It must have been striking and confusing to the listeners of Jesus when He said that only a few people would be saved or that only a few would enter through the door. His statement on pious religious practices is not enough for someone to enter eternal life.
However, this does not mean that eternal life is for the selected few. This is because at the end of the text, He says people will come from different parts of the world, east, west, north, and south, and be part of the Eternal Kingdom. We know that the symbolism of the stretched-out hands of the crucified Jesus is an invitation for all people to come to Him.
The part that Jesus emphasizes is entering through the narrow door. Narrow, in a sense, means there must be a bit of suffering. He warns against the mere lifestyle of following religious norms, rituals, and practices. This is not enough. What is the impact of these pious practices on me and you? What transformation do they bring to each of us? What is dying in me every day to be worthy of Christ?
Take, for example, many times when someone annoys me, with my practice and beliefs, we will reconcile and part ways. That means no more connections, no more helping each other, because we feel we have forgiven each other. The story of Joseph and his brothers in Egypt (Gen 50:12-21) shows us to be merciful to those who wrong us. Are we strong enough to sacrifice them? The most challenging part is that some may not feel sorry or even be apologetic for their wrongdoing. Are you ready to suffer humiliation by forgiving and helping them back?
Jesus saved us through death and resurrection. The narrow door is a moment of death and resurrection in our lives. We must be ready to endure suffering and, in the end, to die to experience the metanoia of a new life. The difficult part is that sometimes suffering is taken as evil. Many Saints, like Saint Teresa of Avila, viewed suffering as moments to draw us closer to God. The soul that is closer to God suffers more. This is the reason we need to endure the strife of entering the narrow door.
When I read this Gospel, I looked at the story of Job, a righteous man who endured suffering, but all who were close to him, as it was believed in retribution, were convinced that he had sinned, and so they told him, “Curse God and die" (Job 2:9). The persistence of Job brings glory at the end. You might not be like Job, but you might have some struggles within you that you feel need to die. In the process, you may have the temptation of justifying them and doing nothing about them. This is a way leading to a wider door. The narrow door pushes for conversion and self-dying of sin.
Why does Jesus use Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the prophets as examples of those who will be in the Kingdom of God? The reason is that they endured faith and sometimes witnessed it through suffering. Abraham, as Father of the Faith, portrayed strong trust in God without questioning. As followers of Jesus, we need to trust in Him. This means praying without giving up, even in moments of suffering and temptation.
The last will be the first and first will be the last. Let us seek humility above all in following Jesus so that we can enter the narrow door.