The One Year Bible Club with Teaching
Commentary by Nick Boork
April 10
Luke 13:22-14:6
Commentary by Nick Boork
April 10
Luke 13:22-14:6
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April 10 - Luke 13:22-14:6
And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. 29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”
31 On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.” 32 And He said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’ 33 Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. 34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! 35 See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
14 Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. 2 And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 4 But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. 5 Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” 6 And they could not answer Him regarding these things.
OKAY, HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
A man came to Jesus and asked a question: “Lord, are there few who are saved?” This man had a very important and sincere question. When he asked this question he may have been thinking that his salvation was all up to God. If God had already determined who was going to be saved and lost then maybe he shouldn’t worry about it because after all God knows and who better to confirm this than Jesus? However, Jesus answered this mans question with the wisdom of God. He told him in verse 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
In other words, don’t worry if many or few will be saved just make sure you’re saved! Think about Jesus answer! It completely destroys the position that God has elected some to salvation while others are predestined to Hell. However, striving to enter the narrow gate seems to be contrary to the Scripture. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” If we are saved by God’s grace through faith why would Jesus say to strive to enter the narrow gate?
It may sound like the Bible is saying two different things but remember, Scripture never contradicts Scripture. So, what does it mean to strive to enter? Let’s do a quick study on the word strive from the Blue Letter Bible:
Word Study: STRIVE Strong's G75 - agōnizomai
1) to enter a contest: contend in the gymnastic games
2) to contend with adversaries, fight
3) metaph. to contend, struggle, with difficulties and dangers
4) to endeavour with strenuous zeal, strive: to obtain something
What Jesus meant when he told the man to strive to enter the narrow gate is that this topic is the most important subject of all subjects – Eternal Salvation! The point is, every person needs to take their individual salvation seriously!!! This is why the Lord told the man to strive to enter the narrow door. The Bible reveals that there are all kinds of evil demonic forces devoted to keeping people in spiritual darkness, sin and out of the Kingdom of God! There are hundreds of false world religions that teach multiple paths to salvation without the Bible requirements of repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
Remember, Jesus said in John 10:9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” Jesus, the door to eternal salvation is open to all humanity now but Jesus taught that a time would come when the door would be shut signifying the final judgment to come. “Hebrews 9:27-28 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”
Some of the very people that heard Jesus teach the Word of God personally, that ate with him, that thought they knew Him will beg for Him to open the door and give them one more opportunity to be saved. Jesus said He would tell them “Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.” These people did not take Jesus or His message of repentance from sin seriously. This is obvious because Jesus said they were workers of iniquity or lived in sin without turning from it to live for God. The blame is not with God! He already sent Jesus to die for our sins and does not want anyone to be lost. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
So, ultimately there are only two groups of people. Those that are inside the door which represents receiving salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and those that remain outside the door representing those that may be familiar with Jesus and His teachings but never really take it serious to point of acknowledging their need of forgiveness and actually repenting from their sins and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
What’s the Bottom Line?
1. The most important thing is to make sure we personally are saved.
2. God’s will is that all be saved
3. Striving to enter the narrow gate is agreeing with God that Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved.
4. Many will end up outside the eternal Kingdom of God suffering in Hell because they did not take Jesus or His teachings serious enough to believe and repent.
5. We must preach the Good News that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation.
And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. 29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”
31 On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.” 32 And He said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’ 33 Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. 34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! 35 See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
14 Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. 2 And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 4 But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. 5 Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” 6 And they could not answer Him regarding these things.
OKAY, HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
A man came to Jesus and asked a question: “Lord, are there few who are saved?” This man had a very important and sincere question. When he asked this question he may have been thinking that his salvation was all up to God. If God had already determined who was going to be saved and lost then maybe he shouldn’t worry about it because after all God knows and who better to confirm this than Jesus? However, Jesus answered this mans question with the wisdom of God. He told him in verse 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
In other words, don’t worry if many or few will be saved just make sure you’re saved! Think about Jesus answer! It completely destroys the position that God has elected some to salvation while others are predestined to Hell. However, striving to enter the narrow gate seems to be contrary to the Scripture. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” If we are saved by God’s grace through faith why would Jesus say to strive to enter the narrow gate?
It may sound like the Bible is saying two different things but remember, Scripture never contradicts Scripture. So, what does it mean to strive to enter? Let’s do a quick study on the word strive from the Blue Letter Bible:
Word Study: STRIVE Strong's G75 - agōnizomai
1) to enter a contest: contend in the gymnastic games
2) to contend with adversaries, fight
3) metaph. to contend, struggle, with difficulties and dangers
4) to endeavour with strenuous zeal, strive: to obtain something
What Jesus meant when he told the man to strive to enter the narrow gate is that this topic is the most important subject of all subjects – Eternal Salvation! The point is, every person needs to take their individual salvation seriously!!! This is why the Lord told the man to strive to enter the narrow door. The Bible reveals that there are all kinds of evil demonic forces devoted to keeping people in spiritual darkness, sin and out of the Kingdom of God! There are hundreds of false world religions that teach multiple paths to salvation without the Bible requirements of repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
Remember, Jesus said in John 10:9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” Jesus, the door to eternal salvation is open to all humanity now but Jesus taught that a time would come when the door would be shut signifying the final judgment to come. “Hebrews 9:27-28 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”
Some of the very people that heard Jesus teach the Word of God personally, that ate with him, that thought they knew Him will beg for Him to open the door and give them one more opportunity to be saved. Jesus said He would tell them “Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.” These people did not take Jesus or His message of repentance from sin seriously. This is obvious because Jesus said they were workers of iniquity or lived in sin without turning from it to live for God. The blame is not with God! He already sent Jesus to die for our sins and does not want anyone to be lost. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
So, ultimately there are only two groups of people. Those that are inside the door which represents receiving salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and those that remain outside the door representing those that may be familiar with Jesus and His teachings but never really take it serious to point of acknowledging their need of forgiveness and actually repenting from their sins and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
What’s the Bottom Line?
1. The most important thing is to make sure we personally are saved.
2. God’s will is that all be saved
3. Striving to enter the narrow gate is agreeing with God that Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved.
4. Many will end up outside the eternal Kingdom of God suffering in Hell because they did not take Jesus or His teachings serious enough to believe and repent.
5. We must preach the Good News that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation.
ORDINATION
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll