Jesus’ Answer to a Question About Salvation (Luke 13:23-30)

Submitted by admin on Wed, 2008-06-11 10:35.

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On one occasion, someone asked Jesus, “Are those being saved few?” He did not answer this question directly, providing neither an affirmative nor a negative reply. Instead, he emphasized the importance of individual action, struggling to enter through the narrow door. Jesus then added, “Many, I tell you, will seek to enter but will not be able.” (Luke 13:23, 24; for additional comments, see the Notes section.)

To illustrate the need for immediate action in putting forth diligent effort to be among those who would gain divine approval, he related a parable. Once the owner of the house has gotten up and locked the door, he will not respond to a knock and the request, “Sir, open to us.” His reply will be, “I do not know from where you are.” They will then protest, “We ate and drank in front of you, and you taught in our streets.” He, however, will not acknowledge them as having any relationship with him, saying, “I do not know from where you are. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.” (Luke 13:25-27)

As rejected ones, they would weep and gnash their teeth. In vain, they would try to suppress their bitter tears on account of their great loss, for they would then see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets in God’s kingdom but would find themselves cast outside. Yet, from distant eastern, western, northern and southern regions, people who were not descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would come to be part of the kingdom or enjoy the blessings associated with being in the realm where the Most High is Sovereign. The privilege extended to them would be comparable to being able to recline as at a meal or banquet with the king and other honored guests. Those who seemed to be first, the descendants of the Hebrew patriarchs, would prove to be last or lose out, whereas the non-Jewish peoples who appeared to be last, as persons without hope or God, would seize the opportunity to become part of God’s realm upon hearing the message about Jesus, the king by his Father’s appointment. In this way, the last would become first. (Luke 13:28-30; see the Notes section for additional comments.)

Notes:

Chapters 3 through 14 of 4 Esdras (in the Appendix of the Vulgate and 3 Esdras in Slavonic Bibles) are commonly considered to be a Jewish work composed after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. In this section, the belief that few will be saved is expressed. God is quoted as saying to Ezra, “I will rejoice over the few who shall be saved, because it is they who have made my glory to prevail now, and through them my name has now been honored. I will not grieve over the great number of those who perish; for it is they who are now like a mist, and are similar to a flame and smoke—they are set on fire and burn hotly, and are extinguished.” (2 Esdras 7:60, 61, NRSV [Common Bible]; 4 Esdras 7:60, 61, Vulgate Appendix) This may reflect the commonly held belief in the first century that few would be saved.

Jesus, however, did not say that few would be saved, as that could easily have led some to conclude that there was no opportunity for them. In his not suggesting that many would be saved, Jesus avoided intimating that one’s being part of God’s realm required only limited effort. Instead, his answer served to emphasize both the need for a struggle and the urgency of commencing that struggle before it would prove to be too late. For one to believe in Jesus, to follow him, and thus to become part of God’s realm would not be an easy course, as one could face opposition from and rejection by close family members, friends, and acquaintances. Therefore, to believe in Jesus and to act in harmony with faith called for a struggle or real effort. It meant pursuing a life of compassionate concern for others and of uprightness in attitude, word, and action. At the same time, this exemplary life of faith could lead to persecution, much suffering, and even death.

It should be noted that those who heard Jesus’ words would have recognized Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as their forefathers, and would have understood all the prophets to have been the faithful Hebrew prophets of past centuries. Jesus portrayed the reward of those who responded in faith to him under the figure of being honored guests at a meal or banquet in the kingdom of God. (See Matthew 8:11, 12, where Jesus expressed the same thought.)