He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Comment: Why did the Questioner ask this particular question? Was he a statistician and just looking for probabilities and academic knowledge? Was he asking, ‘I want to end up in heaven, have I got much of a chance?’ The first thing that Jesus says is “Strive to enter through the narrow door.“ Strive is an active verb suggesting effort and productivity. Does this mean that you earn your way into heaven? Or that your lifestyle is important. Certainly the Bible talks about good and evil people and God’s pleasure in goodness and hatred for evil actions! But then in answering the question Jesus says that when you arrive at the door it is too late to expect admission – by then you are either the right to be in or not! Jesus explains with a story. Presumably the answer is about God (the master) and ‘shutting the door’ which either refers to death or the second coming or to both. It seems as if the Master’s door is made of strong glass because you can’t burst your way in, but you can see what is going on inside! It reads as if you have to the right to be inside before the door is shut for you! Is the shutting when you either die or God calls the end of time, at any rate for us humans when eternity begins?? At any rate the picture is that you have to get the right to enter before the door is shut! Does this mean that although there is a future judgement, the make the choice to be in heaven is given before facing the door of death? And that is what the Bible teaches throughout! We have to by repentance and faith to ‘get a right relationship with God’ through Jesus and have our family relationship with God changed from being just a ‘created one’ to a ‘child of the Father’. That is the meaning of the Easter Event! But the way we live is important.
Proverbs 11: 27 – Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favour,
but evil comes to him who searches for it.
Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for opening the way to enter into Heaven by Your Perfect Life, Death and Glorious Resurrection!
As I read it! 