Pathway To Heaven Or Highway To Hell
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 7:13-14
Poets, authors, and musicians have incorporated the image of the road into their work for centuries.
From John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress to the Beatles’ “Long and Winding Road,” highways and byways have played an important supporting role in art and popular culture.
Jesus used the metaphor of the road, too. But he said only a few people choose the right road in life. The rest are headed full-speed down a big, broad superhighway to hell.
Was Jesus having a bad day or feeling unusually pessimistic when he delivered these sobering comments?
Many people would like to believe that everyone is going to heaven. Well, not everyone; can take out people like Hitler and Stalin. And maybe the guy who invented karaoke.
All of the others get a free pass to heaven, in our minds, thanks to their good works, or because we like them, or because we can’t bear the thought of their going to hell.
Jesus doesn’t like the thought of anyone going to hell, either. He came to earth and gave his life on the cross so that wouldn’t have to happen. But as he said in the passage above, there are basically two ways to go in life, and most people choose the wrong one.
How could this be the case if God loves everyone? Theologians have wrestled with this question for centuries. Many conclude that the fact that God loves all of us doesn’t mean all of us will love him back.
Jesus explained some of this in his parable of the sower and the seed (Matthew 13). A farmer went out one day to sow some seed. Some of the seed fell on the path where the birds came and ate it.
Some fell on bad soil where it started growing, then died off. Some fell in the thorns, which choked its growth. And some fell on fertile soil, where it took root and produced a bumper crop.
Jesus told that parable to a large crowd of people, but later, he gave a more detailed explanation to his disciples. The seed, he said, represents the message of the kingdom.
“When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart,” said Jesus.
“This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on the rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word he quickly falls away.”
Jesus never explained his comments about the two roads, but if he had, it might have gone something like this: Many people get in their cars and go out for a drive.
Some have no clear destination in mind and spend their lives wandering throughout the world.
Others know where they would like to go but get lost or distracted along the way. Only a few people make it to their ultimate destination.
This may not be a very “positive” message. You won’t see Jesus’ comments about the narrow road on a colorful greeting card. But not everything God says makes us happy. It needs only to be true.
God, help me stay on the narrow path to you and not get sidetracked on the wide way.