THE PARABLE OF THE BROAD WAY AND NARROW WAY - 

 

Matthew 7:13-27 NKJV, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

 

Matthew Chapters 5-7 is Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.  It is the only sermon of Jesus that is written down for us.  Perhaps God decided that it told us all we needed to know, so no more sermons were needed to be written down for us.  This sermon is the cornerstone of Jesus' messages to mankind, we must pay particular attention to it.

​

In chapter 5:3-10 Jesus gives us the Beatitudes identifying the characteristics of a 'blessed' person who will inherit and earth and is fit for the Kingdom of heaven (See the page on the 'Beatitudes' for more on that).  And then in Matthew 5:17-20 he tells us to keep the Old Testament Law and Prophets because our entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven is based on our righteousness.  Then he goes on in chapter 6 to explain that the law is not just for the control of external behavior, it had internal restrictions as well. Then when we get to chapter 7 we see a warning for those who didn't accept what he said in chapters 5 and 6.

​

Even though the Bible translator has divided these verses (7:13-27) into sections with titles, it is really one teaching. Follow along.  And it must be noted that this parable isn’t for just the people who there to head it, this is a parable for all people in all ages, as all people are included in the parable, and all people will come to the judgment seat as in this parable.  I think you will be amazed.

​

This message in 7:13-27 must be prefaced with the message from the first half of this sermon, in Matthew 5:17-20 where Jesus tells us to keep the Old Testament Law and Prophets, every jot and tittle, even the least commandment until heaven and earth pass away.  Now I know that many Christians are taught that Matthew 5:17-20 doesn't pertain to the Christian Church, but they were told, it's only for pre-cross Jews.  But that's not true are all, read this and you will see that this message is for Jew and Gentile alike - until heaven and earth pass away.

​

Matthew 7:13-14 The Narrow Way and the Broad Way

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” 

​

In this section, Jesus tells us there are two ways for people to live, one is likened to a narrow hard way that leads to eternal life, the other is likened to a broad easy way that leads to destruction.  All people who ever lived, and even those alive today, Jew and Gentile are walking on one of the two ways.

​

Jesus tells us that almost everyone is on the broad easy way leading to eternal destruction.  They are on the broad way because they are deceived.  We know that they are deceived because no one would intentionally travel on that way leading to destruction if they knew it would end in eternal destruction. Somebody deceived them and told them that the broad way was the way to eternal life.  And perhaps they even said that the Narrow Way lead to destruction.  Most of the people in the world, and the Christian church, are on the Broad way - I will show you why.

​

In contrast to all of those ‘many’ on the broad way, Jesus said that there are a ‘few’ on the narrow way leading to life.  And those on the narrow way had to ‘find’ it. “Find” in the Greek is a present tense verb, meaning that they are continually seeking and finding.   Proverbs 21:21 says, “He who continually pursues righteousness and kindness finds life ….”. Those on the narrow way had to be seeking, studying, searching, and wanting to know God’s will and God’s way – because they weren’t told how to walk the narrow way in their churches.  They are what I call ‘truth seekers’.  Most people are content with what they are told by their religious leaders during sermons, but truth seekers are not, truth seekers want to know more.  I’m a truth seeker, and I suspect that you are too, or you wouldn’t be reading this.  Matthew 7:7-8, " “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."  Truth seekers will find the truth, if the search for it.

​

It is the Scriptural truth found in God's word that allows them to avoid the deceptions that would draw us to the Broad Way leading to death, and enables us to walk on the narrow way which leads to life.  You will only find Biblical truth by setting aside church doctrine and creeds and seeking the truth from the Scriptures alone. The passage continues…the question is...

​

Who deceived them?  And what is the deception that keeps them on the broad way leading to destruction?

​

Matthew 7:15-20  “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them." 

​

In this section we see who it was that deceived the people on the broad way headed for destruction.  It was those that wear sheep’s clothing, that is, the shepherds.  (Ancient shepherd wore a sheep's fleece to better be accepted by the sheep.  Today’s shepherds who are leading the flocks are the pastors, and religious leaders, or false prophets.  A true prophets speak God’s word, false prophets only claim to but speak God's words, but speak something different.  They themselves were deceived and traveling on that Broad way leading to eternal death, but don’t know it - they truly believe they are traveling to eternal life.  They teach their students (their fruit) their theology, and so their students are following them on the Broad way. You will know them by their bad ‘fruit’.  Are they keeping the Old Testament 'law and prophets' as Jesus told us to keep in Matthew 5:17-20, or are they enjoying their Easter Sunday Ham Dinner?  Do they eat kosher or eat pig? Do they worship on Sabbath or on Sunday? Do they keep Passover or keep Easter?  Do they 'worship and serve' Yahoveh alone as Jesus told us to in Matthew 4:10, Luke 4:8, John 17:3, and Revelation 22:8-9?  By their fruit you will know them.

