“THE MANY AND THE FEW”
LUKE 13:22-30

I. Introduction
Are you saved? Are you going to heaven when you die? “Yes,” you say? Why? Why are you going to heaven when you die? Is it because you’re a “good” person? “Yes,” you say, “I’m better than most.” But what does “good” mean, and just how good do you have to be?

Are you going to heaven when you die because you’re a religious person? “Yes,” you say, “I’m quite religious. I go to church every Sunday, or almost every Sunday.” But what does “religious” mean, and just how religious do you have to be?

Are you going to heaven when you die because you believe in Jesus? “Yes,” you say, “I’ve always believed in Jesus.” But what does it mean to “believe in Jesus”? And don’t Satan and his demons believe in Jesus? Are they going to heaven?

The simple fact is that most people think that they’re going to heaven when they die. And most people think that nearly everyone else is going to heaven when they die too. After all, nearly all people are good, most are at least a little religious, and many believe in Jesus. So it seems with all of that, the road to heaven must be broad, and the gates to heaven must be wide, and vast numbers of people must be on their way to future bliss.

Isn’t that exactly what most theologians, most denominations, most churches, and most preachers teach today? But the issue is not what people teach and what men say. The issue is what the Bible teaches and what Jesus says.

When we look at the Bible and when we listen to what Jesus actually says, we find that what many theologians, denominations, churches, and preachers teach and say, is not only off the mark, it is completely wrong. The road to heaven is not broad. On the contrary, Jesus says it is narrow. The gates to heaven are not wide. On the contrary, Jesus says they too are narrow.

The world and much of today’s professing church says many will go to heaven and few will be left out, but Jesus says that many will be locked out and eternally lost, and only a few will enter in and find eternal life. So who and what will we believe? Will we believe men and their opinions, or will we believe Jesus Christ and His Word? This is the ques-tion we cannot avoid as we read this morning’s passage in Luke’s gospel.

Have you ever noticed how both the questions Jesus asks, and the answers He gives to the questions of others, always cut through and drive right to the heart of the matter at hand? The Lord always zeroes in on the real issue and addresses it head on. Jesus knows the real issue because He knows the heart of the one with whom He is speaking. So the person with whom Jesus is speaking often gets much more than he bargained for.
Such is the case with the person who questions Jesus about who will be saved in Luke 13. Will it be many, or will it be few?
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II. Review
Luke 13 began with Jesus’ warning that judgment is coming and people must repent and turn to Him. He went on to remind us of the hardness of the human heart and the blind-ness of the natural man when it comes to the things of God. Then He told us yet again of the utter futility of the religions of men because, to one degree or another, they are all driven by legalism and hypocrisy.

Finally, in Luke 13:18-21, the Lord told two parables. In them He gave us an overview of God’s kingdom on earth – how it is spreading throughout the world, as well as how it is filling each individual believer. And with that, we come to today’s passage. In it we will see just who will be with Jesus in God’s eternal kingdom…and who will not.
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III. Text
Is there anyone who has not wondered who will be in heaven? Can it really be true that billions of unbelievers will ultimately be condemned, while only a relatively small num-ber of committed Christians will be saved? That is, after all, the question Jesus is about to be asked. Could there be a more provocative theological question?
*Luke 13:22-30 (Please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word.)
22 And (Jesus) was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem.
23 And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them,
24 “Strive to enter by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
25 “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’
26 “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’;
27 and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.’
28 “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when you see Abra-ham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being cast out.
29 “And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.
30 “And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”
Let’s put this passage in context. First, consider the time: Jesus had set out on His final journey to Jerusalem when He had about nine months left to live.
Luke 9:51
51 And it came about, when the days were approaching for His ascension, that He resolutely set His face to go to Jerusalem.

So Jesus is coming to the end of His ministry on earth. As time goes on His teaching seems to become more and more pointed and intense. When He is asked, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” He does not give a direct answer. Neither does He respond in broad theological terms. Rather, He answers in very specific individual terms. It isn’t, “Are a few being saved?” It’s, “Are you being saved?”

