Matthew 7.13-20

Introduction

We continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount. And today, we begin its conclusion. Jesus has been presenting his Kingdom and his Kingdom ways. But now it is time to decide. Jesus will begin to draw a line in the sand today. It’s time for us to decide if we want the Kingdom. For the next several sections, he will ask us to choose, and this decision point, this narrowing of options, may stretch us.

We live in a world of endless choices. I do not know how many times I have run into Food City or Home Depot to grab something “real quick,” only to find out there are 30 versions of the thing. Before I know it, I am stuck in the aisle reading all the labels, trying to discern the differences. A while back I almost didn’t make it out of the toilet seat section of Home Depot. I ran in “real quick” to buy a replacement, and almost had a panic attack when I realized they had a wall of like 20 different toilet seats. Who knew? But that is our world. All the choices you want. The Cheesecake Factory has a spiral, book-sized menu with over 250 menu items. Endless choices. But today, Jesus is going to say in the grand scheme of things there are really only two choices. Two. This reduction may challenge you.

We also live in a world where you are encouraged to pick whatever you want. You do you. Be yourself. Be true to yourself. Whatever you want, whatever feels right to you, whatever makes sense to you, do that. Live your truth. But Jesus is going to say, not only are there just two choices, but only one of them is correct. 

Then, in the last couple verses we will consider today, Jesus is going to caution us about certain supposed guides who might lead us astray in this choice and how we can know whether a religious guide is true or false.

So, let’s start with the two options, and then we will talk about the false guides.

Matthew 7:13-14

[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. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

The word of the Lord. 

So, from these verses, we have our first two cautions…

1. Beware the way to destruction

What is destruction? What are we talking about here? We are talking about destruction through and through. We are talking about a destruction that begins in this life and culminates in eternal destruction in hell. In this life, the fruit of sin is described as destruction (cf. Proverbs 6:32; 1 Timothy 6:9) or corruption (Galatians 6:8). God’s punishment against sinners is described as destruction (2 Peter 2:3). And hell is described as eternal destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:9). This destruction is contrasted with the way that leads to life. Life is often another way of talking about salvation. In salvation, Jesus gives us life, life to the full (John 10:10), eternal life (John 3:16). Destruction is the opposite. So, we are talking about the road that leads to hell. We are talking about the road to perdition. There is a way that leads to destruction.

What are the cautions that Jesus gives us about this way?

“The gate is wide.” It is easy to find this gate. It is huge! It’s gaping. You can’t miss it. It is like the St. Louis Gateway Arch. You can see it from miles away. You could drive an army through it. If it were over water, you could run an aircraft carrier through it. 

What is the wide gate? Jesus contrasts the wide gate with one other option: the narrow gate. So, according to Jesus, there are only two options, and that means the wide gate is anything that is not the narrow gate. If you could imagine a little, bitty crawlspace doorway underneath the Gateway Arch… if you are not going through that little doorway, you’re going through the big gate. So, beware…the way to destruction has a big gate.

“The way is easy.” This is an interesting point to notice. You don’t have to try hard to go down this path. This is the “go with the flow” path. It is the lazy river, tube floating way. Just sit back and kick back, and you will go down this path. It’s less steep. It’s wider. It’s smoother. It requires no concentration. But again, the problem is this lazy river is heading for a waterfall that will kill you. At the end of this easy way is Niagara Falls and the rocks below.

“Those who enter by it are many.” So, this is a case where you are not safe because you are with the herd. A lot of times, we are more safe when we are with the herd. It is the those who get isolated that get hurt. But this is the tricky thing with the path that leads to destruction: Many people will be on it with you. And herein lies the danger: You might be surrounded by people that agree with you and the direction you are headed. You might be surrounded by people who applaud you and promote you and your lifestyle. But don’t be fooled by the crowd. Don’t be comforted by the crowd. They are marching to their destruction. 

What might it look like to drift to the easy way?