​

What is the deception that keeps them on the Broad way?

​

Matthew 7:21-23,  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!". 

​

Here we see what that deception is.  What is it that causes 'the lost' to travel the broad way leading to eternal death?  The end of the broad way is Judgment Day, the Judge is Jesus.  'The lost' on the broad way are professing believing Christians who (“believed Jesus was lord and savior), for they did good Christian deeds, cast out demons and they called Jesus ‘Lord, Lord’ – a profession of faith. No doubt they belonged to a church and where they were considered leaders, elders, pastors, or godly people who believed in Jesus.  But Jesus rejected them at the gate of heaven because they didn’t do the “Father’s will” (verse 21).  We then find out what is the Father’s will.  In Verse 23 tells us that they were rejected because they practiced ‘lawlessness’.   Obviously, keeping God’s law was the will of the Father. 

​

Jesus warned us, Matthew 24:11-12, "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 Then because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold."  The false prophets are those pastors and teachers who teach lawlessness, falsely claiming that God is OK with us discarding His 'law and the Prophets'.

​

Here's what many Christian fail to understand about the Judgement.  John 5:24-30, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. 30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."  Jesus will be the judge, but the won't judge people according to some New Testament criteria, he said he will judge people according to how they lived 'good' or 'evil', as determined by the Father's will, God's law.  But those who 'hear' his word and believe in 'Him' (i.e., God), shall not come into judgment.  What is it to 'hear' Jesus' words and 'believe' in God? If you hear Jesus' words and 'believe' God?  To 'hear' Jesus' words and 'believe' in God means to obey what they command.

​

Those who were rejected from the heaven practiced 'lawlessness', what law(s) did they break?  Just two chapter before, and the beginning of this sermon, Jesus told us to keep the Old Testament ‘Law and Prophets’, every jot and tittle, even the least of the commandments, until heaven and earth pass away.  And somehow the church has convinced people that Matthew 5:17-20 is not for them because they don't have to keep God's law. Some will say Jesus 'fulfilled' the law so we don't have to keep it. But, even the last book of the Bible, the Book of the Revelation, God's last message to mankind, He tells us, Revelation 22:14, "Blessed are those who do the Commandments of God that they may right to the Tree of Life and enter the city by the Gate".  The 'gate' of the city is where judgment takes place, and the criteria for judgment was the commandments of God, or the will of the Father.  And salvation is by 'grace', which God gives to those who love Him and keeps His commandments, and repent when they fail.  Those who will not do the will of the Father will have no place in the Father's kingdom....

​

The text isn’t just saying that those who were rejected broke the law, we have all done that, and for that we have repentance.  It says that they were ‘lawless’.  They were called ‘lawless’ because they were deceived into rejected all, or parts, of God’s law. The deceiver told them that they didn’t need to keep God’s law (Torah) because it’s done away with, nailed to the cross, Jesus finished it – they believed it and were deceived. When someone reject part, or all, of God's law they became presumptuous sinners and will not keep it, and they will never see the breaking of those rejected laws as sin, so therefore they will never repent.  They become what the Scriptures call “presumptuous sinners”, presuming that the law is not for them and presuming that they will suffer no consequences for breaking it. That is typical of those on the Broad way.  They are deceived into being 'lawless'.  Even though they keep some of God's laws, and are moral people, and church goers, they are lawless in God's eyes.  Presumptuously breaking even one of God's commandments, or laws, with no repentance or guilt, is to spurn God's authority over you.  He is then no longer your supreme authority.

​

This also answers a question, as to what will happen to the people who are deceived?  We like to think of deceive people as innocent victims, especially when we are one of them.  But according to this parable, people who are deceived by the churches, deceived by preachers and teachers, are lost…and they are heading for destruction and don’t know it. They are not innocent, they are only deceived because they ignored Jesus’ many warnings, believing deceived religious leaders instead of Jesus. And then they didn’t seek the truth from the Scriptures.  And that makes it urgent to get this message out! 

​

How do we avoid this type of deception?

