Luke
13:22-35
Lesson 138
13:22-35
Lesson 138
Luke 13:22-35
The narrow gate 22 And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, 24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. 29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. 31 The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. 32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. 33 Nevertheless I must walk today, and tomorrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! 35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. |
Margin notes:
"Strive to enter." (13:24) - To strive means to struggle, to do all you can. It implies that small efforts aren't enough. We can't save ourselves through good works, so we need to continually "strive" to know and to follow Jesus. "The strait gate." (12:24) - "The narrow gate." Jesus is repeating this message from Matthew 7:13-14. "Stand without." (13:25) - "Stand outside." "We have eaten and drunk in thy presence." (13:26) - "We have eaten and drank with you." "I know you not whence ye are." (13:27) - "I don't know where you come from." A warning from Jesus not to be locked out of heaven. He reinforces this warning in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:21-23) and again in the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:10-11). "They shall come from the east, and from the west." (13:29) - Jesus is telling us that anyone who believes, regardless of where they are from or whether they are Jew or Gentile, will be welcome in the kingdom of God. See also Isaiah 66:18; Malachi 1:11; Romans 4:16-25 and Galatians 3:6-9. "Tell that fox." (13:32) - Herod Antipas was disliked. In Jewish culture, a fox was considered sordid, cunning, and cowardly. "The third day I shall be perfected." (13:32) - "On the third day, I will complete my work." "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets." (13:34) - Israel had a long history of killing God's prophets (1 Kings 19:10; Jeremiah 2:30; Matthew 23:37). "How often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood." (13:34) - Jesus is saying that he loves and wants to save us. "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." (13:35) - A quote from Psalm 118:26. |