One Door, Many Interpretations

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
Isaiah 66:18-21 | Psalm 116:1-2 | Hebrews 12:5-7,11-13 | Luke 13:22-30


Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed. (Luke 13:24)

The narrow door to heaven is, of course, Christ Himself; Jesus is really calling us to follow Him into paradise.

That said, I can think of several other interpretations of the “narrow door” imagery:

Not the obvious main door: Salvation isn’t based on privileged lineage; as Jesus hints in today’s Gospel, even gentiles will take their place at the table of God, while many of the line of Abraham would not. Nor is it based on a simple profession of faith made by billions each week; “it is not those who say to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

The servant’s door: “The greatest among you must be your servant.” (Matthew 23:11) While the master goes through the main door with his entourage in grand style, the servant comes and goes quietly through the side door, not calling attention to himself, just attending to his duties. So it is with us Christians – we are called to service.

The “fit”-for-the-kingdom door: This door is not for those who “grew fat” from exploiting others; they simply would not fit through. Instead, this door is for those who’ve “stayed lean” through sharing their abundance with the less fortunate, tending to others’ needs and “exercising” their faith regularly.

Sometimes a door…is so much more.

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