "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. (This would have shocked many in the Jewish audience, who knew the Pharisees as the most religious people in the world. But as Jesus alluded to they may have had religion but in their hearts they rejected the "narrow gate" of Christ.)

 

Matthew 7:21, 22 (note) Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. "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?' (This is a frightening verse, for it clearly teaches that "many" people who profess Christ are self-deceived. It isn’t a matter of outward profession, but inward faith and obedience, that saves us.)


John 8:24 "I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins."

 

John 10:9 "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

 

Romans 3:10 (note) as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; 11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."...23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified (declared righteous) as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

 

1 Corinthians 3:11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (There is no other foundation for a holy, blessed, abundant, eternal life other than Christ).


1 Timothy 2:5-6: For there is one God, and ONE mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time. (Only one Mediator. Only one ransom, the blood of Christ shed on the Cross.)


Hebrews 2:3 (note) how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard

 

Hebert Lockyer gives us an example of one who entered the small gate and tread the dangerous way of a disciple in his fascinating book entitled "Last Words of Saints and Sinners" writing that

 

John Bradford, Chaplain to Edward VI in 1552, was one of the most popular preachers of his day in England. With the accession of Queen Mary, Bradford was arrested for seditious utterances and heresy. Refusing to recant, (he was) condemned to be burnt at Smithfield, and he met his death tied to the same stake as a young man found guilty of the same supposed crime. As the flames covered their bodies, Bradford consoled the youth by saying


"Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

 

Elsewhere, Lockyer gives a tragic quote which is in diametric opposition to that of John Bradford....

 

Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899) , famous American lawyer and prominent agnostic, lectured on Biblical inaccuracies and contradictions. His famed lecture The Mistakes Of Moses led one defender of the Bible to say that he would like to hear Moses speak for five minutes on The Mistakes Of Ingersoll. Standing by his graveside, his brother exclaimed

 

"Life is a narrow vale between the narrow peaks of two eternities. We strive in vain to look beyond the heights. We cry aloud, and the only answer is the echo of our wailings."

 

John Milton makes mention of the small gate in Paradise Regained
 

"A deathlike sleep,
A gentle wafting to immortal life.
Truth shall retire
Bestruck with sland'rous darts,
And works of faith rarely be found.
And to the faithful, Death the gate of life
."

 

for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction: hoti plateia e pule kai euruchoros e odos e apagousa (PAPFSN) eis ten apoleian, kai polloi eisin (3PPAI) oi eiserchomenoi (PMPMPN) di' autes;  (Wide Genesis 6:5,12; Psalms 14:2,3; Isaiah 1:9; Romans 3:9-19; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2,3; 1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9; 13:8; 20:3) (Destruction 25:41,46; Proverbs 7:27; 16:25; Romans 9:22; Philippians 3:19; 2 Thessalonians 1:8,9; 1 Peter 4:17,18; Revelation 20:15)

 

Wide (4116) (platus) means broad, wide, having a distance larger than usual from side to side or having ample extent from side to side or between limits.

 

Way (3598) (hodos) can refer to a road and figuratively as used by Jesus refers to a course of behavior.

 

Spurgeon comments on the non-exclusivity of the broad way...

 

The road is so wide that there may be many independent tracks in it, and the drunkard may find his way along it without ever ruffling the complacency of the hypocrite. The mere moralist may pick a clean path all the way, while the immoral wretch may wade up to his knees in mire throughout the whole road. Be-hold how sinners disagree and yet agree in this, that they are op-posed to God! It is a broad road

 

C. S. Lewis described this broad way that was leading him to destruction...


I was soon (in the famous words ) altering “I believe” to “one does feel.” And oh, the relief of it! … From the tyrannous noon of revelation I passed into the cool evening twilight of Higher Thought, where there was nothing to be obeyed, and nothing to be believed except what was either comforting or exciting. (C. S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy)

 

John MacArthur comments that

 

The way that is broad is the easy, attractive, inclusive, indulgent, permissive, and self-oriented way of the world. There are few rules, few restrictions, and few requirements. All you need do is profess Jesus, or at least be religious, and you are readily accepted in that large and diverse group. Sin is tolerated, truth is moderated, and humility is ignored. God’s Word is praised but not studied, and His standards are admired but not followed. This way requires no spiritual maturity, no moral character, no commitment, and no sacrifice. It is the easy way of floating downstream, in “the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). It is the tragic way “which seems right to a man,” but whose “end is the way of death” (Prov. 14:12).A West Indian who had chosen Islam over Christianity said his reason was that Islam “is a noble, broad path. There is room for a man and his sins on it. The way of Christ is too narrow.” It seems that many preachers today do not see that issue as clearly as that unbelieving Muslim. (MacArthur, J: Matthew 1-7 Macarthur New Testament Commentary Chicago: Moody Press)

 

D A Carson has an interesting note writing that...

