“Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?”

“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.’”   (Luke 13:22-25 ESV)

When Jesus taught, he and other Jewish rabbis used a common teaching method known as parables. Now, to our Western, modern mind, these teachings often seem confusing and don’t answer the question asked. That’s because we aren’t used to this teaching method. There are two important things to remember about parables. First, they are meant to be understood from the cultural perspective of 1st-century Judaism. Second, they are stories that convey spiritual truths; they are not actual events, but they resemble common activities of Jewish life so people can immediately relate to them.

Too many times, people get bogged down in the details of parables and completely miss the main point Jesus was trying to make. So, when we read a parable, we need to understand the cultural context Jesus was talking about, and we need to avoid getting stuck in the details and instead look for the spiritual meaning.

Like this parable in response to the question posed to Jesus by someone: “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” We need to ask ourselves, what was going on at the time? We know from the other gospels that Jesus had been preaching and teaching to multitudes, and the crowds were starting to fall away. Just like in our society today, when something comes along, many will rush to hear, see, and feel something. Then, after the initial excitement fades, many walk away and go back to what they have always done. Some folks say, “I tried church for a while, but it was too religious for me.” Or “I tried to be a good Christian, but I couldn’t keep all the rules.” How sad that so many in our culture think following Jesus is about keeping rules and being religious.

These folks tried to be good enough for God but found they couldn't, so instead of turning to His Word to learn how to find eternal life, they gave up and went back to living life on their own terms.

With noticeable depletion of followers, this question asked by someone was very logical,” Lord, will those who are saved be few?” Jesus could have answered yes, but instead he used an earthly story with a spiritual meaning. What he said caused the hearers to stop and examine their own lives and see if they were trusting in their own deeds or were trusting in the finished work of Jesus.

Jesus said, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” Isn’t this similar to what the Gospel of Matthew records: “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.” This illustration would have been very clear to the first-century culture. Every City had multiple gates through which people could enter, and depending on which gate you entered, you would have a different destination.

The Jewish leaders taught that everyone who was a descendant of their Father Abraham would be allowed into the Kingdom of God. This was the wide gate that Jesus was talking about, and it would lead to destruction. The narrow gate was Jesus. Remember Jesus’ teachings that “No one could come to the Father but through Me!” The gate to salvation is only through Jesus. But just like in the first century, today many voices tell people there are many ways to God the Father, and just like then, they are lying.

Many people will try to enter through a gate of their own making, and God the Father will say to them, “I do not know where you come from.”, and they will not be allowed in.

While this parable once again is addressing the hypocrisy of the Jewish leadership, it is true for us today as well. There is only one way to the Father, and that is through the Son: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

The answer to the question “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” is the same today as it was when it was asked. The gate to salvation is narrow; only those who have put their confidence in Jesus' finished work on the cross will be allowed to enter.

Are you relying on your good deeds to enter through the narrow gate? Or are you trusting in Jesus and Him alone?

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"