Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy..."

"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Matthew 7:13-14 RSV).

Question:

In the Christian tradition, the narrow gate means that we have to renounce many things in order to find God. The only road to God is to lose one’s life. I am wondering if there is a different metaphysical interpretation to these verses.

Comment:

Jesus makes it clear often that the path he calls each of us to embrace—the path of realizing and expressing our own Christ nature—is not an easy one. It takes strength and courage to stand firm against the general flow of belief in a punishing God and a deliberately painful life experience, and to hold fast to Jesus’ message of Oneness with a loving God, and the personal empowerment that makes us co-creators of the new consciousness he describes as "the kingdom of heaven." It’s easier to "go with the flow" through the wide gate; it is harder to resist that flow and find instead the narrow gate of personal empowerment. So this then becomes a statement, not about renunciation and sacrifice, but about spiritual focus. We are free to embrace this life experience—indeed, we must embrace it if we are to transform it into the kingdom. But it’s essential that we always be focused on the underlying spiritual energy and purpose that give everything meaning and validity.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed