Wide Gates, Narrow Gates

             “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew7:13-14)

Today’s passage is another case of simple reality, not of God being restrictive or exclusive. Consider the Pareto Principle: 20% of the people do 80% of the work. Less than 1% of the population of America play professional sports. Less than 2% of actors become stars. Famous people make up about 0.000086% of the American Population. About 75% of American startup businesses fail within 15  years. While some may rage about the one percent, the reality is that few find the narrow gate that leads to life, fame, fortune, power, etc. Even if we were to somehow give those things to “everyone,” the fact would be that the few who handed out the gold “You’re a winner” stars would be the 1% that held the real power.

If a lot of people use a path, the path gets wider and clearer. People make improvements like steps, benches, and signs describing points of interest. If few people use a path, it tends to be overgrown and harder to follow. Of course, someone could artificially develop and maintain the path using the same ideas as the wide path, but if it’s not used, nature will reclaim it.

Some people claim God should make every path lead to Him no matter what. Let everyone live however they want, give them unconditional love and the keys to Heaven when they die. They’ll understand they were wrong, and everything will be all better. I wonder which neighbor they’d prefer: Hitler, John Wayne Gacey, the guy who raped their daughter, or the guy who told them they need to get right with Jesus. Would they recommend neighborhoods so that each group of people could be protected from encountering God except according to their beliefs- so a Muslim neighborhood, a Jewish neighborhood, a Pentacostal neighborhood, a Catholic neighborhood, etc., with God dressing up according to their dictates?

And what of the folks who consider themselves God (and we’re all guilty of that)? What happens when everyone gets to Heaven and finds that God is God and there is no other. He isn’t what they want Him to be and He’s… everywhere, all the time.  It reminds me of a Dean Koontz story in which a human villain comes face to face with the hero, and announces, “I am your worst nightmare.”

And, having experienced what the hero had already experienced, he responds with “Not even close.”

Another parallel would involve someone being told they’re as good at something as someone renowned for the same activity, then meeting that star performer and recognizing they’re not in the same league without the performer even putting forth an effort, and then discovering that the star performer has move into the neighborhood.

When these people encounter the true God, they won’t be able to pretend any longer that He doesn’t exist or isn’t who and what He is. They won’t have any room for any more illusions about themselves or Him. To remain in Heaven with Him would make Heaven into Hell for them, and if God left Heaven, He would make Heaven into Hell for everyone else. Taking the path through the smaller gate and following the narrow, often difficult road is facing reality. The wide road leads somewhere other than reality because it makes us comfortable.