The main focus of chapter 13 is the concept of “repentance.” God has given humanity His word, His promises, His commands, and His instructions. But too many people are either ignorant about His commands are they simply don’t want to take His commands seriously.
But one thing I do want to emphasize here is that ignorance of God’s commands is not going to be an excuse. In Leviticus 5:2-5, God requires Israel to offer sacrifices for sins they have committed in ignorance and have become aware of them. In Leviticus 5:17, God states: “Now if a person sins and does any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, though he was unaware, still he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.”
Jesus tells us the same thing in Luke 12:47-48. So mankind must come to know God’s will, embrace God’s will, and obey God’s will if men or women want to be saved.
“Who can be saved?” The one who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ.
In verse 22, Luke makes reference again to Jesus’ plan to go to Jerusalem, which he introduced at 9:51. It is in Jerusalem that Jesus will complete God’s mission for Him, dying for the sins of mankind. During this journey, Jesus is asked by someone in the crowd if few people will be saved or many (ver. 23). Jesus challenged His audience to “struggle” or to “agonize” in order to enter heaven because the path to heaven is narrow (ver. 24). Many will seek to enter the door but will not have the strength to enter. Why? Because obedience to God requires mankind to put himself or his family last and too few people are willing to serve God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. “Repentance” (ver. 1-5) is a hard behavior to practice for too many people.
Then Jesus gives a parable (ver. 25-27). Jesus makes the spiritual application more clear at the end of verse 27 when He gives the reason for the rejection as the fact that they were “workers of unrighteousness.” These individuals did not serve God according to His teachings. In Matthew’s account (7:21-23), Jesus says they practice their religion without authority from God (the definition of “lawlessness”).
In verse 28, Jesus warns the Jews that many of them will be locked out of the Messianic Kingdom when it is established and, contrary to the Jewish leaders’ expectations, Gentiles will be in the kingdom. This verse anticipates the “Messianic banquet” which will occur when the kingdom is established and Jesus has relationships with those who trust and obey Him. He also describes hell as a location of intense pain and suffering (“weeping and gnashing of teeth”). The patriarchs will enjoy the banquet with the Messiah and so will the prophets whom the Jews (and their forefathers) killed: 11:47-51. The Jews (those who refused to accept and obey Jesus as the Messiah) are already being excluded: the participle “are being cast outside” is in the present tense.
Just because someone practices a form of “Christianity” does not mean God is pleased with it. Only God can define what true Christianity is, which is found in the pages of the New Testament. If a practice is not found in the New Testament, it is a counterfeit Christianity. In this paragraph and in its parallel in Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus defines the practice of rituals without His authority as “lawlessness” and “unrighteousness.” It is extremely important for us to compare our beliefs and practices with what is found in the New Testament and repent of practices which are not found there. While there can be no obedience without sincerity, there can also be no sincerity without obedience. God never changed His commands or His expectations because humanity sincerity disobeyed.
Enter the narrow gate! Jesus’ rewards will be worth it.
Paul Holland
