1. The narrow gate into heaven

We read the Bible by following the Bible education program and are lecturing the Gospel according to Matthew since April. Last three times we reflected on ‘the Sermon on the Mount’ successively and will finish today the entire passage.

Jesus said to the crowd, on the lakeside of the Sea of Galilee ; - “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.(Matthew 5:3)

Thus he told them not to be ashamed of poverty. Because the poor were the very persons who would be saved, he said. Then he taught ; - “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."(Matthew 5:44) Because we can be reconciled with others only in that way.

We learned also last Sunday from Lord’s Prayer that we could be saved from temptation by praying together, despite our weakness. And today we focus on the verse, ‘Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.(Matthew 7:23)

We might have no need to build a house on the rock by doing enormous efforts if there is no disaster. But, when windstorm or heavy rain fall come, a house built on sand in easy way could not resist against them. And Jesus teaches that our life must be like ‘a house on the rock.’ However, how can it be to live a life which resembles to a house on the rock? We will meditate the issue today.

Matthew commenced ‘The Sermon on the Mount’ from chapter 5 and the conclusion is given from 7 . And the essential of it is this ; - “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

‘The narrow gate’ must be the entrance of heaven, or into the real life. ‘Wide’ represents a life of earthy ambitions which look for wealth and social status as happiness and glory. But such a life cannot allow us to be saved and enter in real life. For, those who obtained secular satisfaction, become too often complacent. In consequence, they won’t seek God.

In contrast, Jesus said that those who choose ‘the narrow gate’ are led to a path to heaven. They will face courageously reality of life, difficulties and sufferings. Because they accept even hard life as God’s will. ‘Blessed are the poor’ has the similar meaning. Those who consider poverty and sadness to be trials given by God, without putting curse on, they can meet blessing God. That way they enter through the gate to the real life.

André Gide* , a French author wrote a book titled, ‘La porte étroite (translated as Strait Is the Gate)’ and we find in it ‘ How strait the path to heaven is!’ But I don’t think that the path to heaven represents an ascetic life. It must not signify a life of self-disciplines with painful efforts. It should be a way filled with joy because Jesus bore the Cross for our sake.
Jesus says ; - I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.(John 10:9) We recognize that by choosing the narrow gate. To enter through the narrow gate is to meet Jesus and live happily by following in his footsteps.

* André Gide http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/André_Gide

2. Those who enter through the very gate

The next passage teaches us how to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and reach at the goal of salvation. We must keep in our mind clearly that the salvation is beyond that unique gate which opens the path to heaven.

Matthew wrote; - “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’(Matthew 7:21-23)

Severe words! It means that becoming christians by receiving baptism and living in observance of rites in the church won’t promise us a place in heaven.

Very often we think that we can enter into heaven by doing charitable works. But Jesus rejected such a way of thinking. He said that whether we can enter into heaven or not depends totally on the will of God, the father in heaven. We can never achieve it with humans’ act. Because our acts for welfare easily make us complacent. In consequence, we ignore God’s presence behind all good acts. As long as we try to get salvation with the virtue of charitable conducts, our faith turns into egocentric satisfaction. And Jesus meant that God should throw out those persons from his kingdom.

So who can be saved? Jesus gave the answer in the parable of the Last Judgement, ; - “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ (Matthew 25:34-36)

Audience should be perplexed because they did never give Jesus to eat and drink or invite him in. To them he said, ; - “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."(Matthew 25:40)

When we behave only for neighbors’ sake, not to obtain the right of entering in heaven, we are invited in the kingdom of God.

On the contrary, if we are proud of our assistance and aid for the society, all respectable acts lose a part of their original virtue. We should not forget that. As I said before, receiving baptism and attending church services won’t promise us the salvation, or place in haven. Because our acts are always humans’ one, not of God. We must grasp correctly, ‘’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ When we behave only for neighbors’ happiness, not for our salvation, our acts can be praised by God.

