The Narrow Path

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.  Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them." - Jesus   Matthew 7:13-16

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.  Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.  Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil."  Proverbs 4:23-27

When I used to hear the words of Jesus about the narrow and wide roads, I tended to imagine in my mind a wide gate to the left and a narrow gate to the right.  But as I have learned more scripture such as Proverbs 4 which says do not swerve to the right or the left, I have come to imagine a narrow road of life in the middle with wide paths of destruction at the left and the right.  In our broken, sinful lives, we are like minnows caught in a minnow trap. 

We have managed to get ourselves into something, but  we cannot get our selves out.  The way into a minnow trap is very easy, because wherever you start, the funnel leads you slowly in.  The way out of a minnow trap is very hard because if you are the slightest bit off center you will be lead further and further away from the exit because you are on the back side of the funnel.  In the same way, it is easy (natural ?) to wander into the trap of a small, narrow life based on my own sinful nature, but very hard to get out.  Jesus and the full counsel of Scripture leads us to the narrow, middle path - the way out of the trap, out into the wide open spaces where God meant for us to live.    Even after we know the joy and truth of the gospel, we tend to drift back inside the minnow trap and then try to escape using old, unhealthy patterns, veering off towards one extreme or another instead of seeking the narrow  way.

So should a Christian:

Feed the Poor        or         Evangelize?
Believe in Absolutes        or        Believe no person has all the answers ?
View the bible as a clear guide book         or         as a profound mystery?
Spend life in quiet meditation and worship        or        In active engagement in the world ?
Obey the moral laws of God        or         Try to extend mercy & understanding to other people ?
Be confident in the teaching of scripture        or        Be open to the possibility you've misunderstood it ?
Be Liberal = to liberate = set free        or        Be Conservative = to conserve what is precious = be faithful ?
Take the bible as the living Word of God        or        Written by ordinary human beings  at a particular point in History ?

The answer is...

YES !

Jesus is the way, the truth, the life - and in his life and teachings we see indeed a narrow path where multiple truths are held in healthy tension.  We humans like things simple.  For some of us that means reducing reality to black and white.  For others it means reducing reality to grey.  The absolutes remain, but life feels grey when several absolutes (such as justice and mercy) need to be considered at the same time.  It is at such times we remember that we do not worship the principles, but a person - the living God who is the principle giver.  The middle way, the narrow way, is created when the multiple truths of scripture are held in tension.  It is an unsettling place to be - it makes you feel out of control, like you don't have all the answers -  but it is also the place where you are most likely to hear the voice of God instead of the voices of your own fears, desires, or pride.