The Narrow Path.

Photo by Dcrjsr  

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"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it."

"For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it."

Matthew 7:13,14

Have you ever walked on a narrow path through the forest or up a mountain.?  You cannot walk side by side with anyone else. Everyone must walk in a line. Each person follows the one ahead.

Jesus says, "Follow me."  We walk a narrow path with Jesus ahead of us. As long as we keep our eyes on him, we won't get lost in the forest or wander off the path.


 Enter ye in at the strait gate—as if hardly wide enough to admit one at all. This expresses the difficulty of the first right step in religion, involving, as it does, a triumph over all our natural inclinations. Hence the still stronger expression in Luke13:24, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate."

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

for wide is the gate—easily entered.

and broad is the way—easily trodden.
that leads to destruction, and—thus lured "many there be which go in thereat."  

The gate is wide and the path is broad that leads to death. It is easy because we are naturally sinners who want to do their own thing. We want no interference from God or anyone else. We want to captain our own ship. We think we know what is best for us. 

The path is broad because we don't have to follow anyone - there is room for everyone to go their own way. What grows along the broad path? Selfishness, anger, bitterness and hate. There are good times with laughter and fun, but there is also suffering and death. There is no danger of going off the path of sin. If you want to leave the broad path, you have to deliberately make a detour onto the narrow path.

I will tell you what grows along the narrow path: love, joy, peace, forgiveness, patience and everlasting life. There are also pains, sorrow, troubles and trials, but we don't have to look around at other people for solutions. There is Jesus, just ahead of us leading the way. There he is to talk with and learn from and gain strength from. The narrowness of the path is the best thing about it.