A Gate of Fate

Enter through the narrow gate: for the gate is wide and the Road is easy that leads to destruction and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life and there are few who find it. (Mat.7: 13-14)

Based on these verses there were numerous publications, songs, stories were written because this verse is a key verse in some of the doctrines of Christianity. It is even justified to say that each and Christian will remember this verse in his day-to-day life either directly or indirectly. Multi cultural and different background people included always attended Jesus teachings and preaching among them Jews are the majority and judaistic gentiles were also the audience. If we carefully read the bible we can encounter a phrase “you’ve heard that it was said” many times to show that Jesus was teaching to Jews and judaistic gentiles by using their own scripture (old testament) to teach them. It is also important to understand that the Jewish community always questioned about the divinity and the authority of the Jesus Christ. The core message of the Jesus Christ ministry was about the kingdom of God.

“Dualism” was one of the concept or the philosophical thinking that was understood by those century people very widely. Even john the Apostle used this “dualistic understanding” in his writings (good-bad, light-darkness). These statements are my base of strong arguments that the Jews people are also adopted the understanding and the thinking of Greek philosophers and scholars. Jews even adopted the culture language and also the philosophies of many Greeks. Jesus understood the philosophical development of the then society he proposed the dualistic kind of teaching about kingdom of God so that it will be greater help for the audience to understand in better way. Hence we can see the narrow and wider gates in his teaching about the kingdom of God.

Now the question rises “Are Jews unaware of Kingdom of God and also the life after death?” absolutely they are aware. There was a saying by Mira Komarovsky “The greatest danger of traditional education is that learning may remain purely verbal.” The teachings they were received in the childhood was felt and understood were outdated. Hence Jesus claimed that "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” Mat. 24:35 (NASV). This statement asserted by Jesus to assure the children of God that the word of God will poses the authority through the Ages. The Hellenism swept all over the world that lead to the linguistic, philosophical movement even in Israel. This Hellenistic movement enabled the easy going and pleasure loving Jews to replace the teachings of God with the philosophical thoughts. The Hellenistic movement polluted the credibility and the authority of the word of God with different philosophical teachings. If we see into the history Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes and teachers of law made the temple of God as a business complex and made it as a den of robbers by collecting the bribes rather being the servants of God. Hence Jesus denounced their life and spirituality by announcing and stating them as the “white washed tombs”.

As the Hellenism took over Roman provinces it also crept into the Judea, Galilee and Samaria. The Jews of these areas adopted the Greek philosophical way of life. The thinkers and philosophers of Greek denied the existence of God and proposed the life of pleasure. Epicureanism is one of the philosophies that robbed the hearts of minds of the people. Epicureans are atheists who rejected the life after death and believed that soul is also mortal so they developed the thought ‘enjoy the pleasure at maximum’. They denounce the hard work, struggle, problems, oppression etc. hence the epicureans were seen as lazy people. There are many followers of the Epicureanism among them Jews were also present. The Jews who adopted the Epicureanism changed the interpretation of the scriptures according to their wish and interests. Hence these people are trembled by the condemning voice of John the Baptist “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Mat. 3:7) (NRSV). To this calling some of them opened their eyes and some of them remained addicted to their Philosophical thoughts. To counter them Jesus said a parable of the RICH FOOL (Luke 12: 16-21). The wide gate comes under the thoughts and proposals of Epicureanism. Today the present era of Christianity are turning back to the oldest philosophical thoughts and are leaving the teachings of Jesus and are changing the literal interpretations of the Word of God and are living according to their own ways in experiencing the pleasure. There are some group of people came with the different theologies of materialism and prosperity. My dear readers Jesus completely denounced the acquiring of positions and swimming in materialism. Among Jesus sayings the famous quote is “it is difficult for the rich man to enter into the kingdom of God than the came enter through the gap of a needle”. Hold on to the faith and follow the word of God and heed unto the teachings of Apostles and leave behind the thoughts and different teachings that explain the pleasure of life in this world.

The ministry of Jesus was started by preaching about the kingdom of God (Mat. 4:17) and was ended by the preaching of Kingdom of God (Mat. 25: 46). Beware! The Epicureanism is getting introduced into the church by different sources. The intrude of the Epicureanism is completely denounced by the teachings of Jesus. And also Apostle Paul (Phil. 3:20) says that we do not belong to this world. Hence we are advised to leave the wider gate i.e. of worldly pleasure because it leads us to the hell (Rev. 21:18). You are requested to enter through the narrow gate that leads you to the Kingdom of God, which gives you heavenly joy and peace. Hence by understanding the intruding of Epicureanism into the Christian life leave it and be prepared to attain the kingdom of God.

Daniel Hutson