05/12/2017
Every choice we make will lead somewhere.
Matthew 7:12-14
Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes two roads diverging in two very different directions. There is a gate at each one. The easy road with the wide gate leads to destruction. The narrow gate opens out to a hard road, which leads to life. Most of us, most of the time, he suggests, choose the wrong road.
It is easy to imagine what he means by the wide path, the road that leads to dead-ends, to despair, even to destruction, this road is wide open to anything we feel like doing. The road of seeking meaning and security in things—a road that ultimately leads to emptiness.
It may be easy to name the wide gates that tempt us onto paths that lead to destruction. But what is the narrow gate, the hard road, that leads to life? Jesus’ life, his healings, his teachings—together they point us toward the road that leads to life. The gate is to trust in the power of God’s love. On the road that leads to life, we are challenged to choose love over hate or indifference, to be conduits of God’s healing, to let go of anything that might try to stand in the way of God’s love.
The context for Jesus’ words is his central message that the realm of God’s love is at hand—the stakes are high because something wonderful is happening. The context is his healing ministry, in which Jesus makes broken lives whole and embraces people who have been judged for their circumstances or their choices. Jesus preaches the same God Isaiah proclaims, the one who promises to make a way in the wilderness. Sometimes the choices we make at the crossroads in our lives will lead us into the wilderness, a wilderness of loneliness or emptiness, regret, and despair. The promise of our faith is that God will always be with us even in the most desolate places. No matter how far we stray, God created a way. A road for us to take, an opportunity, a path that leads to healing and hope, to life.
Every day we stand at the crossroads, which path will we choose, which decisions will we make. Jesus reminds us that the stakes are high, for there's a path that really does lead to destruction and a path that will always lead us to a more abundant life. God is with us, pointing us toward the path of life. God is with us as we make our choices and God is with us in the aftermath of our poor choices. There is a road, a road of opportunity for us to choose the fullness of Christ.
May we face our crossroads with courage and faith, always trusting in God's promise of everlasting life. In Jesus' name. Amen
