The Narrow Gate Series

I’m glad you stopped by for week two’s conversation on the narrow gate series. I hope you’re enjoying our walk through the Sermon on the Mont.

Today’s dialogue targets behaviors unacceptable with God’s holiness. The Jewish people needed correction on God’s meaning behind murders, adultery, divorce, and swearing. This included anger and lust. These evil deeds are designed by Satan and intended to kill a personal relationship with God. In fact, they are sins with devastating eternal consequences. Christ deemed those conduct as the wide gate.

These inequities come from the heart, provoking the mind to foster evil thoughts. And Christ highlighted the inward wickedness of humanity’s interaction with each other by exposing those behaviors objectionable in God’s presence.    

Behaviors Found in the Wide Gate

Here’s Jesus’s take on murder:

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,^] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.                     Matthew 5:21-22

Did you notice in verses twenty-one and twenty-two the three kinds of transgressions? The first is murder. This part of God’s law the Jewish people understood. They knew homicide brought severe judgment. But their blindness to anger, using hateful insults towards others (raca), and a malicious view (fool) of another person, stopped them from receiving God’s wisdom on those acts of evil.

Jesus created an unorthodox outlook on murder. It’s not by accident. He began with anger. Indeed, anger is the culprit leading to murder, hate, and ill feelings of others. Christ showed murder goes further than taking a human life, but its deliverance stems from indignation. He ensured anyone who practices them won’t enter heaven. These illustrate a demeanor common with the wide gate.

Our only defense against receiving Christ’s judgment on those sins is adhering to His teachings.     

Jesus continued with:

²³ “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there, remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

              Matthew 5:23-24

Restitution isn’t popular. Because some people stay blind to God’s righteous nature. This shows an unawareness of their sinful disposition. Christ elevated a disregard to amend relationships as unwisely.

Here’s something we both can agree on: reconciliation shows God’s will. Here, Christ unveils making amends with others holds a significant place in God’s heart. In fact, Jesus placed it ahead of offering spiritual gifts to the Lord. He emphasized the act of atonement is holy. Then He stated return in front of our Father and finish your sacrifice.

Then Jesus sums it up with:

²⁵ “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I tell you; you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

                                                       Matthew 5:25-26

Another correction Christ imposed is a willingness to settle debts with the enemy. He expressed do this before it’s too late. His warning against abiding by this commandment points to judgment from man’s court. Our Savior explained the penalty for such infraction results in possible imprisonment and the length of the sentence.

God rewards obedience to this holy responsibility with grace, love, and righteousness. When we settle our conflicts with our foes, the Holy Spirit enriches our relationship with God. Our God consciousness increases and we draw closer to Christ. With this stronger spiritual connectedness, a passion for following God’s will increases. And the next time we face our enemy, the wisdom to right the wrong emerges.

Given these points, Christ’s stance on murder comes from God. He showed murder’s components aren’t just physical death, but humanity’s refusal of God’s sovereignty.

Marriage Problems

Continuing His sermon, Jesus spoke of adultery. 

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.                                                                                                              Matthew 5:27-28

Here’s something we both can agree on: adultery destroys marriage. This sin causes tremendous damage to God’s holy union between men and women (Genesis 2:24). It devastates the mind, heart, and soul, bringing immense mental and physical pain. The suffering it inflicts shatters the trust between spouses.

Again, Jesus goes beyond the act of adultery and exposes the reason people commit this transgression. He unearthed sexual lust as the evildoer. Satan makes sexual desires look worthwhile but, in its aftermath, leaves the individual with terrible problems. Sexually transmitted diseases, abortion, homosexuality, lesbianism, suicide, and irreparable personal damage are a few examples.

Then Christ gives us a way to prevent lust from ruining our lives (Matthew 5:29-30). He described an unwavering willingness to turn away from lust. His metaphor shows extreme action needed to stay in a narrow way. Christ wants us to use the strength of self-control.

Next, Jesus addresses divorce. 

³¹ “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce. 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.                                                                                                              Matthew 5:31-32

Christ didn’t stay silent on divorce. He voiced God’s displeasure with it and showed adultery arises from divorce. His only exception to this reality- sexual immorality. I think you’ll agree with me when I say divorce is a common practice in our society. Couples seek separation instead of applying biblical solutions in resolving conflicts.

Jesus opposed the divorce certificate. He started with the phrase “It was also said” implying this tradition wasn’t in God’s law but from their leader’s personal theology. In His earlier lessons, he began with this same terminology.

Oaths Uselessness

We’ll end this week with Christ’s perspective on oaths.

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶ And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

    Matthew 5:33-37

Christ confronted this Jewish tradition, stating God doesn’t approve oaths. Jesus went on and highlighted heaven as God’s throne, earth, His footstool, and Jerusalem Christ’s domain. Indirectly, He deemed their behavior as self-righteous behavior. He brought to light those practices don’t work and called them useless.

Christ ended with making your response yes or no. This shows integrity and displays a faith anchored in His Deity. His mention of the evil one clarifies God’s positions on oaths.

In conclusion, we see sin as the entrance to the wide gate. Christ unraveled wrongful behavior is easy because everyone is born with sin (Romans 5:12). So, without God’s grace, the wide road continues causing destruction.

Next week we’ll look at selflessness and love.

May Christ continue shining bright in your life.