Two Ways and Two Trees
Matthew 7:13-20
Jesus had just finished laying out the way of life for citizens in the Kingdom of Heaven and He is now bringing his sermon to a close with a series of contrasts, leading those who hear to a point of decision regarding Him and His claims. He is contrasting two gates and two ways to illustrate the decision all must make, and exposes false teachers by contrasting two kinds of trees.
The narrow gate and the difficult path/road – Matt 7:13-14
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus assures people that following him will not be difficult. It says: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
That’s certainly encouraging, but then, here in Matt 7:13-20 he paints this word picture about a narrow gate with a hard road that seems to suggest the opposite. So, is following Jesus difficult or easy?
BibleProject gives us a wonderful word picture: ‘The gate is the entry point to any place like into the backyard with a gate, or like a door into the house or a building’.
We know that Jesus is the gateway into the kingdom of God/Heaven. John 10:7, 9: So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep” and verse 9:.. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.' And John 14:6: I am the way, the truth and the Life.
And once you enter through this narrow gate (Jesus), this leads to the road/path which is the way we live, the way we travel on through life once we get in through the gate. And if we were to think back on the previous verses, this road or way of life can be very challenging, confining, restrictive and sometimes hard. There will be suffering or times of testing but we know it leads to rewards and to eternal life. And as Amy-Jill Levine says, it is an intentional way of living for God by living his will and desire for our lives as laid out in scripture as best as we know how. This road is the less travelled road and few want to travel down this road.
The Wide Gate and Broad Road that leads to destruction is the other choice which is an easier way to travel. This way leads to ruin yet many choose to deliberately enter this gate and travel down this road of life. The wealthy and powerful find it easy because they can lord it over others; some say they are the captain of their souls and can do whatever they please; some find it easier to listen to the voice of the enemy and can create such havoc in the lives of others with violence. Then there are those who were just born in a family where there is so much hardship and chaos and violence and that is all they know.
Yet Jonathan Pennington says, this road that leads to destruction can also mean for those who say they belong to Jesus, yet live like a hypocrite (like the Pharisees): they cherry-pick the rules that would make their lives (or loved ones’ lives) easier. Outwardly their righteousness hides their inner corruption. Their outward religious observance belies the way of genuine heart transformation. They are judgmental and hypocritical because they are quick to point out someone else’s faults before looking inward at themselves (removing the speck from someone else’s eyes before trying to remove the beam from theirs).
Personal thoughts: The longer I live as a believer and the more I learn these scriptures, I realize it was easy to believe and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, but am now gradually seeing that the road is certainly difficult. I did not know what Jesus meant when he said to count the cost before starting construction… or as my Grandma Min used to say “count the cost before you mount the horse,” i.e. think carefully before you get on the horse if you do not know how to ride. Are you willing to be thrown or fall off while learning and possibly break a bone? But once you get the hang of it and start riding, you begin to enjoy riding. Just so with Christianity, once you get on that narrow road, you want to stay on no matter how difficult it turns out to be. Would I turn back from following Jesus? No. No. No.
The Healthy Versus the Diseased Tree – False Prophets & False Teachers – Matt 7:15-20
Down through the ages, there have been many false prophets that would lead people astray with their false teachings. Because they look faithful and speak eloquently we cannot discern their true motives or character. Jesus says to beware as they are wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing. They misrepresent the word of God by twisting it to suit the itching ears of their listeners. They will say things like ‘God wants everyone to be healed or to be wealthy’ or ‘if you are not healed it is because you have little faith.’ But Jesus is warning, again, to beware of these false prophets and to watch how they really live. He says you will know them by their fruits because healthy trees will bear good fruits and diseased trees will bear bad fruits. In other words, that which people believe will inevitably shape how they live.
Beware of self-deception and false assurance
Matthew 7:21-23: 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
These verses identify several characteristics that people may replicate that do not necessarily indicate that someone is a true Christian. The greatest thing about Christianity is knowing God and to be known by Him.
