The Wide Road vs the Narrow Path

 

 

 

 

 

The Narrow and Wide Gates

Matthew

13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Another version uses constricted and spacious

I am really enjoying the Sunday School classs that I lead.  I  dont say teach because in this case I love the conversation and perspectives that come up.  One of my group is the first person I ever met who truly was a member of the Peace Corps.  As we were studying this passage she told us a story about when she was leaving for her 2 years in the Peace Corps.  Each young person going was allowed to take 50 lb of items with them for their 2 years, in a backpack.  She told us that many of the people involved thought that the literature they were given to prepare was just a recommendation, you know, because we are Americans and all.  But when they were not allowed to board the plane until their baggage met the weight and she watched others sitting and crying as they decided what they could throw away and live with out for that two years, it was heartwrenching.  This really gave us a picture of what Jesus was talking about in this passage.  He tells us to look for the narrow gate.. or in another translation, the gate that is constricted.  the wide gate and the broad road leads to destruction because you can carry all of your baggage with you down that road.  You can get through the gate with everything you are carrying with you; all of the things we as human beings tend to worship.  We can carry those people who are harmful to us along.  We can get through THAT gate with the whole wagon we are pulling along and we dont have to leave anything behind.  However, do you see where this is going?  the other road, that narrow one, the one with the small gate, we cant get through that gate with anything but ourselves.  Thats what Jesus wants us to bring along, nothing but ourselves. 
I have such a picture in my mind now of people sitting outside that gate, myself included, going through my backpack, showing each of the things in it to Him.  With each thing that comes out of my pack, I can see Him now, telling me, its OK, my child, leave that behind, I will give you all the things you could imagine on this side of the gate.  I see people who are reluctant to leave items behind.  Somtimes, it is very difficult to let go of pleasureable things in our lives.  Sometimes, it is even difficult to let go of items that we KNOW are not good for us.  And sometimes, we didnt even see how certain things were not in our best interest until we tried to fit through the gate with them. 

I am going to work much harder in the future to clean my backpack of all the things that just wont fit through the gate. 



I also want to share my favorite poem in literature as I have figured out that I live the image of looking down the road.  I like that image in photography, I like it in literature and I love this passage of scrpture.  The image in this Robert Frost poem is very much the same.  You can only travel on road, look carefully because you cant come back and expect to find the same beginning point.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

...Robert Frost