Lesson Five: The Gate and The Path
Devotion #4: The Blue Line
Lorena Haber
When people ask me for driving directions or how I got from point A to point B, my shameless response is typically, “I don’t know, I follow the blue line!” That bold blue line is the route that Apple Maps sets before me. GPS technology on iPhones alone has come so far. In 2017, lane guidance was introduced, better-preparing users for turns and exits. In 2021, the addition of 3D modeling brings additional clarity to interpreting directions and surrounding streets and buildings. In 2023, trips with multiple locations became seamless with multi-stop routing. The introduction of these features, along with many others, made driving to an unfamiliar destination clear and simple. Sometimes, I go as far as mapping my regular commutes to plan in case there are road closures, traffic, or accidents.
Imagine having Apple Maps for the course of your life. I would not mind hearing Siri telling me, “Your life will take a turn in 10 feet!” or “Detour ahead!” or “Take the next exit out of this situation!” In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus presents us with a metaphor for the journey of life, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Jesus tells us there are two gates, two ways, two destinations. We come face to face with the truth that the way to life will be hard to find and full of twists and turns. However, it is clear, when we consider the destinations, life with God or destruction apart from God, the harder way is the right one. Similar to Apple Maps, the fallen world offers multiple routes to the destinations of life, truth, and happiness. These routes often look like the following: do what makes you happy; focus on yourself first and only. It is easy to take these paths and shortcuts that seem to benefit us, but in reality, the smoothest, quickest road to what we think is best ends in hurting ourselves or colliding with others.
However, Jesus, in His loving-kindness, calls us to action, “Enter by the narrow gate.” He tells us that the hard way means making conscious choices that align with God’s will, even when it is hard or simply does not make sense. We can trust what Jesus says because He lived it. It is even more so because Jesus traveled by foot! He stepped down from His throne and lived a perfect, sinless life as an example for us. He experienced all of our humanity to the point of death on the cross. Then, He came back to life, plowing sin and death out of the way.
He did this so we would not be wandering lost in sin, but so we could live in pursuit of the way He designed for us. We are saved from our self-destructive ways and in the fullness of God. Even when the ride is riddled with obstacles, in Jesus and His Word, we can be confident in the route He made toward the destination of true life.