The Open Door
Luke 13: 22-30
September 5, 2004
One Sunday a pastor was preaching about Judgment Day. From the pulpit he roared: “There will be wars, famines and earthquakes! The sun will be darkened and stars will fall from the sky! On that day, will you be ready? On that day, what will you want?” His attention captured, a wide-eyed little boy sitting down front tugged at his mother’s sleeve and whispered: “I know what I want on that Judgment Day. I want the Board of Education to call of school.”
In a cute way, that story reminds us to the urgency of being ready for the end – either the end of the world or the end of our life. But we can’t get ready by cowering at home or getting the Board of Ed to call off school. No, the only way to escape the judgment and enter into eternal life is by faith in Jesus Christ our Savior! That’s what Jesus Himself was talking about in our text for today, when He said: “MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ENTER THROUGH THE NARROW DOOR, BECAUSE MANY, I TELL YOU, WILL TRY TO ENTER AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO.”
Here the Lord Jesus pictures the Kingdom of Heaven like a beautiful mansion or a luxurious inn, where a weary traveler can find rest and refuge for the night. However, the only way you can get in is through a tiny, narrow door. We could think of it like the tight, constricting little doorway that leads into an upstairs attic, the kind that you have to bend down and kneel to get in. The fact that it is a narrow doorway indicates that there is only One Way to heaven and that is Jesus Christ. He is the narrow door. Only those who bow down their hearts in submissive repentance and humbly trust in Jesus as their Savior will get into the Kingdom of God. As Frederick Danker put it: “Since it is narrow, there is no possibility to crawl through this door wearing medals or bearing trophies awarded for good works before people!” No, the only way to get into the Mansion of God’s Kingdom is by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ!
Now the great part is that, in our text Jesus indicates right now the door is standing wide open. There are no guards to get past and no locks to pick. There isn’t a single barrier to prevent anyone from walking right into the Kingdom of God, so long as they have a personal relationship with the Master of the House, so long as they believe in Jesus Christ. Why, even our sin can’t keep us out, because Jesus demolished that obstruction long ago, when He died on the cross and took away the sin of the whole world. So even sin can’t keep us out of heaven. For as long as we confess it and give it to Jesus, He will forgive it and remove it completely.
No, the only thing that can keep us out is UNBELIEF. The unbelief, which bitterly demands: “Where was God when I was down and out. He let my loved one die, and if that's the way He is, then I don't want Him!” Or the unbelief, which proudly boasts: “I don't need the grace of Christ, I'm good enough to make it on my own!” Or the unbelief, which foolishly believes: “There'll be plenty of time for God later. Right now I've got more important things to do!”
It’s rather like the doting father, who used to sing his little children to sleep each night. But then, one day he overheard the four year old tell the three year old, “If you just pretend you’re asleep, he’ll stop.” I think that’s the way many people act with our Heavenly Father. They think that if they don’t listen, He won’t care, if they pretend He’s not there, He’ll go away. But He won’t. He’s still there. His judgment is coming and time is running out. You see, there’s a kind of ‘Divine statute of limitations’ on God’s invitation. Yes, right now the door to God’s Kingdom is standing wide open. But as our text says, at some point the Master of the House will get up and lock the door. And when that happens, no one else will be able to get in. Indeed, some day Jesus will rise up from His throne in heaven, return to this earth in glory and time as we know it will cease to exist. When that day comes you had better already be inside the Kingdom, because on Judgment Day Jesus will close the door to His Mansion and it will be too late. He’ll lock the gates and throw away the key for all eternity.
Think of it kind of like going to a party. Jesus has invited everyone to come to His big wedding party in heaven. And His invitation includes an RSVP. But the time to respond is now. Because once the party begins, you can no longer get in. As our text says, that’s when the people on the outside will begin to knock and pound and bang on the door, crying out: “LORD, OPEN THE DOOR FOR US!” In other words, once they discover that there really is a hell, they will desperately start looking for another place to spend eternity.