• Drifting with your context. It is easy to do. Effortless, really. I can imagine the young professional trying to advance in their career. Depending on the field, a drift away from the Bible may help them. I can’t help but think of friends who got attention and found applause for critiquing the church and moving further and further from the truth. They never set out to find the wide gate, but they are on the path now. It was a slow fade. For you, maybe it is a small business where you work, or it is a team you are on, or a group of friends you run with. You are drifting them with. You did not set out to drift, but that is the thing with the wide way…it’s just so easy and natural to drift.
  
• Drifting towards extremes. It seems the narrow way often runs down the middle of extremes, and so, one of the ways we know we are drifting is when we see ourselves arriving at extremes. On the one side, we might drift towards licentiousness, thinking grace means we can sin all we want. But interestingly, on the other side is legalism, which can be just as spiritually deadly, with people drifting towards a cold, lifeless, graceless, “Christianity.”
  
• Drifting by standing for nothing. Maybe it is not that you are standing in this river and getting swept off your feet, but it is that you just don’t want to put your feet down at all. Why? Well, you hate to be dogmatic. You don’t want to be judgmental. You want to err on the side of love and unity. But without having some anchor point, connected to the narrow gate, you inevitably drift, though your intentions were spotless.
  
• Bottom line: If you say no to the narrow gate, you are headed for the wide gate, no matter what you are doing. Even if you try your best to be moral and good and not a hypocrite, if you are not entering by the narrow gate, you are headed for the wide gate. From there, it is choose your own adventure to hell.

Basically, as with anything, including your spirituality, if you take your hands off the wheel, the car will drift. It might stay straight for a little while, but it will drift eventually. 

Now, Jesus talks about some cautions about the way to life. Let’s consider this second caution.

2. Beware the way to life.

What is life? What are we talking about? We are talking about life through and through. We are talking about finding more true life in this current life, and we are talking about eternal life. Ultimately, we are talking about salvation and eternal life. In fact, when Jesus gives this teaching about the two ways in Luke, it is in response to a question about how many will be saved. So, he is talking about salvation, who will be saved. There is a way that leads to salvation. That is, there is a way that leads to life. But there are some cautions we need to heed about this way to life.

“The gate is narrow.” Listen carefully here. Jesus does not say the gate to salvation is hard. He does not say getting through the gate is hard. He says the gate is narrow. And that is a very different thing indeed. What is the difference? A hard gate would mean it is hard to get saved. Like, good luck getting through that gate. But a narrow gate just means there is a very precise, specific way to get in. What is the old saying? “Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” And so it is with the Kingdom of God. Close does not count. There is only one, precise way to get it. One, narrow gate. Not three gates. Not five gates. Not optional gates. Not a huge, wide gate that you can loosely eyeball and hit. There is one exact gate. And it is very specific. 

What is the gate? It is Jesus. That’s it. Jesus is the gate. Friends, hear the word of the Lord: There is no other gate. In John, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door…I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved…” (John 10:7, 10). Jesus is the gate; he is the door (which can also be translated “gate,” NIV). In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And when the Apostles begin to preach the good news, this is what they say. In Act 4:12, Peter says, “…there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, ESV). There is only one way to enter the Kingdom. It is through Jesus.

What does it mean that Jesus is the gate? This description is shorthand for all that Christ has done to make a way for us to enter the Kingdom of God and receive eternal life with God. By his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus bailed us out of prison and paid for our ticket into the Kingdom.

How do we enter? By faith in Jesus. By counting on him. By shifting our allegiance from ourselves to him. By rejecting our sins and calling on his name. If you know what it means to call 911, then you can get saved. It is the same idea. You call Jesus in prayer and say, “I’m in trouble and I know you can help. Help!” Please do that today.

“The way is hard.” Second caution here is that the way is hard. Again, we are not talking about getting saved being hard. We are talking about the journey home to eternal life with God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ is difficult. So, this is an important point to notice. Just because you have chosen the narrow gate does not mean life is going to be a cakewalk now. Just because you are on the team that wins in the end, does not mean you are always going to win in this life. In fact, Jesus often cautions that there will be persecutions for his followers. You may be harassed for your faith. You may find that your faith requires certain sacrifices. You may find that you are the odd man out because of your faith in Jesus. But here is the kingdom paradox: the hard way leads to the easy life. Christ’s call to us is full of such paradoxes. Kingdom life is narrow yet expansive (for what could be more narrow than destruction, and more expansive than eternal life to whosoever wants it?). Kingdom life is difficult and easy. His yoke is relatively easy compared to the bondage of sin, and his burden is relatively light compared to the burden of guilt. But in this life, Jesus says, you will have troubles. But, Jesus says, if you lose your life, you will find it. So the way is hard, but it leads to life.