3. House built on sand

Jesus concluded the teaching with this ; - ” Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. (Matthew 7:24-25)

Our life is often compared with construction work, of which the most important part is the foundation. However some persons are reluctant to spend much money and time for the invisible part. As a matter of fact, it is rather frequent to make efforts to minimize time and cost of construction by underestimating the importance of the foundation. Besides, apparently the result shows few difference. Nonetheless, a crucial incident must occur sooner or later, for example windstorm and strong rain fall. A house built on sand in easy way should break down then.

Jesus told the fact in the teaching as a metaphor of our life ; - But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."(Matthew 7:26-27)

‘To built one’s house on the rock’ is to have the faith in God as our foundation of life in. To reflect on the theme further, we will read 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 as today’s invocation verses ; - By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Church of Corinth had been founded by Paul through his traveling ministry. And, after Paul’s departure, a man called Apollo became the pastor. Since then the believers began to follow two different teachings on faith. Some wanted to remain loyal to Paul and others appreciated more Apollo. The gap of thinking generated disagreements and believers split in two groups. Paul heard about the matter and wrote letters to resolve the issue. He said that he, as an expert builder, laid a solid foundation, or faith in Jesus Christ. Nonetheless they disputed to choose him or Apollo. But any pastors can continue the construction if it is not supported by the unique basis given by God. Stupid conflicts occurred in the church of Corinth because believers forgot the essence, God. In other words, they lost Jesus Christ who is the body of the church.

In today’s world, we find many cases of disagreement and conflict inside the church. It is because the church members give priority to pastors or deacons, mere humans, by forgetting Jesus Christ. Such an attitude is as stupid as a man who built his house on sand.

Our faith has sometimes the similar problem to that of the church. If we focus on inside of ourselves, the faith should be fragile. I presented once a book written by Dr. Akaboshi, Japanese christian psychiatrist. He treated many christian patients and analyzed their cases in it. Through those experiences, he arrived to think that there were two types of believers: those who strain to approach the faith by respecting strictly religious teachings and others who think that the faith comes from God as grace.( see ‘ Gospels and mental sickness’ *)

The former make efforts to read the Bible seriously, attend Sunday services or other preaching activities of the church and behave as respectable citizens. They seek the salvation that way. In short, they do whatever they can with their capability in order to be salved. The majority of us experience that phase, I think. Many of those who come to church to be physically healed or set free from psychological sufferings. They study about the Gospels and receive baptism. But if they remain there, the belief sometimes fade out. Because that attitude toward faith requires the result. If their wishes are not come true, they are disappointed and give up. Though they pray for relief from painful illness or financial crisis, prayers won’t accord necessarily tangible solution. So they might think that the faith cannot resolve our problems. Jesus said that such a faith was similar to a house built on sand.

In contrast, there is another path to the faith. Jesus compelled us to live by trusting ourselves totally to God, like a baby. New born babies have no other way to live but by trusting in their mother. Because they are literally powerless. Nonetheless they feel perfectly protected under mother’s care. That confidence is what Jesus taught us as the faith in God. He said ; - If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. (Matthew 6:30-32)

But, even those who have such a solid faith cannot be completely free from earthy sufferings, illness or financial difficulties, for example. So, when we undergo those distresses, we should pray “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will,” as Jesus did. (Matthew 26:39)

Even if our prayer seems powerless to change situations we must accept painful reality as God’s will. And, out of the depths, we cry to God.(see Psalm 130). The Faith like that should be the unique path to heaven, even though it must be very hard .

Miura Ayako, a Japanese novel writer said, when she was diagnosed with rectum cancer:
‘ God is love for those who trust in Him. So anything that God gives us must be good things for us, even a cancer.’

She repeated the phrase to herself in bed. Then she arrived to consider the illness to be a wonderful gift from God.( see ‘Invitation to the fountain’ *2)

The faith which allow us to appreciate even a cancer is the very faith in God. And, as long as we remain in the church founded on the rock of Jesus and continue reading the Bible sincerely, Jesus will embrace us as ‘the wise who build his house on the rock.’

* vol.1 ISBN-13: 978-4842800004 / vol.2 ISBN-13: 978-4842800011, only in Japanese,
*2 Ayako Miura http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayako_Miura
ISBN-13: 978-4334706326, only in Japanese