Sunday Readings: Isaiah 66.18-21, Hebrews 12.5-7, 11-13, Luke 13.22-30
Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. A person asked him this question. “Teacher, will only a few be saved?” Jesus replied, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’ Then the householder will say, ‘I don’t know where you come from.’”
A door or gate always represents choice. As long as a room has a door we can enter and exit it. We can choose to go in and choose to leave, to enclose or expand ourselves.
A doorway or threshold is a liminal space. The word limen means threshold, literally, the timber or stone that lies under a door. This space between inside and outside is transitional space, the boundary where one crosses between worlds and where we can imagine the persons we want to become.
The narrow door is Jesus self-giving way of life. His way means turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, loving even our enemies. In Luke’s narrative Jesus presses his followers to invest in the poor rather than in bigger granaries, to store up unfailing treasure with God. His way calls us to forgive other’s debts and invest ourselves and our wealth in providing a leg up for those our economy leaves behind and who have no hope of repaying us.
Luke places Jesus’ saying about the narrow door in the context of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem and his clear commitment to his unfolding mission. The narrow door is not an isolated saying but an image of Jesus’ way.
What door do you want to open or shut this week?