082210   THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK
(“Lord, will only a few people be saved.”)
(Luke 13: 23)
            Jesus doesn’t always answer a direct question with a direct answer.  He speaks in such a way as to give the person some food for thought.  Perhaps the answer already lies within the person asking the question but has not yet dawned on them.  Notice what the person is not asking.  The question is not: “Will only a few people get to heaven?”  The question has to do with being saved.  There is a recognition on the part of the one asking that entering into God’s kingdom is not something that we can do on our own or by our own means.  We cannot overcome our sinfulness and that is why it is not uncommon for people to deny their sinfulness; they have to admit their own powerlessness.  We human beings do not like to admit when we are powerless or impotent.
            Saved.  We have to have another save us or we will perish.  That is the underlying belief which prompts the question.  The one asking realizes his powerlessness and is wondering aloud if there are many who also realize their need for a savior.  It is one thing to recognize you need to be saved.  It is another thing entirely to accept Jesus Christ as the Savior who will save us from our sins.  They are related but they are not the same.
            Jesus response to the man is about the “how” of salvation.  He encourages his listeners to enter by means of the path that is not well traveled or well-paved.  There are such paths and there are plenty of people who travel them.  But they do not lead to salvation.  “Not as the world sees do you see, O Lord our God,” says the psalmist.  But here is the point.  If you think more about going to heaven than about your need to be saved then perhaps you should do some re-thinking.  There is no going to heaven without being saved.  Period.  And just how is it that we show our God that we “get” the salvation He offers us?  Jesus invites us to put our faith in him and to walk the narrow way.  And how would you describe to someone just what Jesus means by “the narrow way?”  That is the question of the week.