A final caution…

“and those who find it are few” The issue is that few find it. Again, listen carefully: it is not that you can’t find it. It is that many don’t. Listen, it’s not that it’s hard to find; it’s that it’s easy to miss. I think the idea is that because the gate is narrow, people just blow right past it. It is right there, for whoever wants it. But they just blow past it. There is a little lake house we often go to for vacation. We have been there many times. It sits several hundred yards off the road, down a small gravel drive, winding through a forest of trees. The entrance is small. As many times as I have been there, I still have to slow down and sometimes ask, “Is it this one?” Because it is easy to miss. Now, the entrance itself is clear. Yes, the entrance is narrow, and the drive is windy and bumpy. But, anyone can find it and anyone can drive it. In fact, many, many guests have. But because it is small, it is also easy to miss. If you are looking for it, you will find it. But if you are not paying attention, you will blow right by it. I think that is the picture here. Few find it because they are cruising by on the easy highway and the little gate is easy to miss. 

But, anyone can enter this drive. It is not hidden. It is not barred. Jesus does not say he won’t let many find it. He does not say he hopes few find it. He is saying the sad story is that few find it, when it is right there for everyone. What does he say at the beginning: “Enter by the narrow gate.” You can enter it. Today. You can enter. Many will blow past it. But it does not have to be that way. You could find it. If you are seeking God today, you can find it. If you are knocking today, it will be open to you. If you ask, you will receive. Just ask Jesus and he will let you in. He is already purchased your ticket. Just ask him.

Just ask. There is a Harvard Business professor¹ who was teaching a course on communication, and she would offer the class a hundred dollar bill to anyone who could convince her to give them the money. So, students would say stuff like, I’ll give it to a charity. Or, I’ll invest it and give the dividends to the class. People would make all kinds of convincing arguments to get the money. But she was waiting for something in particular. Finally, someone raised their hand and said, “May I have the hundred dollar bill?” And that was it; that was what she was waiting for. She was waiting for someone to ask. She said some classes would never arrive at the simple solution of just asking. The class would get so worked up trying to earn the hundreds bucks that they failed to see the simplest and humblest of all strategies: Just ask. Friends, we can do this with Jesus. We have all these things we think we have got to do to get his favor. All these things we might try. We think we have got to clean up our act. We think we have got to walk the line for a while to get saved. But really, Jesus says all we have to do is ask. Anyone, who calls on his name can be saved. Just ask. You can enter the by narrow gate. The gate is not barred. It is just narrow. It is not hard to find; just easy to miss. Don’t miss it. Say today, “Jesus, I’d like to come in; I give you might life.” And he will, with a smile, say to you, “Come in, my friend. What took you so long?”

Friends, when Jesus walked on earth, all kinds of people asked to enter his Kingdom, and he always granted them entrance. All kinds of people asked for his help, and he always gave it. All who asked passed through the narrow gate into life and life eternal. Not because they were good but because they looked to Jesus and Jesus let them in. Enemy soldiers, who were enemies of the Jesus and his people, asked and they entered. Prostitutes asked and were received into the Kingdom. Insane people, vile criminals, white-collar crooks, blasphemers, hypocrites, untouchables, nobodies, legalists, deplorables, commanders and country folk, high class and low class, black and white and brown and yellow… asked and the gate was opened. Listen: You can enter the gate if you want. I will tell you the password: Jesus. Just ask Jesus. Tell him you want in. Surrender to him. The gate is narrow, but you can enter. Jesus tells you today, “Enter by the narrow gate.” Enter through Jesus.

Now, Jesus changes subjects, although they are related. He turns to the topic of people who would misguide us on the road. Let’s read our final few verses for today.

