The Narrow Gate
“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.” Luke 2:1-3
I love being reminded in this text that the Lord sovereignly uses a political decree from the Roman emperor to create the necessity for Mary and Joseph to travel to their ancestral homeland at the perfect time for Jesus to be born. It wasn't a perfect time in regards to comfort or convenience for Mary and Joseph, given her advanced stage of pregnancy. The timing couldn't be worse for Mary and modern medicine would strongly recommend against such exertion to ensure the safety of mother and baby. Yet this arduous journey was the Lord's will as captured in ancient prophecy hundreds of years earlier. (Isaiah 7:14, Micah 4:2) Surely the Lord cares about the safety of His only begotten Son, the incarnate Christ. Jesus was even from the womb "a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”. (Isaiah 53:3)
Jesus clearly states the path to salvation, “Enter by the narrow ( gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matthew 7:13-14) “Narrow" and "difficult" refers to a gate that is difficult to enter, a way constrained by pressure, symbolizing the challenging path of discipleship and righteousness that leads to life, in contrast to the wide and easy path that leads to destruction. It’s pretty clear what path most of the American church is on. Many of the Elect, though, are currently experiencing the opposite of comfortable and easy as the Lord prepares them for the difficult days ahead. It's not that the Elect seek out hardship but, like Mary and Joseph, it is sovereignly woven into the fabric of God's plan for their lives. The Lord regularly asks His Elect to do the hard thing, the risky thing, the inconvenient thing in order to fulfill His perfect will. May the Lord be our comfort, and encouragement and strength today as He prepares us for the difficult days ahead.
I love being reminded in this text that the Lord sovereignly uses a political decree from the Roman emperor to create the necessity for Mary and Joseph to travel to their ancestral homeland at the perfect time for Jesus to be born. It wasn't a perfect time in regards to comfort or convenience for Mary and Joseph, given her advanced stage of pregnancy. The timing couldn't be worse for Mary and modern medicine would strongly recommend against such exertion to ensure the safety of mother and baby. Yet this arduous journey was the Lord's will as captured in ancient prophecy hundreds of years earlier. (Isaiah 7:14, Micah 4:2) Surely the Lord cares about the safety of His only begotten Son, the incarnate Christ. Jesus was even from the womb "a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”. (Isaiah 53:3)
Jesus clearly states the path to salvation, “Enter by the narrow ( gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matthew 7:13-14) “Narrow" and "difficult" refers to a gate that is difficult to enter, a way constrained by pressure, symbolizing the challenging path of discipleship and righteousness that leads to life, in contrast to the wide and easy path that leads to destruction. It’s pretty clear what path most of the American church is on. Many of the Elect, though, are currently experiencing the opposite of comfortable and easy as the Lord prepares them for the difficult days ahead. It's not that the Elect seek out hardship but, like Mary and Joseph, it is sovereignly woven into the fabric of God's plan for their lives. The Lord regularly asks His Elect to do the hard thing, the risky thing, the inconvenient thing in order to fulfill His perfect will. May the Lord be our comfort, and encouragement and strength today as He prepares us for the difficult days ahead.