Does He Know You?

Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:

Perhaps some of you may have seen what a gate looks like before and some have not. For those of you who have not, think of it as a doorway if you will, one to something greater. Here the Lord in essence is saying that there is a straight gate, or one that is plain to all to enter. Yet it is so obvious that many miss it altogether for its’ simplicity. See, crooked gates might be nice to look at. Yet here they form another matter entirely, even that of the salvation of your soul and quite possibly your life.

Then again, the text speaks of another matter, one that is closely linked to each other. See, let’s say the gate is a door, one that leads to a house. Inside that house is the Master who watches it carefully. Getting past him to meet it though, is going to prove a bit of a challenge. Notice how those knocking at the door all have knowledge of the Master. They have seen him out and about and even stopped on occasion to listen. It seems the Master had a bad habit of teaching in the streets and watching these others that were without eat and drink. To me, such is a bad matter indeed.

Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

How often had Jesus watched them but wanted something to eat. How often had he taught in the street for want of houses to share. How often had he been as those rejected and poor, cast out by the crowd. How often had he been to the least, the downtrodden, and those out of touch. How often had he wanted for clothes, or lodging, or even a friend. Yet still despite his outward condition, he still did God’s will to all who would listen. But see then at the last, how this Master has since come into his own. When he is the gate, the life, the truth, and the way it’s awful hard to mistake him. But here the truth in all its’ simplicity is easy to miss.