I am going to cover three verses today. Verse 12 is an epilogue to the previous five verses, but that’s not enough to fill a post. So we have two subjects, and they’re big ones.
“12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
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.”
Verse twelve is the Golden Rule. It seems strait foreward. But most folks are incapable of applying it. Are you a Republican who gets upset when Democrats denounce your intellegence? Then why do your call them stupid? Jesus didn’t make exceptions for any reason. In the Greek text the first word of this verse is panta, literally everything. He encompasses every possible situation in that one word. Always treat everybody the way you wish them to treat you.
Ooh, don’t that sound easy? It isn’t. The urge to lash out immediately at someone who touches a nerve is intense, riled up by the evil powers of darkness who linger in your thoughts trying to trip and trap you at every turn. To ensure you carry out this command of Christ, and it is imperative, you have to think first before you do, say or post anything. Panta means all of it. Never do anything, say anything or write anything that you wouldn’t want to have done to you, said to you or written about you. That takes discipline. James tells us the tongue is the most difficult part of the body to tame. That applies to your thumbs when you tweet. Do not be a Trump tweeter.
In verse 13 we start a new paragraph. The word used in the Greek text that was translated strait is better rendered in modern English as narrow, skinny or difficult to fit through. In archaic usage, strait once meant that. Now it means without a curve. Not the original meaning at all. Many people with an unbending attitude toward others prefer to use the modern meaning to excuse their lack of love. Rest assured this is not what Jesus intended.
The road is narrow and the gate it passes through admits only one at a time. That is because everyone enters salvation alone. You can’t get a group discount. The gate is too narrow. The road is too narrow. Single file in both places. Don’t use this as a bludgeon to beat the sinners that you feel are inferior to you. If you feel that way, it is evidence you took the wrong turn somewhere. The broad and easily-accommodating road is not the one we want. The yawning gate leads to separation from God for eternity. That is hell.
Basically, this illustrates the work required to discipline the mind and act according to love. When I was young, commercial announcers loved the saying, “Can thirty million Americans be wrong?” My answer to them then and now is the same: Yes! The more people are doing it, the closer I look at it to see if it leads to destruction of my soul. You can’t shirk the work. You have to bridle your tongue (and thumbs, for all you who tweet). You must think before you act. You can’t just go with the flow, because the flow is leading you away from God, over the lip of an abyss.
That is why the Apostle Paul wrote, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” (emphasis is mine). This isn’t a joy-ride or a Sunday drive in the country. This is the journey to eternity. What road are you on? I am checking the one I follow.
Ol’ Fuzzy is not employable and was denied for disability benefits. The only thing I have is the blogs. But I don’t qualify for ads on the blogs until September. If you like the scribbles I post, please help me keep it going. You can leave me a gratuity by dropping a buck or two in Ol' Fuzzy's Tip Jar. This is a PayPal account I opened on Wednesday, April 5, 2017.
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