The Narrow Door
Pastor Mathew Magera – 8/21/16 – Sermon 181
St. Thomas Lutheran Church, Trufant, MI
To God be the Glory!
Grace and peace to you from
God our Father, from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Judgment. It's not something
we openly talk about. Most often, judgment is meant for people in the Bible or
some time off in the distant future when Christ comes again. The Ten Plagues in
the book of Exodus might come to mind. Judgment. It's what we think of when we
hear the words in our creeds "He will come again to judge the living and
the dead." It's something we don't have to worry about right now.
Judgment. It's something we feel that God takes care of and something we should
never do. If anything, judgment is meant for the person down the street. If not
there, then the person across the country. If not there, then the person on the
other side of the world. Judgment. We are happy to give the world the finger.
Interpret that how you will because I think no matter which finger you are
thinking of holding up or extending toward another person, it is intended to
direct and pinpoint judgment and shame.
Have you ever taught your
children not to point at others? Why? Because it's impolite? Pointing draws
attention. Pointing accuses. Even without words a finger can speak for itself
and we are happy to cast that shadow of our finger upon somebody else. How many
times this week have we pointed that finger? Oh, that person on the news. How
could they do what they did? It's a shame. That person in the car who just cut
you off. What on earth were they thinking? You had kids in your car. What's the
hurry, buster? Your spouse. You had a long day and they didn't get dinner ready
on time. Can't you see I'm tired and need a rest? All I ask for is a nice
dinner when I get home so I can relax. That person who doesn't speak English
very well or at all. If they are going to be in this country, they need to
learn to speak English or they shouldn't be here. This is America, for heaven's
sake. Speak the language. We extend the finger. We point. We point at the one
who is in the wrong. Judgment. We are quick to judge others but not ourselves.
There was a man who had
become perplexed by his wife's refusal to admit she had a hearing problem. It
eventually led him to talk to his doctor about it. "How can I get my wife
to admit that she is hard of hearing?"
The doctor said, "I'll
tell you what you need to do. When you arrive home this evening, peek your head
through the door and ask, 'honey, what's for dinner tonight?' If she doesn't
answer, go into the living room and say, 'Honey, what's for dinner tonight?' If
she still does not answer, walk into the kitchen and ask, 'Honey, what's for
dinner?' If she still does not hear you, then walk right up behind her and
speak directly into her ear and say, 'Honey, what's for dinner?' Then you will
be able to convince her of her need for a hearing exam."
The man was relieved. They
shook hands and he left. Later that evening, he arrived home and did as
instructed. He opened the front door and called out, "Honey, what's for
dinner tonight?" He listened carefully, but there was no reply. He walked
into the living room and repeated, "Honey, what's for dinner
tonight?" He still received no answer. He then walked into the kitchen and
aksed, "Honey, what's for dinner?" Still there was no answer. The man
walked up right behind his wife and spoke directly into her ear and said,
"Honey, what's for dinner?"
At this the wife turned
around and resolutely replied, "For the fourth time, I said we are having
spaghetti."[1]
How easy it is to extend the
finger toward others when in fact it should be directed at ourselves. This
judgment isn't for anyone else. It's for us. We are the recipients of Jesus'
harsh words. And this is how it plays out. The Gospel reading says this,
"Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his
way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him "Lord, are only a few people going to
be saved?" This is one of those situations where we can put anyone's name
here. It doesn't say that Jesus was approached by a sinner, by a priest, by a
Samaritan. It just says someone so it is very easy for us to be put into this
conversation with Jesus and this question is asked in such a way as to imply that
there is some kind of investment going on behind the scenes. It's as if this
person is just checking Jesus out. Jesus, is it true that not quite everyone
will be saved? Almost as if it implied to be saying, "Jesus, I've got some
sins going on back home. They're not bad, Jesus. No they're not that bad, but
I'm wondering if my chances are still good on obtaining salvation with, you
know, these sins that I have back home?" We're going to see that Jesus is
going to catch on right away by his response. Continuing at the end of verse
23, "He said to them, 'Make every effort to enter through the narrow door,
because many, I tell you will try to enter and will not be able to." Jesus
is looking at this plain person and starting to draw their attention. The
person is right in front of him just waiting for him to say that there will be
grace and mercy shown but of course Jesus doesn't give us the answer we want to
hear. He gives us the answer we would rather avoid. He keeps going, "'Once
the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside
knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.''" Notice how Jesus
immediately puts this person into the example. When the owner closes the door,
you will stand outside knocking. Not anyone, but you. This judgment is for us.
