Luke 13:30Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

What then is that which our Lord says elsewhere, My yoke is easy, and my burden is light? (Matt. 11:30.) There is indeed no contradiction, but the one was said because of the nature of temptations, the other with respect to the feeling of those who overcame them. For whatever is troublesome to our nature may be considered easy when we undertake it heartily. Besides also, though the way of salvation is narrow at its entrance, yet through it we come into a large space, but on the contrary the broad way leadeth to destruction.

For he did not visit the small places only, as they do who wish to deceive the simple, nor the cities only, as they who are fond of show, and seek their own glory; but as their common Lord and Father providing for all, He went about every where. Nor again did He visit the country towns only, avoiding Jerusalem, as if He feared the cavils of the lawyers, or death, which might follow therefrom; and hence he adds, And journeying towards Jerusalem. For where there were many sick, there the Physician chiefly shewed Himself. It follows, Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved?

The narrow gate also represents the toils and sufferings of the saints. For as a victory in battle bears witness to the strength of the soldiers, so a courageous endurance of labours and temptations will make a man strong.

Or else, our Lord confirmed the words He heard, that is, by saying that there are few who are saved, for few enter by the strait gate, but in another place He says this very thing, Narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there are who enter into it. (Matt. 7:14.) Therefore He adds, For many I say unto you shall seek to enter;

For as in earthly life the departure from right is exceeding broad, so he who goes out of the path which leads to the kingdom of heaven, finds himself in a vast extent of error. (int. 241.). But the right way is narrow, the slightest turning aside being full of danger, whether to the right or to the left, as on a bridge, where he who slips on either side is thrown into the river.

Consider this: there are those who are last who will become first. Gentile believers, who may currently appear to be last for they were the last to recognize the Son, will ultimately take precedence due to their genuine faith. Conversely, there are those who are first who will find themselves last. The unbelieving Jews, who presently seem to hold the primacy because they were the initial recipients of God's revelation, as it is written, ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn’ (Ex. 4:22), will, because of their lack of faith, find themselves in a lesser position. This message is also applicable to believers, as those who appear to be foremost in this world may find themselves last in the age to come, and the reverse holds true as well.

For the Fathers above mentioned, before the times of the Law, forsaking the sins of many gods to follow the Gospel way, received the knowledge of the most high God; to whom many of the Gentiles were conformed through a similar manner of life, but their children suffered estrangement from the Gospel rules; and herein it follows, And behold they are last which shall be first, and they are first which shall be last.

Now when He was about to speak of the entrance of the narrow gate, He said first, strive, for unless the mind struggles manfully, the wave of the world is not overcome, by which the soul is ever thrown back again into the deep.

The master of the house is Christ, who since as very God He is every where, is already said to be within those whom though He is in heaven He gladdens with His visible presence, but is as it were without to those whom while contending in this pilgrimage, He helps in secret. But He will enter in when He shall bring the whole Church to the contemplation of Himself. He will shut the door when He shall take away from the reprobate all room for repentance. Who standing without will knock, that is, separated from the righteous will in vain implore that mercy which they have despised. Therefore it follows, And he will answer and say to you, I know you not whence ye are.

As the Lord continued His journey, He took the opportunity to clarify to His disciples and the crowd that indeed, only a select few among the Jews would be privileged to enter the kingdom. A person inquired, "Are there few who will be saved?" The Lord's response was not a straightforward yes or no; instead, He indicated that many would strive to find Him, but it would be too late. The doors would be closed, and the celebration would commence without them. Therefore, regardless of how narrow the path may be, we must move swiftly. Otherwise, we risk being late for those around us. The first shall be last, and the last shall be first. While the Gentiles will find entrance, the children of the kingdom will be cast out.

He will respond to you, 'Indeed, I taught you, but you turned a deaf ear to My lessons; you desired not to know Me, and I do not recognize you; depart from Me, you evildoers! You will witness others arriving from various nations who will recline in the kingdom of heaven alongside Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets, while you, the heirs of these just men, will be cast out. Look, those whom you regard as the least and hold in disdain here will occupy prominent positions there, while you, who see yourselves as the most important, will take the lowest place.’ From this declaration of Jesus, a caution emerges for all humanity: one must traverse the narrow path to enter through the narrow gate of the Kingdom of Heaven during this life.

On the wild olive tree, He discovered what was absent from the cultivated olive tree, and from this observation, He imparted a lesson that greatly unsettled the ears of the Jewish audience: ‘When many of the genuine heirs of the kingdom are cast out into the darkness of hell, numerous others shall come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.' This declaration stood in stark contrast to the cherished aspirations of self-sacrificing Judaism. As one rabbinic teaching states, God Himself assures the Jews, ‘In the world to come, I will prepare a grand feast for you Jews, which the Gentiles will witness and feel ashamed,’ yet this Galilean teacher proclaimed the exclusion of the Jews and the inclusion of the Gentiles!

As the Divine Instructor of celestial truth, the Lord was accessible to all who sought His guidance or resolution for their confusions. When responding to individual inquiries, He often directed His words toward the broader edification of those in His presence. Observing the Lord's reprimand towards the unbelieving Jews, a man realized that being justified before God involved more than mere physical lineage from Abraham, recognizing that numerous individuals steeped in disbelief would not achieve salvation. He approached the Savior with the question: Lord, are there few who are saved?