Course: Sermon on the Mount
February 09, 2023 | Dave Rueter
Passage: Matthew 7:12-14
Golden Rule
12 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
GPS is a wonderful tool. I remember when I was a kid my parents going to AAA to have a TripTik put together that mapped out the route that we would take as a family. Amazingly AAA still offers this service now in both the old paper version and via phone app.
When my family made use of a TripTik the assumption was that for the most part, we were going to travel from point A to point B in as direct a manner as possible on any given day. GPS-based phone apps now give us the opportunity to experiment with the many routes that we can take from point A to point B. We can even add stops along the way.
As great as that is for those of us who love to travel and explore the countryside, Jesus warns us that the road to eternal life with His heavenly Father does not come with a similar multitude of travel routes. Instead, Jesus teaches His followers that there are both narrow and wide gates, but that they lead to very different destinations. The wide gate is “easy” and “leads to destruction,” further “those who enter by it are many.” Alternatively, the narrow gate “is hard” but “leads to life,” yet “those who find it are few.”
This narrow gate and the narrow path that we walk upon through that gate is the very Word of God that shapes who we are as disciples of Christ. It may be popular in our culture to suggest that there are many roads that lead to God due to the many world religions that we encounter. Yet, this assumes that my own deeply held beliefs are capable of shaping reality. I can sincerely believe anything I wish, but the passion of my beliefs has no impact on the correspondence of those beliefs to reality. One can be sincere and yet sincerely wrong. John shares Jesus' words in his gospel “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
The good news is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for all. We just need to keep in mind that the grace offered in Christ is ours on His terms, not ours.
Thoughts for Reflection
What are ways that God’s Word is or can be a guide for your life?
Course Information
The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 is likely the most famous sermon that Jesus ever preached. Yet, despite being so well known in general, the Sermon on the Mount is not always well understood. This Equipping Thursday series unpacks the sermon from the Beatitudes to the house built upon the rock.
