Brief synopsis of the readings: God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, proclaims that he will gather all nations together. Of those who do not know God, they will see God’s power and proclaim God’s glory. In Luke’s Gospel someone asked Jesus this question: “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Jesus urged him to “strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” After the door has been locked they will not be able to enter. “And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” But some will come and recline at the table in the kingdom of God. Finally, “some are last who will be first, and some who are first will be last.”
At first glance our first reading and Gospel appear to be going in different directions. In Isaiah God appears to be taking a global view and will welcome people from all over the world to see his power. Once they know God’s power they will come and glorify God. It looks like a “and they lived happily ever after” reading.
But the Gospel speaks of how there is a narrow gate and not everyone will be able to pass, even if they want to. Sounds pretty dire and I think we’ve equated “narrow” with “exclusive.” And in fairness Jesus’ questioner kind of set it up that way by wording his question “will only a few people be saved?”
We’ve all had the the experience where we’ve had to compete for a limited number of spaces (beginning with that first fateful game of musical chairs). Every time we apply for a job, or an apartment we recognize that some are picked and some are not. As a matter of fact there’s a story in the news these days about college women who hire consultants to improve their chances of being invited to join a sorority. The good news is that there is no (legitimate) “salvation consultant” who will, for a price, guarantee we’ll get into heaven. The bad news is that it leaves us on our own to figure out how to get picked.
What if we’re wrong to think of the narrow gate that way? When Jesus spoke of the narrow gate he may have been referencing an image of the city of Jerusalem. There’s always been walls around cities and many have multiple gates. Some are large and ceremonial gates, meant for big events and important people. Others are smaller and are primarily used by common people for common commerce. It wouldn’t make any sense to have important events enter through the narrow gate, both because it couldn’t have handled the crowds and it wouldn’t have been proper for a powerful person to be seen doing that. The narrow gate was reserved for those who didn’t matter.
Except for Jesus. If Jesus had a slogan it was this: the last shall be first and the first shall be last. It goes without saying that he spent his time encouraging those on the edge of society to claim their place. The poor, the lame, the sick, the stranger. In Jesus’ kingdom they will no longer be last, they will be first.
But what about those who are currently first? Are they doomed? As someone who lives well in a first world nation, I hope not. I live in a comfortable home, I do not suffer from food insecurity. My skin color, sexual orientation, and national origin virtually guarantee my entrance into the large gates. But does that mean we need to? I think we can choose to enter by the narrow gate and be surrounded by ordinary people.
If I’m invited to someone’s house I expect to be greeted at the front door but does that mean I can’t go around to the back? It’s a silly question because nobody would be looking for me there but it raises an interesting point. There may be enjoyable people around back and it may make us more aware of our surroundings. In 1959 the white writer John Griffin attempted to explore what it would be like to be black and be segregated to the narrow gates. Through a series of medical treatments he was able to darken his skin to the point where he could pass as black. He clearly eschewed the large gate and chose to enter southern society through the narrow gate. He lived first hand the exclusion of restaurants, bathrooms and water fountains. We know about this because he wrote a book of his experience, Black Like Me. It’s a gripping book and he described being the target of horrible racism, but also unexpected kindness. He wrote movingly about being accepted to stay at a Catholic retreat center and later became friends with the Trappist mystic Thomas Merton.
We all obviously can’t do what he did and much has changed in the 66 years since his experiment but the narrow gate offers us a perspective that the large gate does not. It gives us an opportunity to see people we wouldn’t ordinarily see and a humility that those at the narrow gate are worthy also. Those gathered there provide much of what we take for granted and that’s never a bad reminder. They may not have the social standing to give us, but in the end I don’t think that matters. Gaining the esteem of those who crave the exclusivity of the large gate leaves us with nothing in the end.
Finally, the narrow gate will allow the entrance of everyone who choose to enter. It may take longer than the large gate but it gives us the opportunity to be with others and perhaps learn a little patience.
Finally, don’t worry about the large gate. There will always be people who demand exclusivity and insist that they are better than others. Alas, they will also likely spend a great deal of energy enforcing these demands. As for the rest of us, well I think we’ll have more fun.