 

The "wide" gate seems far more inviting. The "broad" road (not "easy," RSV) is spacious and accommodates the crowd and their baggage; the other road is "narrow"- but two different words are used: stene ("narrow," Mt 7:13) and tethlimmene (Mt 7:14), the latter being cognate with thlipsis (2347) ("tribulation"), which almost always refers to persecution. So this text says that the way of discipleship is "narrow," restricting, because it is the way of persecution and opposition-a major theme in Matthew (see Matthew 5:10-12, 5:44; 10:16-39; 11:11-12; 24:4-13...). Compare Acts 14:22: "We must go through many hardships [...`through much persecution'] to enter the kingdom of God."...

 

Democratic decisions do not determine truth and righteousness in the kingdom. That there are only two ways is the inevitable result of the fact that the one that leads to life is exclusively by revelation. But if truth in such matters must not be sought by appealing to majority opinion (Exod 23:2), neither can it be found by each person doing what is right in his own eyes (Pr 14:12; cf. note Jdg 21:25). God must be true and every man a liar (Ro 3:4).(Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament. Zondervan Publishing)
 

Leads (520) (apago from apo = from + ago = lead) means to lead away. This word was used of prisoners being taken under armed guard to prison or execution!

 

The broad way leads to eternal death and hell (cf. Mt 25:34, 46; John 17:12; Ro 9:22: Phil. 1:28; 3:19; 1Ti 6:9; Heb. 10:39; 2 Pe 2:1, 3; 3:16; Rev 17:8, 11)

 

MacArthur has an interesting note writing that...

 

Both the broad and the narrow ways point to the good life, to salvation, heaven, God, the kingdom, and blessing-but only the narrow way actually leads to those. There is nothing here to indicate that the broad way is marked “Hell.” The point our Lord is making is that it is marked “Heaven” but does not lead there. That is the great lie of all the false religions of human achievement. The two very different destinations of the two ways are made clear by the Lord (cf. Jer 21:8). The broad … leads to destruction, whereas only the narrow … leads to life. Every religion except Christianity, the only religion of divine accomplishment, follows the same spiritual way and leads to the same spiritual end, to hell. There are many of those roads, and most of them are attractive, appealing, and crowded with travelers. But not a single one leads where it promises; and not a single one fails to lead where Jesus says it leads-to destruction. (MacArthur, J: Matthew 1-7 Macarthur New Testament Commentary Chicago: Moody Press)

 

Destruction (684) (apoleia from apo = marker of separation, away from + olethros = ruin, death but not annihilation) describes destruction, in this case the utter ruin or complete loss epitomized by eternal punishment, which is ruin away from or separated from God.

 

The idea of apoleia is not that of annihilation but that which is ruined and is no longer usable for its intended purpose. Apoleia does not describe the complete loss of being, but the complete loss of well-being. The related root word apollumi is the term Jesus used to speak of those who are thrown into hell

 

And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy [apollumi] both soul and body in hell. (Mt 10:28)

 

As Jesus makes clear elsewhere, hell is not a place or state of nothingness or unconscious existence, as is the Hindu Nirvana. It is the place of everlasting torment, the place of eternal death, where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” forever (see Mt 13:42, 50).

 

All people are created by God for His glory, but when they refuse to come to Him "through the narrow gate" for salvation, they lose their opportunity for eternal redemption and ultimately the opportunity of becoming what God intended for them to be in Christ. At that time, they are fit only for condemnation and destruction.

 

Destruction for the sinner does not result in annihilation or extinction. In other words as noted above, "destruction" is not the loss of being, but of well-being! The gospel promises everlasting life for him who believes. The failure to possess this life will involve the utter ruin of those that perish.

 

Jesus is not giving many paths. His command is "either...or"! There is a choice between two ways and only one leads to eternal life, while the other leads to eternal death. This picture of Two Ways was not a new thought for the same truth is brought out by several Old Testament passages...

 

"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants" (Deut 30:19)

 

As Joshua neared the fulfillment of his job on earth, he presented Israel once again with the choice: “"And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

 

"You shall also say to this people, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death" (Jeremiah 21:8)

 

"For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." (Psalm 1:6)

 

On Mount Carmel the prophet Elijah asked the people of Israel,

 

“How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21)

 

John Oxenham wrote that...


