“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 teeth, 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.””
Will only a few be saved?
This is the question someone asked Jesus. It’s an interesting question. It’s also a question that can feel a bit distant or theoretical.
But Jesus doesn’t answer it in a distant or theoretical way. Instead, He makes it personal. He tells them to strive to enter through the narrow door. He tells you to strive to enter through the narrow door.
That changes everything.
The question is no longer, “What about others?”
The question becomes, “What about me?”
Jesus makes it clear that entering the kingdom of God is not something to take lightly or assume will just happen automatically. The door is narrow—not because God desires to keep people out, but because there is only one way in.
And that way is Jesus.
It can be tempting to think there are many paths to God. The world often tells us that as long as we are sincere, as long as we try to be good people, everything will work out. Some say, we all worship the same God, just in different ways. But Jesus says otherwise.
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6
There is one way.
One Savior.
One door.
That can feel uncomfortable. It challenges our assumptions. It forces us to examine what we are trusting in. Are we trusting in ourselves—our goodness, our effort
or our intentions? Are we trusting another “god”?
Or are we trusting in Jesus?
Because the narrow door is not something we open by our own strength. It is opened to us through Christ.
Jesus is the One who is on the road to Jerusalem. He is walking toward the cross, where He will do what we could never do—pay for our sins and open the way to eternal life. Only Jesus could do it.
There was a Christian song that was popular a while back that asked,
“Would you take the place of this Man? Would you take the nails from His hands?”
No! Absolutely not. Not because I’m not willing to sacrifice (though I’d probably struggle at that, too), but because it wouldn’t do any good, either for me or for others. Anyone could die on a cross, but only for Jesus did that death bring salvation for mankind.
He is the door.
Through His death and resurrection, the kingdom of God is opened to sinners. We don’t earn our way in. We believe in the one who brings us in. We receive, as a gift, what He has done.
As we continue walking with Jesus toward Jerusalem, we are reminded that this journey is not just something we observe. It is something we are part of.
Because the One walking toward the cross is making a way for you.
Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father,
We confess that we are often tempted to trust in ourselves, others, and the world instead of Your Son. Thank You for sending Jesus, who is the way to life and salvation. Give us faith us to trust in Him alone and keep us firm in that faith as we follow Him. Help us to enter through the narrow door and to rest in the salvation He has won for us.
Amen.
As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:
After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
Meeting Address:
27221 Foamflower Blvd.
Wesley Chapel, FL 33544
Ph: (813) 602-1104
Copyright 2025, Faith Lutheran Church, Wesley Chapel. All Rights Reserved.