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September 5, 2004
14th Sunday after Pentecost
Luke 13:22-30
Pastor Ben Berger

Will I Enter Through the Narrow Door to Heaven?

Perhaps you have heard this fable or a version of it: "A hungry boy reached deep inside/ A hazelnut jar in a shop,/ But when he tried to pull out his hand,/ His fist wouldn't fit through the top.// He screamed and he wailed and he burst into tears,/ But the shopkeeper started to sing:/ Take a few at a time, sang the patient old man,/ And you'll soon have enough for a KING.//i I can demonstrate the fable for you now. I've brought a jar with some candy in it. It's easy to take a piece or two. But, if I try to take a handful, I can't get my hand out. I've been told that some animals get trapped like this. The hunter puts an orange in a jar. The monkey tries to take the orange but it won't fit with his hand on it. He refuses to let go of the orange and he's trapped. Satan tries to trap us in the same way, but instead of trapping us in, he tries to trap us out. In our text today Jesus describes heaven as a large mansion with a narrow door. Satan tries to load us up with all kinds of baggage so that we can't fit through the narrow door of heaven. Today we learn how to escape his trap. We'll each ask ourselves Will I Enter Through the Narrow Door to Heaven? We'll learn, 1) It will take all of my effort 2) It will take none of my effort.

Jesus was traveling from town to town and village to village. He often stopped along the way to teach the people. At one stop someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few going to be saved?" (23). Do you think he was being a little cocky. Maybe he assumed he was going to heaven and wanted everyone to know he was one of the few. Or, do you think he was worried? If only are few would be saved, would he be one of them. It's hard to know exactly what he was thinking, but Jesus' answer points to the second. Yes, only a few are going to be saved. Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to, (v.24). Jesus' answer causes us to have the same concern. If only a few are going to be saved, will I enter through the narrow door to heaven? My mind tells me that if I will, it will take all of my effort. That's what many think.

Many will try to enter and will not be able to, (v.24). Jesus made a similar comment in Matthew, Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it, (7:13). Many enter through the wide door that leads to destruction because they rely on their own strength. We think this way. We think that we can get into heaven because we have filled our hands with good works. We come to church; we give generous donations to everyone who asks; we volunteer our time to clean or teach or help in the office. We give all of our effort and Satan traps us.

Many will show up at the door to heaven with their puffed up head and bag full of goodies, and they won't get in. Jesus said, many will try to enter and will not be able to. He's really saying they won't have the strength. It doesn't matter how many good deeds we have stuffed into our bag, we are not perfect. Many will knock and knock on the door. They will plead, Sir, open the door for us. But the master of the house will answer, I don't know you or where you come from, (v.25). If we rely so much on ourselves, we are really denying Jesus. If we deny Jesus, he will deny us. He won't acknowledge us for one second and he won't open the door. The many who rely on their own strength will only enter through the wide door that leads to destruction.

The many are persistent; they won't give up. Many think they can enter through the narrow door to heaven because they have connections. They stand at the door pleading with the master of the house, who is Jesus. We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets, (v.26). We think this way too. We think that our connections will get us into heaven. "I belong to a church, a WELS church at that." "I was baptized, confirmed, married and I'll be buried in that church." "My cousin is a minister." "My parents belonged to that church all of their lives."

Jesus will give the same response, I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me all you evildoers, (v.27). This time the bag is full of sins. Do we really think that we can do whatever we want and expect to be forgiven because we're members of a church? Do we really think that we can get into heaven because we might know someone else who is there? NO! The many who rely on their connections will only enter through the wide door that leads to destruction. And it will not be pleasant. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there, (v.28). Especially if we see someone we know, especially if we realize that we had opportunity to enter, then we will really feel the pain of being separated from God for eternity.

Will I be one of the few who enter through the narrow door to heaven? Not if I am one of the many. Not if I am one of the many that relies on my own effort or strength; not if I am one of the many that relies on connections. Then my bag full of goodies or my bag full of sins will not let me enter. So, don't be one of the many.

The time is short. We do not know when the master of the house will get up and close the door. Once the door is closed, it's too late. Now is the time to avoid the wide door that leads to destruction and find the narrow door to heaven. How will I enter through the narrow door to heaven? When I realize that it will take none of my effort.

Do you realize that when Jesus encourages us to make every effort to enter through the narrow door, he is implying that the door to heaven is already opened? And it is! Jesus has already opened the door to heaven. He opened the narrow door to heaven with HIS strength! We can't open the door with our own strength because we can't meet the requirement - holiness. God only opens the door for the perfect. So, Jesus walks through first. He is perfect; he is holy. He walks right through the door and holds it open for us.

Jesus also opens the door by reconnecting us with his Father. Sin separates us from God. God cannot live in the presence of sin. The devil traps us into believing that we want sin. He tricks us into filling ourselves with pride, power, sexual gratitude and chemicals. We grab at all of them in the search for a moment's happiness. We think we want what the world has to offer; we forget what God offers. Sin separates us from God. Jesus removed the sin. When he died on the cross, God forgave all of our sins. Now we can let go of those sins so that we have the freedom to grasp what God offers. Jesus gave us the only connection we need to get into heaven.

Now that Jesus has opened the door, we need some help going through it. The Holy Spirit leads us through the narrow door to heaven. In verse 28 Jesus told the Jews that they would weep and gnash their teeth when they see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets in the kingdom of God, but themselves thrown out. God promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that he would send a Savior through them and their descendants. Jesus is that promised Savior. Though he ate and drank with the Jews and even taught among them, they rejected him. The prophets and others continued to proclaim the promise and Jesus as the promised Savior.

The Holy Spirit has brought that promise to us to lead us through the door to heaven. The Holy Spirit gave us faith in the promise and in Jesus at our baptisms. He continues to strengthen our faith every time we hear the promise again in the Word. He gives us visible evidence to see and taste the fulfillment of the promise every time we approach the altar to receive Jesus' body and blood in the Sacrament. Through Word and Sacrament the Holy Spirit is preparing us to walk through the narrow door to heaven.

We are now part of those people who will come from east and west and north and south and will take our places at the feast in the kingdom of God, (v.29). God spread his word to the four corners of the earth; it reached us. Now God has prepared a seat for us at the heavenly banquet table. The Jews were first - God had made them the chosen nation. Many rejected Jesus. They and all who reject Jesus will now be last - they will be left outside of the door. We were last - we were all Gentiles (not Jews); we were not part of the chosen nation. But God sent Jesus to open the door for us; he sent his Spirit to lead us through. By no effort of our own we WILL enter through the narrow door to heaven.

What then of Jesus' command to make every effort to enter through the narrow door? With his gospel command, Jesus gives us the ability to make every effort. He wants us to do everything possible, to strain every nerve of our body, to assure we enter through that door. What does he want us to do? He wants us to repent. Get rid of our bag of goodies and our bag of sin. Repent of our pride; repent of our sin. And he wants us to stay connected. The Holy Spirit cannot do his work unless we stay connected to Word and Sacrament. Do everything in your power - make every effort - to stay connected to the Word and you will be one of the few. You will be one of the few to enter through the narrow door to heaven.

i From the book Prayers and Fables and the forthcoming book Aesop's Best: 80 Fables in Verse by William Cleary.