Matthew 7:15-20

[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 thornbushes, 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. [20] Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

So, we have here our third and final caution…

3. Beware of false guides.

Why do I say “guides” and not “prophets”? Because that is how the prophet is functioning here. What is a prophet? A prophet is someone who speaks for God with the authority of God in order to guide his people. We often think of a prophet as someone who tells the future, which they do, but they also speak for God to guide his people. You will often see them in the Old Testament declaring what the Lord wants for his people, telling them the Lord wants them to this or repent of that. So a false prophet is someone who claims the authority to speak on behalf of God but in reality does not have that authority and does not say what God says. So, in the context of Matthew 7, the issue is wanting to enter the narrow gate, and the false prophet is like a false guide who says, “No, not that way; the narrow gate is over here,” but it’s a lie.

The problem. Now, the tricky things with false prophets² is how deceptive they can be. Jesus says they “come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” So on the outside, they look pretty good. They seem nice. They seem sweet. They seem well-intentioned. They seem innocent. And what makes this more tricky is…

• Prophets often speak to matters outside of scripture, about topics that are highly specific or maybe future. So, for example, a prophet might say, “I’ve been praying, and the Lord is coming back sometime next year.” How do you know if that is true? Or, I have seen in our day, in churches that still recognize prophecy, that a lot of prophecy is personal advice. So the point is it is hard to evaluate them strictly by their message. 
• Sometimes even false prophets perform miracles or pseudo miracles. (See the magicians in Pharaoh’s court, or the prophets in Revelation.) So it is hard to figure out who the bad guys are sometimes because they look pretty authentic.

The solution. So how we figure out who’s who? Jesus tells us. Watch what their lives produce. Watch the fruit of their lives. Verse 16: “You will recognize them by their fruits.” What are fruits? This is the produce of their lives. What are they becoming? What is the outcome of their lifestyle? How are they evolving or growing? This will be the giveaway. And there is one more ingredient implied here we have to notice, and it is this: TIME. We must wait and see. It is hard to tell what a tree is in its early stages. An apple tree may not bear apples for years. So, we have to be diligent and watchful. We diligently watch to see what their life produces.

What does this look like in real life? Peter actually paints a picture in 2 Peter 2. He says these kinds of frauds lure others in. He says they are marked by sensuality and lust. They are greedy. They swindle people out of money. They are irreverent and irreligious. And at the end of the day, Peter says, the real shame is that they mislead good people; these false prophets and teachers don’t deliver on what they promise. Peter says they are like waterless clouds: They look promising, but there is nothing in them. By contrast, Paul says, when the Spirit of God is at work in a true believer, you see a rich harvest of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” And James says, “[17] But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. [18] And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:17-18). In other words, if someone is really speaking wisdom from above, then you will see a harvest of righteous in a field of peace.

And listen, Jesus says the two things, true identity and produce, are inextricably linked. So, to consider the fruit of someone’s life is a super helpful, true tool for discernment. If you see someone walking with the Lord, not perfect but repentant, growing in faith, growing in love, growing in peace, with things reasonably in order… they are probably worth listening to. But if you have another speaker or pastor or elder or author who is really gifted, but they have got all these unrepentant sins sticking out of their suitcase, then beware. No one is perfect, but if there is no fruit, then there should be concern.³

Conclusion

In a world of voices, in a world of teachers and prophets, in a world of people who claim to speak for God, beware. Don’t let them lead you away from the correct gate. It is easy to miss because it is so easy to drift down the wide road. Enter by the narrow gate. Enter by Jesus. He is the way and the truth and the life. He stands ready to open the gate for you. Just ask.

1. Brooks, A. W. (2025). Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves. Crown. ↩︎
2. By the way, we’re talking about false prophets, but I think we could extend this warning to false teachers as well. The two groups are very similar (2 Peter 2:1). ↩︎
3. By the way, as a congregational church, this is part of your job. Your leaders are to safeguard you, but you are to safeguard the leaders. Elders are sheep too and need care too. So, in a congregational church like ours, becoming a member is a matter of mutual accountability. ↩︎