Luke Bible Study, Day 25
Today’s passage: Luke 13
Focus verse:“People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 13:29)
As Jesus makes his circuit through the towns around Jerusalem, someone asks, “Will only a few people be saved?”
As he often does, Jesus answers indirectly. “Put all your efforts into entering through the narrow door, because many who try to get in will fail.”
Then Jesus builds upon this image of a door. He talks about a house’s owner on the inside and people on the outside pounding to get in. When the owner cracks open the door to peek out, the people beg him to let them in.
“I don’t know you,” the owner says.
“Sure, you do,” the people answer. “Remember, we’ve hung out and we’ve told people about you. So, let us in.”
The owner shakes his head. “Nope. Don’t try to scam me. You’re not getting in.” Then he slams the door.
These people cry tears of remorse and grind their teeth in distress. The prophets made it in but not them.
The people who expect to enter—who assume it’s a sure thing, that they have an inside track—stand forlorn on the outside. They shake their heads in dismay. It’s like a bouncer not letting them enter the club. How disconcerting.
Which side of the door will we be on?
Is getting in going to be easy or hard? Do we think we’ve done the right things only to find we’ve fallen short? With our eternal future at risk, how should we react to Jesus’s analogy?
Before we totally panic, keep reading. Next Jesus says people will flock from all directions to take their place on the inside for the huge feast in God’s kingdom.
This is getting confusing. Will few people make it in through the narrow door or will people swarm in to share in a wonderful celebration?
The answer is “Yes!”
Consider the audience of Jesus’s words: the Jews. These are the folks in the communities he’s visiting, and it’s one of them who asks the question about how many will be saved.
It’s the Jews whom Jesus warns to strive to enter through the narrow door. But it will be easy-peasy for the Gentiles.
In reading this, Jesus seems to dismiss God’s chosen people in favor of everyone else. He’s not, but he’s warning them to not take their standing with God as a sure thing, to not assume they’re automatically in.
Just going to synagogue each week and following a bunch of religious rules isn’t enough.
Then Jesus adds, “The last will enter first, but the first will enter last.” That is, the Gentiles, who were once outsiders, will get in first, but the Jews, who were once insiders, will get in last.
But they will get in.
Questions:
Who do you think you’ll see when you get to Jesus’s feast in God’s kingdom?
How should we react to Jesus’s warning of a narrow door and his promise of people flocking to get in?
[Discover more about entering God’s kingdom in Matthew 7:21, Matthew 18:3, and John 3:5.]
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Read more about the book of Luke in Dear Theophilus: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus through the Gospel of Luke, now available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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