And they will appeal to their knowledge of Jesus. “Lord, we knew you. You taught in our streets. Of course, we didn’t come to any of Your classes. But we’d really be glad to attend one of Your classes now.” “Lord, we knew you. We even ate and drank with you. You remember, we came to the church potlucks and parties. Of course, we didn’t come regularly to worship and Bible Class, but we knew You, Lord.” I daresay that there are precious few people in our world today, who don’t at least know that there is a Jesus. But unfortunately, just knowing who He is, is not sufficient for salvation. You must also believe and trust in Him. For on that final day, if you don’t believe in Him, He will reply: “I DON'T KNOW YOU OR WHERE YOU COME FROM. DEPART FROM ME ALL YOU EVILDOERS!”
It’s interesting to note that in the Old Testament, when getting to know a person, it was common to ask where they had come from, since a person’s hometown, tribe, or prior activity often revealed something about the person’s character. In this case, the Master says that He doesn’t even know them or where they come from. Their character is less than nothing, because they rejected Him. In fact, He calls them ‘evildoers.’ The Greek text actually says, ‘workers of unrighteousness,’ because they had rejected the saving righteousness of Jesus Christ. And so He disowns them, just as surely as they had disowned Him.
My friends, certainly that is the penalty for all those who do not believe in Jesus Christ. In other words, just to know Him isn’t enough. To say that you’re a member of Messiah Lutheran Church doesn’t count, or that you were baptized and confirmed isn’t the end of the story. What matters is whether or not you believe that Jesus Christ is your only Savior from sin and hell.
That’s why there is such an urgency to Jesus’ exhortation in our text: “MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ENTER THROUGH THE NARROW DOOR.” Make every effort, says Jesus. Or as some translations put it: “Strive to enter by the narrow door!” It almost sounds like works/righteousness doesn't it? Like we’re supposed to do it ourselves. But Jesus’ point is not that we are to save ourselves, but rather, we are to make every effort to hold on to the saving faith He has given us, the gift of grace He planted in our hearts at Baptism. We are to diligently use the tools He has placed at our disposal, namely the Word and the Sacraments, to make sure we don’t lose our trust and faith in Him. That’s what Jesus meant when He said: “STRIVE TO ENTER THROUGH THE NARROW DOOR.”
As a matter of fact, in Greek the word ‘strive’ is the word agoneia, from which we get our term ‘agony.’ It’s a verb that means ‘to struggle with an opponent’ or ‘ to wrestle in mortal combat.’ As such, it’s a beautiful reminder of what Jesus has done for us – the excruciating agony that He suffered on the cross to purchase our salvation – the blood He shed to cleanse us from every spot and stain – and the nail wounds He endured to pierce our iniquity and put it out of commission once and for all. Yes, Jesus is the one who actually strove and agonized on our behalf. He made every effort to defeat our mortal enemy. He struggled with sin and death, and even wrestled with the Prince of Hell himself. But when He rose triumphant from the grave, He pinned the devil to the mat for good, so that you and I might escape. And that is the gracious invitation He extends to us once again today, simply by faith in His name. To be sure, if we reject Him, on that final day He will lock the door and tell us to depart from Him forever. But if we believe in Him, He will make our sins depart and He will take us through that narrow door into His Mansion of rest in Heaven!
A large family loaded all their earthly possessions into a covered wagon and joined 14 other families leaving Arkansas for Texas and the promise of a new land. One afternoon a cloud of dust appeared on the horizon behind the wagon train. The wagon master halted the column and drew them into a circle. The men reached for rifles, while the women gathered the children into the center of the wagons. But in a few minutes it became apparent that the dust was cause by a lone rider, carrying a bundle across his saddle. After calling out that he meant no harm, he dismounted and unwrapped the bundle, which contained a small two-year old boy. A cry of recognition came from the boy’s mother. He had somehow fallen unmissed from the wagon, where the cowboy rescued him and brought him safely back.
Dear friends, in an even better way, that’s what Jesus did for you and me. When we were lost and abandoned in sin, He rescued us and brought us safely back to the Father’s loving arms. And someday He will come again to bring us into the Doors of His Heavenly Kingdom. May that encourage us to frequently make us of the Word and the Sacraments, to strengthen our faith, and to share that Word with others, so that we will all be ready when Jesus comes again, for His name’s sake. Amen.
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