“To every man there openeth
A way and ways and a way;
And the high soul treads the high way,
And the low soul gropes the low;
And in between on the misty flats
The rest drift to and fro;
But to every man there openeth
A high way and a low;
And every man decideth
The way his soul shall go
.”

 

Cebes, the disciple of Socrates was close to the truth but still managed only to describe the counterfeit writing...

 

“Dost thou see a little door, and a way in front of the door, which is not much crowded, but the travelers are few? That is the way that leadeth to true instruction.”

 

Jesus called for a choice in the gospel of John and the tragic result was that

 

“many of His disciples withdrew, and were not walking with Him anymore. Jesus said therefore to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God." (John 6:66-69)

 

John MacArthur emphasizes that...

 

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus presents still again that great choice of choices. This sermon therefore cannot be simply admired and praised for its ethics. Its truths will bless those who accept the King but will stand in judgment over those who refuse Him. The one who admires God’s way but does not accept it is under greater judgment, because he acknowledges that he knows the truth. Nor does this sermon apply only to the future age of the millennial kingdom. The truths Jesus teaches here are truths whose essence God teaches in the Old Testament and throughout the New Testament. They are truths for God’s people of every age, and the decision about the gate and the way has always been a now decision... There have always been but two systems of religion in the world. One is God’s system of divine accomplishment, and the other is man’s system of human achievement. One is the religion of God’s grace, the other the religion of men’s works. One is the religion of faith, the other the religion of the flesh. One is the religion of the sincere heart and the internal, the other the religion of hypocrisy and the external. (MacArthur, J: Matthew 1-7 Macarthur New Testament Commentary Chicago: Moody Press) (Bolding added)

 

and there are many who enter through it

 

Many (4183) (polus) is much of number, quantity or amount.  The many will include nominal professing Christians, atheists, religionists, theists, humanists, Jews and Gentiles form every background, persuasion or circumstance who has not found and entered the small gate and come to saving faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Wiersbe wisely observes that...

 

The broad way is the easy way; it is the popular way. But we must not judge spiritual profession by statistics; the majority is not always right. The fact that “everybody does it” is no proof that what they are doing is right. Quite the contrary is true: God’s people have always been a remnant, a small minority in this world. The reason is not difficult to discover: The way of life is narrow, lonely, and costly. We can walk on the broad way and keep our “baggage” of sin and worldliness. But if we enter the narrow way, we must give up those things. Here, then, is the first test: Did your profession of faith in Christ cost you anything? If not, then it was not a true profession. Many people who “trust” Jesus Christ never leave the broad road with its appetites and associations. They have an easy Christianity that makes no demands on them. Yet Jesus said that the narrow way was hard. We cannot walk on two roads, in two different directions, at the same time.  (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)

 

Marvin Vincent comments that...

 

A remarkable parallel to this passage occurs in the “Pinax” or “Tablet” of Cebes, a writer contemporary with Socrates. In this, human life, with its dangers and temptations, is symbolically represented as on a tablet. The passage is as follows:

 

“Seest thou not, then, a little door, and a way before the door, which is not much crowded, but very few travel it? This is the way which leadeth into true culture.”

 

(Vincent, M. R. Word Studies in the New Testament. Vol. 1, Page 3-50 )

 

Arthur Pink has some relatively pithy comments on Mt 7:13-14 that you might care to read...

 

The verses to which we have now come are closely connected with the previous sections of the Lord’s Sermon, in which He had described the character of those who were the subjects of His kingdom and had laid down the rules by which they must walk. Such teaching as He had given out was at direct variance with the popular views entertained by His hearers. The Jews supposed that they were all to be the subjects of the Messiah, simply from being the natural descendants of Abraham and because they bore in their flesh the mark of the covenant (circumcision).

 

But throughout this discourse the Lord Jesus had made it abundantly clear that something more essential than physical lineage and submission to ceremonial rites was required to make them spiritual heirs of the patriarch. There was a straiter gate which had to be entered than any privilege which natural birth gave admittance to, a narrower way to be traversed than that religious life mapped out by the scribes and the Pharisees. Only those are accounted the true children of Abraham who have his faith (Ro 4:16), who do his works (Jn 8:39), and who are vitally united to Christ (Gal 3:29).

 

If the teaching of Christ was radically different from that in which the Jews of His day had been brought up, it is in equally sharp contrast with most of the concepts which now prevail in Christendom. If the Jews were completely ignorant of the high and searching requirements of God’s holiness it cannot be said that our own generation is any better informed.

 

If they (the Jews) plumed themselves on being the children of Abraham, a large percentage of our people complacently assume that they are members of a “Christian nation.”

 

If they believed that the rite of circumcision secured for them the favor of God, mult