Entering the Kingdom
Open Your Bible
Matthew 7:7-29, Psalm 16:7-11, Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 22:1-14
BY Melanie Rainer
Jesus describes what it means to enter the kingdom.
I adore the poetry of Robert Frost. I love his embedded New Englandism, as steady as its granite mountains, and his command of simple syntax. Perhaps his most famous poem is known for a line you’ll likely recognize, one that conjures the image of two roads diverging in a yellow wood. “The Road Not Taken” ends with this stanza:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
This poem has been oft debated and never settled, and despite its cultural fame, only Frost knows what his original intent was. Its open-endedness is one of the gifts of poetry, one that offers acres for our minds to wander without much of a map. But the poem’s imagery of “two roads” can help lead us into today’s readings by envisioning a stark choice. These passages include several teachings of Jesus that, in essence, pose the questions: “Will you follow me? Which road will you take: the narrow, or the wide?” (Matthew 7:13).
There are theological tomes written about each of these stories: the “ask, seek, knock” passage, the two foundations of sand and rock, the parables of the wheat and weeds and of the wedding banquet. There are certainly more nuances and jewels buried in these stories than I may ever have time to learn in this life. But the driving beat in each song is the question of whether we will choose to follow Jesus.
“Will you come to church?” and “Will you be a good person?” are not the questions being asked. It’s much starker and harder than that: Will you follow Jesus in His kingdom? And will your life be fundamentally changed, bearing good kingdom fruit?
These stories offer us a warning and an invitation to take the narrow path toward Jesus, though it won’t be easy. It will cost us a lot in this world: comfort, pleasure, wealth, self-sufficiency, and myriad other things. And our choice, as Jesus says repeatedly, is not a verbal one. It will show in our actions, of how we love others the way He loves them.
But the good news is that when we follow Jesus on the narrow path, we do not walk alone. The Holy Spirit will be our guide, sealing and securing our place in the kingdom. God’s Word will be “a lamp for [our] feet and a light on [our] path” (Psalm 119:105). And the hardest work, opening the door to the kingdom, has already been accomplished by Jesus. He forged a path to God when it was overgrown with sin; all we have to do is follow Him down the path He has revealed to us. A path where in His presence there is abundant joy, and at His right hand are eternal pleasures (Psalm 16:11).
60 thoughts on "Entering the Kingdom"
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The man wanted what was good from God (the feast) but did not have love for the King (God) or His son (Jesus).
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This was a very convicting study. It is a bit scary to think you may be following Christ, but still following the world.
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I wanted to share an excerpt from my study Bible that was a “lightbulb” moment for me.
To be a citizen in God’s kingdom is the have an:
1. Upward relationship with God
2. Inward change of heart
3. Outward relationship with other people.Those who wish to follow Jesus and enter the kingdom must stop living self-centered lives and instead live God-centered one’s. Those who try to achieve righteousness on their own still have self at the center and are still living in darkness. This is not a righteousness that can be attained. Instead, Jesus gives it to those who follow him.
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Is this excert from your bible?
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What study Bible do you have?
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I had to refer to my study Bible and it explained it this way: “the wedding clothes picture the righteousness needed to enter God’s Kingdom-Christ has provided these clothes of righteousness for everyone but each person must choose to put them on in order to enter the King’s banquet (eternal life)”
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Praying!
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@ Free Indeed!
Thank you for your vulnerability, there is beauty in it. Coming to the realization in all these things is hard, but oh so good. You have been given a lot of encouragement and SRT sisters who are lifting you in prayer. May I suggest to you a book that will bring about a ton a freedom and give you many tools from this day forward? Obviously the Bible is the ultimate truth, but the following book is a very helpful tool. It is called “SOUL CARE” BY ROB REIMER. Look it up, I promise, you will not be disappointed. Bless you! -
That’s kind of what I got from it…you will know them by their fruit (in this parable, his clothing). He accepted the invitation, but didn’t prepare himself for where he was going. We have to walk the walk and constantly be preparing/acting upon the truth. We can’t just sign up and show up.
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Does anyone have a good understanding of the wedding passage? I am confused about the meaning of the man who comes after receiving the invitation but who is tossed out for not wearing wedding clothes. Is this referring to someone who acts like a believer but who doesn’t really have a relationship with Jesus? I just found myself frightened by this passage this morning because this man seemed to accept the invitation but was still thrown out.
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