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Friend, you were made for the narrow way!

Matthew 7:13-14 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.

Deuteronomy 30:19  I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 

At this point in the Sermon on the Mount, Yeshua (Jesus) asks us to choose. He has already shown us what life in the Kingdom involves: humility, mercy, purity, forgiveness, quiet devotion, trust in the Father, freedom from greed, and a love which treats others with God's own heart. Now He makes it clear that we cannot merely admire this way of life from a distance. We have to step into it, choose it, and walk it.

In the Hebraic view, life was not simply a set of beliefs but rather a path, a derekh (דֶּרֶךְ), a way of walking before God. When Moses told Israel this, he said, 'I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life' (Deuteronomy 30:19). Psalm 1 begins similarly, speaking of the blessed man who rejects the advice of the wicked. The Book of Proverbs constantly contrasts the way of wisdom with the way of folly. Yeshua is not presenting something foreign; instead, He is within the understanding of the Tanach (Old Testament) and brings it to its clearest expression: there are two roads, two gates, two destinations, and the King Himself now says, enter by the narrow gate.

The word narrow comes from the Greek stenos (στενός), which means tight, pressed, or confined. It is a threshold you cannot enter lightly. Yeshua later says, I am the gate, in John 10:9, so the narrow gate points to Him. We do not enter salvation by following the crowd, working hard enough, or bringing our own goodness. We enter through Yeshua, by faith, when we turn and receive the King.

Next, Yeshua talks about the wide gate. In Hebrew, this idea is linked to rachav (רָחָב), which means broad, open, and roomy. At first, it sounds like freedom. The wide gate asks nothing from those who stand before it. There is space for every idol, excuse, grudge, appetite, and self-made throne, because no one needs to turn, surrender, or give anything up. That is why so many people choose it.

However, the wide road is misleading. A field without a fence might appear to be free, but if it is left unattended, it will eventually become overgrown with thorns, just as Solomon illustrated the field of the lazy person, which is brought down and choked by neglect. A life without holy boundaries will not produce good results; instead, it becomes wild, and what was intended to thrive gets covered up by what had never been faced. Which is why Yeshua immediately cautions after this section about false prophets and false foundations.

This is where ashrei (אַשְׁרֵי) is found. Blessed is the one who chooses the narrow gate and discovers this is the path of life and freedom his soul was made for. Blessed is the one who learns that surrender did not diminish him; it set him free, because the narrow way is where the King walks, and where the King walks, there is abundant life.

Friend, you were not created to drift with the crowd; you were called to walk with the King. Walk this narrow path with your head lifted, not bowed in fear, because the King who called you to it -- is walking every step of it with you, and He has never once lost a soul who kept following Him.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka

Editor's Note: For the first week, we’re discounting The Eternal Kingdom Revealed to help get the book into as many hands as possible. My hope is that people will begin reading, share their thoughts, and leave honest reviews so others can discover the message of the Kingdom as well. If you’ve been thinking about getting a copy, this is a great time to pick one up. Available now on Amazon at a special first-week price.