Luke 13 | The Narrow Door
We have a favorite Christmas tradition in our family. I don’t remember when it started, but for many years now, around this time, we watch through The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies. Not exactly Christmas themed, I’ll grant you, but Derek has always gotten in the mood to watch them during this cozy time of year, and it didn’t take long for our boys to get on board and enjoy them, too.
I’ve always loved the story of The Hobbit. Something about charming creatures and wild adventures has captured my imagination since I was a young girl reading Tolkien’s book.
One particular favorite of mine is the whimsical town of Hobbiton (home of the Hobbit), with its collection of perfectly round, brightly-colored doors opening to cozy homes in lush green hills. Flower gardens and smoking chimneys add to the charm, giving all the comfy feelings of home.
Of course, not all doors in the Hobbit are so inviting. The entrance to the dwarves’ ancestral home under the mountain is guarded by a fire-breathing dragon, and now the only way in is by a secret door, hidden from sight most of the year, accessible with a special key only when the moon’s light illuminates the keyhole.
In Luke 13, we read about another door. This one isn’t secret. And it isn’t hidden. But it is only accessible at a particular time in a particular way: it’s the door to the Kingdom of God.
The door is Jesus Himself (John 10:7), and the only key is faith in Him.
One day everyone will see and know that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10), but then it will be too late to turn to Him. The time for belief is now, Jesus said. “Strive to enter through the narrow door.”
Strive? Yes, but not by our own strength. Strive instead by turning in faith from “works of evil” (Luke 13:27) to the One who works righteousness for us.
Isn’t it ironic that the One who says, “I am the Door” found closed doors when He first came to earth? With no room in any inn, He was born in a stable and laid in a manger. But it’s how it had to be, and He lights the way for us to follow Him through the only door that matters.
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6
“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Luke 13:35