Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
The verse’s shown above are from Jesus’ famous “Sermon on the Mount,” which is our Lord’s longest discourse recorded in the four Gospels. We need to make sure that we do not treat Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount like a list of proverbs, which it is not. This Sermon on the Mount is actually very pointed and “sharper than a two-edged sword.” These two sentences effectively summarize the key point our Lord is making, which is that Jesus himself is the only way to God’s promise of Heaven.
The actual sermon begins in Matthew 5, but the context is as follows. It is very early in Jesus’ formal ministry, which he began at age 30 in accordance with Jewish tradition. Jesus has been baptized by his forerunner and has suddenly come to his temple, as promised in Malachi 3:1
“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of host.”
As Jesus is traveling around Galilee preaching repentance and performing miracles, he also begins calling his disciples. While going about the business of fulfilling God’s covenant, Jesus’ fame spread over all the area, bringing him much attention. When Jesus sees a large crowd gather, he goes up a mountain, sits down and waits for the crowd to settle, after which his disciples come to him. Please take note that while the crowd was listening, the main focus of Jesus’ sermon was to his disciples first!
The disciples have already become his close friends. In Matthew 5:10-11, Jesus forewarns them about the persecution that will soon come their way as he goes about fulfilling God’s covenant promises, that are typified by the Law. What appears to be proverbs in verses 5:3-9, are actually instructions telling them how the Kingdom of Heaven is about to change most of them.
His disciples are hungry for knowledge and what they learn will renew their minds. They will become salt and light, that will help season the spiritual food Jesus provides and shine Godly hope in a dark world.
Not only will they be transformed thru Jesus’ work, but many will believe because of their testimonies about Christ. Through learning and practicing humbleness (“poor in spirit”), mourning, meekness, righteousness, mercy, love (pure in heart), and peacefulness, these very men sitting at Jesus’ feet in the end will be blessed.
In verse 5:20, Jesus goes on to explain that before his disciples can do this great work, their righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. In short, the Pharisees had no righteousness.
Oh, they talked a good game and could even quote the Law and all its precepts from memory. The Pharisees professed to have kept all the Law, but were liars and the truth was not in them. These false religious leaders had missed the entire point of the Law, which is that every person ever born was a sinner and disqualified from God’s blessings.
John relates it this way in the Book of Revelation that when he realized no man was worthy to bring about God’s blessings, he wept much. However, John’s mourning turned to joy when the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David (Jesus), appears as a sacrificial Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world.
Once again, we are running out of space, so let me summarize as best as I can. All this, including our title verses is rooted and grounded in the Old Testament accounts of God’s dealings with the patriarchs. Jesus is the Lamb of God as typified in the Passover story of Moses.
Jesus is the gate as typified in Nehemiah 3 when Eliashib the High Priest built the sheep gate into Jerusalem, which was the gate designated for the sacrificial lambs to be brought into Jerusalem. By the way Jesus, is also the High Priest as typified by Eliashib in this case. Jesus is going about step by step fulfilling every line and precept of the Old Covenant that he would be the “all in all” (see 1 Corinthians 15:20-28)
Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven and that’s the straight truth.