Luke 13:22-24 22And he was going through towns and villages, teaching and making a journey toward Jerusalem. 23And someone said to him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And he said to them, 24“Struggle to enter through the narrow door, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
These verses begin another travel section in Luke with the reference to journeying to Jerusalem. The last mention of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem was in 9:51. The towns and villages are not identified, but clearly, Jesus was taking his time and using the situation to proclaim more about the kingdom. The word about him and the witnesses to his miracles were increasing significantly as he journeyed.
The question someone asked in verse 23 is one that many have wondered. It introduces the following teaching section. Are only a few people saved? Several implications people debate over include the ideas that God chooses only certain people to get to heaven (the doctrine of election), and it is difficult for a person to get into heaven. If either is the case, then why even try? Heaven is unreachable for the average person, so just make the most of this life! Jesus will address these faulty conclusions through a series of warnings and illustrations.
The first illustration is about a narrow door. This saying is similar to Matthew 7:13-14 and the narrow gate and way that few people find and enter. The first word in Jesus’ answer is struggle (agōnizesthe). This word is used for how an athlete pushes hard in training and competition to win (1 Corinthians 9:25). It shows great effort and even fighting to accomplish the goal (Colossians 1:29; 1 Timothy 4:10). It is not easy to enter the narrow door.
What makes it so difficult? Based on the earlier teaching section, few people come to point of repentance and faith. They would rather follow their own understanding. Entering this special door is not a matter of how religious a person is or how many good things he or she does but about the grace of the one who opens it. Many want to get into heaven but struggle on their own efforts and goodness, which only indicates hypocrisy like many of the Jews of Jesus’ day. This first saying sets up for the following illustrations and likely peaked the interest of those who heard Jesus. Jesus does not directly answer the question but allows the listeners to draw their own conclusions. The narrow door is not meant to keep people out because it is still a door, but it is specific about how one gets in.
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