13 "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
--Matthew 7: 13-23
Have you ever thought of the most compelling evidence of your fallibility? Perhaps not an everyday pursuit, but it’s an interesting journey, to say the least—one characterized by the all-too-ordinary landmarks of selfishness, pride, judgment, slander, covetousness, idolatry, even fornication. If not your personal area(s) of struggle, no doubt some are caught in their snare on a regular basis. There are countless others too, but no need to list them. The point is there’s an underlying issue, a root cause, if you will. While the journey may be marked with these and other specific evidences of evil, the road itself, the ground upon which the travel takes place, is the fundamental problem. The road is, you guessed it, the broad, wide, easy way referenced above. And no matter the exact manner in which it’s described, it’s intrinsically DECEITFUL.
Let me explain.
Jesus was concluding the well-known Sermon on the Mount when he spoke the words in chapter 7. If you have time, read the whole thing, beginning in chapter 5. At first glance it appears Jesus was merely stringing together independent nuggets of wisdom, unconnected in any meaningful way. But upon further review, a cohesiveness surfaces, albeit from a greater depth. Jesus, using the easy recognized, tangible talking points of the day, underscores the theme of the Bible, of humanity and its fall, of reality itself: the battle of good versus evil. Better yet, the confrontation of Truth versus Lie (any other synonym will do: falsehood, deceit, fabrication, dishonesty, untruth, etc.).
What began in the Garden has continued to rage throughout all time, characterizing every flaw, every foible, every individual evidence of the Fall (and there are so many, right?!). The father of lies deceived, perfection on Earth was no more, and untruth tainted all that was good. But then Jesus came. Light came to darkness. Truth came to that which was untrue. And all was exposed, so that those who loved the Light ran to Him, while those whose heart was evil scurried away to the fringes to find cover.
This is the reality in which we live. Now. Right now. Here. Today. Every day we choose—by our attitudes, our actions, our words, our thoughts, our emotions, our affections—to freely embrace the Truth…or to run for darkness’ cover. It’s no different than the reality faced by Jesus’ immediate listeners on that Judean hillside, two thousand years ago. This being so, it’s no wonder the Sermon’s theme. It’s no wonder there’s a narrow way to life, gain in a lost one, a discovery of treasure in the relinquishing of the material. Just as truth is absolutely counter to falsehood, so is the Christian life counter to the world and its ways, loosely governed by its ruler.
So what?
As Truth itself (Himself), Jesus cares (really cares!) that we conduct life truthfully. Pay close attention—the recipients of some of His harshest words are ‘hypocrites,’ those whose motives are messed up, whose work is depicted by lawlessness (verse 23). They are false, their fruit is rotten, their ultimate lot is destruction.
The problem is, this is me. I exchange the truth of God, of reality, for lies. So in many ways I live deceitfully. I choose sin instead of righteousness, often to receive the praise of people, instead of the approval of my Maker. I have disproportionate affections for that which cannot save, that which was created by the hands of men (idolatry is just as prevalent today, in America, as it ever has been anywhere else!!!). And perhaps worst of all, I seek to be my own god, controlling everything I possibly can, providing for my own needs, placing my hope for fulfillment and contentment and meaning in myself. I am given to glory (verb) in myself and, in doing so, I rob Him of His (noun).
As you can see, the mounting evidences of my fallibility can get overwhelming.
But.
Despite these, I am a child of the King. I am a son of Truth. And the Spirit within me eventually exposes deceitfulness for what it is. It (the Spirit) convicts me. Checks me. Get this: Lets my feet feel the wrongness of the wide road I’m prone to travel.
The true mark of the Christian, then, is the hatred of the hypocritical, the disdain for the duplicitous. Why? Because that is the very character of His Spirit, the Spirit within. First, feel the wrongness of truth’s antithesis. Then, as the Spirit stirs, grow in your abhorrence of it…that you may do the will of your Father—which is the [narrow] road that leads to His kingdom.
Grace to you, that Light would shine in your darkness, for the sake of Truth,
Voice of another
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