The context of time is important. Jesus is nearing the end of His ministry, and you and I are nearing the end of our lives. Are you being saved? So the first point of context is the time in which Jesus gave His answer. The time is short.

The second point of context to consider here is the audience: Jesus is not speaking to a crowd of pagans, agnostics, or atheists. He’s speaking to a crowd of religious Jews, peo-ple who all think that they’re pretty good and know that they’re very religious. These people think they’re going to heaven. Isn’t that a picture of most of the professing church today?

Listen, what Jesus has to say is for today, because the time is short. And it’s for all good and religious people, because contrary to popular opinion, no one needs to hear Jesus’ answer more than those who consider themselves to be good and religious people.
*Luke 13:22-23a
22 And (Jesus) was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem.
23a And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?”

The question isn’t shocking, but the answer will be. And the answer will fly in the face of many modern evangelistic techniques. (read MacArthur, p. 216) Let’s be very clear. It’s never wrong to invite lost sinners to repent, to believe the gospel, and to receive Christ by faith. But it is certainly wrong to try to manipulate people’s emotions and tell them that their salvation is solely up to them, as if God has to wait for them to act before He can.

In this morning’s passage Jesus, on His way to Jerusalem, is asked, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” It’s a legitimate question, isn’t it? And it’s asked by some-one who is a true believer. We know that’s the case because this person addresses Jesus as “Kuriŏs.” That’s the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word for Lord, “Adonai,” God’s OT title of absolute and supreme authority. This person has been listening to the Lord’s teachings and is beginning to realize that something is very wrong with the com-monly held belief that most people will be going to heaven when they die.
Think about it. Despite Jesus’ personal ministry, His preaching and teaching, and His countless miracles, all witnessed by thousands, only a small number of people had believed. He Himself called His followers a “little flock” in Luke 12:32.

The fact of the matter is that in the OT, there was never a time when most of the people living were saved. If anything, the very opposite was true. When God destroyed the world in the flood, only Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives were saved. When He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, only Lot and his wife and daughters escaped.

Time and again the OT says the believing remnant of Israel will be small. For example, Jeremiah speaks of the few who will enter into God’s rest in the Millennial Kingdom.
Jeremiah 50:20
20 “In those days and at that time,” declares the LORD, “search will be made for the iniquity of Israel, but there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I shall pardon those whom I leave as a rem-nant.”

Jesus will answer the question put to Him in Luke 13:23, but He will do so individually and indirectly. Why? Because He wants to convey the worth of the individual more than He wants to convey the value of the masses. The rabbis taught that salvation was nation-al in scope, but Jesus’ was teaching that salvation was individual, one person at a time.

Jesus often asked questions that made people uncomfortable, and He often answered questions that did the same thing. Sometimes He seemed to answered questions that hadn’t even been asked. For example…
John 12:34c-36a
34c “Who is the Son of Man?”
35 Jesus therefore said to them, “For a little while longer the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes.
36a “While you have the light, believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light.”

The point is that Jesus answers questions as He sees fit. There’s never any pretense and never any fluff. He always drives straight to the heart of the matter. And that’s what He does here. “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” Wouldn’t you expect an answer to be a percentage or a number or at least some specific quantity? But Jesus doesn’t do that because it’s not so much about the many or the few; it’s about the individ-ual; it’s about “the you.”
*Luke 13:23b-24
23b And He said to them,
24 “Strive to enter by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

This is not the popular gospel as it is so often preached today It’s anything but. There’s no “easy-believism.” There’s no, “God loves everyone unconditionally.” There’s no, “Come to Jesus and He’ll meet all your needs.” There’s no, “Just come forward and accept Jesus.” There’s no, “Make a decision for Christ today.”

