Lk 13:24-30
‘Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, “Lord, open to us”, then in reply he will say to you, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will begin to say, “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.” But he will say, “I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!” 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, and you yourselves thrown out. Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.’
BLOG DISCUSSION QUESTION: What does this say to that picture of Jesus standing at the door and knocking?
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8 comments:
Well, PJ I am not quite sure I fully understand your question, but as far as Jesus knocking on the door He is inviting us to come into His Kingdom. The parable though to me is saying that we are the ones knocking on His door. Jesus' point being that not all will be allowed into the Kingdom of heaven. As the question that was asked of Jesus was, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" If you can clarify your question a little Pastor Jerry I would appreciate it. Thank you!!
I need help too with the question.
I believe Pastor J may be referring to an actual picture and what does this parable say about the picture. If you go to google and search for "picture of Jesus knocking at the door", you will see and recognize it.
Now I get it. Rev.3:20 "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."
Good question after all! I am hanging a sign on my door. "I will be back later today".
About that picture.. if you ever noticed there is no door knob on the door. It can only be opened from the inside. And about who will be saved? I truly liked the sermon some time this month about how we should not be worried about who will be saved. But what sin is doing to me and how it is harming others.
Exactly, layman, the question is how many will be saved. Part of the answer is, "the concern is not how many; but, will you be saved"?
The following is not an answer to Pastor's question, but some information I have learned about this in past studies. The Jews are knocking at the door expecting to be brought into the kingdom because they are descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We've seen this before and notice that we're getting closer to the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, if Luke is chronological. The master basically says, the door has been open for a long time and you have not fulfilled what was demanded in the covenants that God made with the Jewish people. And also, the prophets have told you over and over again what you need to do to be saved and you have not listened.
Now, I'm here and you're rejecting me.
So now, that door is shut to you and is now being opened to all the people. The east, the west, the north and the south, in other words the Gentiles whom the Jews did not consider being part of God's kingdom.
A Bible expositor has said that it seems whenever the New Testament talks about "weeping and gnashing of teeth", it SEEMS to be referring to the Jews. Emphasis on seems, he was not entirely certain about this. Hence, those that were first, "the Jews" will now be last, and those that were last, in the eyes of the Jews, will be first, "the Gentiles".
I believe that the artist of the picture is in error about a door without a knob because it is not us opening the door, assuming the knob is on the other side for us, but God has opened the door to us through the death and resurrection of Christ. To me, this picture represents the theology that we must do something to enter into the kingdom. That is not what we hear every Sunday morning!
I may update these thoughts later.
I haven't blogged for awhile, but I do read it daily.
Great responses!
The reason I posed this question is that often times the Gospel is presented this way to people. That is, that Jesus stands at the door of our hearts, knocking, hoping that we will open it up and let him in. (Of course RJQ is right that this picture is an interpretation of a verse in Revelation.)
This parable kind of has it the other way around, people knocking at the door, and the answer is not a welcomed one.
As I read the parable this time, these words stood out, "for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.", with the operative word being, "try". And all their trying...their knocking and their words...is to no avail. And maybe that is the point. No matter how hard WE try, it isn't our trying that brings us into God's kingdom. Instead, it is who God invites in.
And who has God invited....people from east and west, north and south....sounds like quite a crowd...a crowd of people whom he knows by their names.
Will he know me when I stand at the door? I am confident he will, for he has given me my name in the waters of Baptism...a name that he has promised he won't forget.
Thanks RJQ in letting me feel like I wasn't the only one who did not understand the question right away! :) Pastor Jerry thanks for your insights on the parable it definately helped in understanding the parable better and why you asked the question you did! Praise Be to God that WE are not the ones who need to 'try' to enter the Kingdom of heaven because there are many ways that we would fail due to our own sin! But thanks to Jesus Christ He has invited us through the waters of Baptism just as PJ said. What a great gift!
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