The Narrow Way

by Chadwick Brewer

“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. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).

To enter this particular cave, the spelunkers had to worm their way through a narrow and restrictive entrance – a gate of sorts. The price of admission was to unburden themselves of the large, bulky supplies and gear that made passage impossible. Only when they had laid everything down or put it aside could they prostrate themselves and enter the subterranean wonderland.

Jesus describes the Kingdom of Heaven as having a narrow gate and a hard way. We all come to the entrance of the Kingdom waylaid and encumbered by many things. These are the things we must lay aside and abandon to gain entrance to eternal paradise. This is our price of admission.

We must set aside the love of approval from the masses – those who have never asked whether what they are doing is pleasing to God. But beyond that, we must put away all pride, arrogance, self-love, and self-indulgence. We will not fit into the narrow way with a puffed-up and overinflated sense of self-worth. We must crucify the old self with its passions and desires so that the new self can find clear passage into the Kingdom. Narrow and hard is the way, but it is worth every ounce of the price of admission.