Now to be sure, we cannot and we must not deny the fact that salvation involves human responsibility. When a man, woman, or child hears the Lord calling them through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God requires that they respond to His call. John the Baptist, Jesus Himself, and His disciples all called sinners to repentance and faith. But unless and until God calls, no one, of their own volition, will ever come to saving faith.
*John 6:44, 63-65 (Jesus speaking)
44 “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”
63 “It is the (Holy) Spirit who gives (eternal) life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
64 “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.
65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

So in Luke 13:24 Jesus tells sinners to “strive.” “Strive?” The word is translated from the Greek “agōnizŏmai.” We get the words “agony” and “agonize” from it. Does that surprise you? Why would we need to strive in order to be saved? Isn’t it easy to believe in Jesus? What does agonizing have to do with it?

Jesus is telling us that our salvation will be a fight. Listen to Paul’s words to Timothy.
1 Timothy 6:12
12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Jesus is telling us that our salvation will be a fight and a struggle, not just against an un-believing world, but against Satan, sin, and self. He is telling us that real repentance and true salvation is not about self-fulfillment, self-aggrandizement, self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-sufficiency. It is about self-denial.
*Luke 9:23-26
23 And (Jesus) was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
24 “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.
25 “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or for-feits himself?
26 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

This is what Jesus is teaching us! This is not the gospel that wins friends in today’s world, or the gospel that builds modern seeker-friendly mega-churches. On the contrary, this is The Gospel that wins lost souls and builds true Christians. This is The Gospel that Jesus preached, and this is The Gospel that established the true church in the first century. This is The Gospel that many will reject and only a few will receive. And those who do receive it will fight and struggle with it in this life because true believers always fight with and struggle with the call to self-denial. (back to Luke 13:24)

In Luke 13:24 that striving (that “agonizing”) is further illustrated by the narrow door. (Blacksmith Inn – Bailey’s Harbor) Andrew read Matthew’s account of Jesus’ teaching on this subject of how many will ultimately enter into God’s eternal kingdom.
Matthew 7:13-14
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.
14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.”

This word-picture is unmistakable. There’s no fight, no struggle, no self-denial with a wide gate and a broad way. It’s easy and it’s the gate or the door that most people prefer. Multiplied millions of good and religious people will look for that gate and will go that way. And why wouldn’t they? Isn’t the whole world and much of the professing church calling? So only a few will take up their crosses daily and follow hard after Jesus.

I pray that this local assembly of believers will always be among the few. Because in Luke 13:24 Jesus goes on to say that those who take the easy way will try to enter into God’s kingdom but they will be denied.

Before we move on I need to reiterate one thing that must not be misunderstood. When Jesus talks about striving to enter in v. 25 He is neither teaching nor implying that salva-tion is the product of human effort. Our striving is to obey God after we are saved, not
to be good enough to get saved. Our striving (our agonizing) is against Satan, sin, and self.

*Luke 13:25
25 “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’”

For everyone who is not yet saved there will come a day when one of two things will happen. Either the day will come when Jesus will save you, or the day will come when He will shut the door to salvation. By every human standard of goodness, the person may be “very good.”
By every human measurement of piety, the person may be “deeply religious.” But all of that is ultimately irrelevant. If Jesus shuts the door, the one for whom it is shut, will be lost irretrievably and eternally lost.

The one of whom Jesus speaks in v. 25 may “believe” in Jesus intellectually. That is to say, he may know about Jesus. He may believe in the historical reality of His life and death. He may even believe in the resurrection. He may believe all those things in pre-cisely the same way he believes in the historical reality of Alexander the Great or George Washington. Churches are filled with people who believe in the historic Jesus. But such belief can save no one.

Why? Satan and his demons believe in the historical reality of Jesus too, don’t they? In fact, they believe far more than the historic facts about Jesus of Nazareth. Satan and his demons believe that Jesus is God’s Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the One through whom God created the heavens and the earth, and all things, including them. And they believe (they know) He is coming back to set up His kingdom on this earth.

In short, Satan and his demons believe the Bible in its entirety because they know that every word of it is true. James 2:19 says that we do well when we believe. Then he says, “…the demons also believe, and (they) shudder.” Yet it is not uncommon to find churches filled with people who believe less about Jesus Christ than Satan and his demons believe about Him – and still they think they’re going to heaven when they die. How foolish it is to think the narrow gate that leads into God’s kingdom is open to them!