​

We are by nature sinful and unclean.  We are born selfish and rebellious and want to do things our way.  We are all born on the broad way leading to destruction unless something happens to us we will stay on that broad way.  The happening that could take us off the broad way and onto the narrow way, according to the Scriptures is a conversion, renewing of the mind, or being born again.  Of course, Satan, the beast, wants us on the broad way, so he has a deceptive lawless message that will keep us there.

​

God, in effort to get us off the broad way and onto the narrow way that leads to life, calls us to die to ourselves, be converted, repent, be born again, or renewing our minds by the working of God's word on, and in us.  That's why Jesus had so many calls to repentance in the Gospels, and parables like this one - to get people to submit to God's authority. 

​

To get off the broad way, and onto the narrow way, we must first understand that we are required to keep God's laws as Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-20, and then be convicted of our failure to live up to that requirement. Once we acknowledge that we have sinned, we may repent and be converted (Acts 3:19).  Like the Prodigal Son, who return to the 'Father' with a humble and submissive heart.  The Prodigal Son, according to the Father, was dead in his sins, but was alive again - he was 'born again'.

​

We continue with with how to be on the Narrow way.

​

Matthew 7: 24-25, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock."

​

And how to be in the Broad way,

​

Matthew 7:26-27, “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Jesus tells us here that if we ‘hear’ his words and do them, we will not be destroyed but be like a solid house built on a rock."

​

In John 8:51 Jesus said those who keep his words will never see death.  Therefore those who will not keep his word will see eternal death.

​

The foolish man may listen to Jesus but will not obey him.  Instead of going to the Scriptures and submitting to God’s authority, they will listen to some religious authority and they are then deceived.  On Judgment Day they will be destroyed because they didn’t build lives on Jesus’ teachings.

​

Why should we listen to Jesus?

​

Deuteronomy 18:17-19, “Then Yahoveh said to me, ‘They have spoken well. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet (Jesus) like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. 19 I will hold accountable whoever does not listen to My words that he speaks in My name. “ 

​

Yahoveh God said He was sending Jesus as a prophet, speaking His words and with His authority, and we will be held accountable if we don’t listen to him and obey him.  Yet the modern Christian church doesn’t listen to Jesus or obey him.  According to Acts 3:22, and 7:37 that prophet spoken about in Deuteronomy 18 was Jesus.

​

And according to Jesus, all his words are the words and the will of the Father.  We must respect Jesus’ words with utmost respect for they come with God’s authority, and they are words of eternal life.  John 12:49-50 , "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me, gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.” To obey Jesus is to obey the Father and to reject Jesus is to reject the Father.

​

And Jesus said, by his words we will be judged.  We are not judged according to Paul’s words, or our church's, but by Jesus’ words.  And Jesus told us to keep the Old Testament 'Law and Prophets'.

​

Should we obey the church or Jesus?

​

Revelation 14:4, "These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.”

​

This is a most interesting verse.  It defines those who were ‘redeem from among men’ as those who were ‘not defiled with women’.  Here we have to understand that a 'woman' often in the Scriptures, and especially Revelation refers to a church or religious institution.  We have in Revelation a number of 'women', the Great Whore and her daughters, i.e., the mother church and her harlot Protestant daughters.  So those who were redeemed followed the teachings of the Lamb (Jesus) and avoided being defiled by the church doctrines and the teachings of religious institutions.  The redeemed set aside church doctrine and went to the Scriptures and obeyed Jesus’ words instead of church teachings. They found their way to the narrow way that leads to life. (Revelation 22:14 also tells us that 'doing the commandments of God' is the narrow way because it leads us to the 'Tree of Life' and the New Jerusalem.)

​

Note also, in Revelation 14:1, it says that they had the Father’s name “Yahoveh” written in their foreheads, not ‘Jesus’ name, not ‘Holy Spirit’ name, and not the name of the ‘Trinity’.  They obeyed Jesus’ teachings to keep all the commandments of God, and as the First commandment told them to worship Yahoveh alone, which they did.

​

Bottom line - Remember, it is better to walk alone that with a crowd going in the wrong direction.

 

Does your church tell you to obey Jesus and keep the Old Testament 'Law and Prophets'?  Do you eat Biblical kosher?  Do you keep God's Sabbath?  Do you keep God's feast days?  If not, reconsider what Jesus said, you may be 'lawless' and on the broad way leading to destruction.  Many are and don't know it.

​

How often have you heard the true meaning of the Broad and Narrow way in your church?