Jesus is talking about us. We will be outside that door. That sin that we are
carrying on with back home is all it takes for us to be cast outside of the
door. This isn't even the worst of it yet. Jesus says, "But he will
answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'" This is almost like
that teaching that many are called but few are chosen but it gets worse right
here. Jesus says, I don't know where you come from. This is basically saying I
have no association with you whatsoever. This is not something we want to hear
Jesus saying to us. Absolutely not. This is a very cold rejection.
But, why is this rejection
for us anyway? Why the judgment on us? We're not perfect, but we try, right?
Jesus tells us exactly what we are going to say in response to him. Verse 26,
"Then you will say, 'we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our
streets.'" This is our excuse. Jesus, we went to church. We served at the
Ableskiver and sausage breakfast. We made kits for Lutheran World Relief. We
went on mission trips. We were active members, we abided by the church
constitution and communed three times and gave three offerings of record. Jesus
we did all this, how can you say that we are outside still? Isn't this our
excuse? We did good things. And how does Jesus respond to that? He brushes us
off like a crumb on the side of our mouths. Verse 27 says, "But he will
reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from Away from me, all you
evildoers!'" Wow. A repetition of the first thing Jesus said to us. Repetition
in the Bible usually means that there is double the effected meaning behind the
words and I would assume that is the case here. Away from me.
We cannot avoid God's
judgment. We cannot avoid it. I was reading a quote by a hockey player this
week. I didn't see who said it but this goalie said, "How would you like a
job where every time you made a mistake a red light came on and 18,000 people
booed?" I read this and yes, it makes perfect sense. A lot of people can
make mistakes but when the goalie makes a mistake, people see it. When we make
mistakes, when we hide out that sin in the dark corner of our homes, of our
lives, God sees it. God knows it. God tells us that the door is narrow, too
narrow, in fact, for us to fit through with all of these mistakes and we are
left on the outside. But, if that was the end of the story, we wouldn't really
be here, would we? We are quick to boo others, we are quick to point the finger
but that judgment is really necessary for us, enough to drive us to our knees
and cry out, "God, how can I make it through that narrow door?" If
many will not able to make it through the door, then who will? Who are the few
that will make it and why can they fit but not me? Do you know who the few are?
In fact, I believe only one is able to make it through that door. Only Jesus.
The only way we can make it
through that door is by clinging on to him. We cannot do it on our own. That
sin will always hold us back and keep us out in the cold. We just have to hold
on for dear life, trusting that Jesus will take care of us and that the Gospel
will eventually prevail. When we are enduring the judgment of God and we are
found to be in Christ, we can endure it. We can survive the accusation, we can
survive the condemnation because we are holding on to Jesus who is giving to us
his righteousness and taking the effect of that judgment on himself. Jesus
finishes out our Gospel reading this morning in verse 28, "There will be
weeping, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all
the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will
come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the
feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be
first, and first who will be last." Those entering the kingdom of God are
doing so only by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Those who believe they are
sinless and extend their finger at others will not taste that kingdom but Jesus
says that those who see that there is nowhere to turn, that the judgment is in
fact for them for that dirty rotten sin they are in, for those without
righteousness of their own, the lost, the pushed aside, they will be raised up
in the glory of the Father. Those who are absolutely certain they have no place
in God's kingdom because of their sin, they will be the first. Jesus acts in
judgment here in our Gospel reading but on the other hand, when he does this he
is always looking for a way to establish himself with us so that we can cling
to him. There is always the hope. There will be some who take their place at
the feast in the Kingdom of God, Jesus says. That is because those who do see
him and trust in him who cling to him, will have their sins forgiven and they
will be given a place at the table.
In the end, like the man who
walked around the house asking his wife what was for dinner only for us to
laugh at the fact that it was him with the problem, it is us who must realize
that we have the hearing problem. When God tells us again and again that he is
serving us Spaghetti for dinner, we must realize that it is not God who can't
hear our cries but it is in fact we that cannot hear those precious words of
Gospel that we long to hear, those words that make our mouths water, able to
anticipate the wonderful taste of the meal that is being prepared for us. Cling
to Jesus, your hearing aid, that you might, through him, enter through the
narrow door and take your place in the kingdom of God and take heart that in
Jesus we can endure the judgment because as we desperately cling to Jesus with
our lives, that judgment passes from us to him and his righteousness makes us
washed clean in Jesus' name. To God be the glory, now and always. Amen.
[1]
Hodgin, Michael. 1001 More Humorous
Illustrations for Public Speaking. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing
House. 1998. Pg. 91.