They are the ones of whom Jesus speaks in Luke 13:25. They are not pagans, agnostics, or atheists. They are the so-called good. They are pious religionists. They are the ones who give intellectual assent to the reality of Jesus and His claims. But they live for them-selves. They know nothing of genuine repentance, they know nothing of justification by faith alone, they know nothing of self-denial, and they are hopelessly lost.

And so, in Luke 13:25, Jesus tells them something they simply cannot believe. He tells them that He doesn’t even know where they came from. They didn’t come from the true church. They aren’t part of the Bride of Christ. So the door to eternal life is closed.
*Luke 13:26-27
26 “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’;
27 and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.’”

In Matthew’s account of the Lord’s teaching on this same subject Jesus says…
Matthew 7:23
23 “and then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

“I don’t know where you are from…I don’t know you…depart from Me.” Can you ima-gine hearing Jesus say anything more horrible than that? I cannot! So let me say it once again. The people to whom Jesus is saying these things in Matthew and in Luke are peo-ple who really believe they are Christians, but are not. They are good, they are religious, and they believe in the historic Jesus, but they have no relationship with Him.

They have never struggled, strived, and agonized to enter through the narrow gate. So they are not in Him and He is not in them. They think they know Jesus, but the tragic reality is that He doesn’t know them! “I never knew you; depart from Me.” Thus they have no concept of the truth that Paul taught the churches in Galatia when he said…
Galatians 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.

In Luke 13:27 Jesus speaks to those who have taken the broad road, those who think they can enter into eternal life in God’s kingdom without strife, and without taking up their own cross, and without self-denial for Jesus’ sake. As such He has called them lawless and doers of evil. He has barred them from heaven. What will become of them?
*Luke 13:28
28 “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when you see Abra-ham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being cast out.”

This is the outer darkness and the final hell that Jesus speaks of in His Olivet Discourse.
Matthew 25:30, 41b, 46a
30 “…cast out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
41b “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels (demons).”
46a “And these will go away into eternal punishment…”

But there’s more. Jesus isn’t quite finished.
*Luke 13:29
29 “And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.”

Wait a minute! Who is the “they” who will come from every direction to recline at Christ’s table in God’s kingdom? The “they” is you and “they” is me. The “they” here in v. 29 is all true believers, all OT and NT believers, all Jewish and Gentile believers, all who struggled in this life to enter in through the narrow gate.

This gate can be seen as a metaphor for Jesus Himself. In John’s gospel Jesus refers to Himself as a door.
John 10:7, 9a; 14:6b
7 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.”
9a “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved…”
6b “…no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

The sheep will come from every corner of the earth, from every tongue, tribe, and nation, and we will all recline together at Jesus’ table in the Kingdom of God. What a magnifi-cent promise! Jesus concludes with the following statement.
*Luke 13:30
30 “And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”

He’s saying that many of the vain and prideful religious people who thought they would be among the first in the kingdom will not even be there. But some of those whom the world lightly esteemed will be. Regardless of our position or standing in this world, the only thing that matters in eternity is this: Have you been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb? It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from. Have you repented and put your faith in Christ and His finished work on your behalf?

You are among the few for whom this life will be a constant struggle against Satan, sin, and self. If you’re among those few, you will strive to enter through the narrow gate. And, by God’s power and might, you will succeed. And you will recline at Christ’s table in the kingdom of God!
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IV. Conclusion
I know that a message like this is offensive to unbelievers, but it is even more offensive to the many who are convinced that their goodness, their religion, their church, or their knowledge of Christ will be sufficient to save them.

But any form of evangelism, any so-called gospel that fails to tell people the truth about themselves, that omits the truth about the cost of following Christ, that leaves out the need for people to deny themselves and take up their own cross, is often a gospel that people want to hear, but it is a false gospel. It is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Any gospel that fails to do that is untrue. It is an incomplete gospel and it is a perverted gos-pel that has no power to save anyone.

May we here at LBC never be among those who peddle such a false gospel. And may we always be counted among the few who will strive to enter by the narrow gate.

~ Pray ~