Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 7:13

"Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby." — Matthew 7:13 (ASV)

Enter by the narrow gate — The image was possibly suggested by a town actually in sight. This might have been Safed, the “city set on a hill,” or another town, with a narrow pathway leading to an even narrower gate—the “needle’s eye” of the city—through which the traveler entered. In any case, this was the picture the words presented. A similar image had been used before, with a remarkable coincidence of language, in the allegory known as the Tablet of Cebes, a disciple of Socrates: “Do you not see a certain small door, and a pathway before the door, which is not at all crowded, but where few, very few, go in? This is the way that leads to true discipline” (Chapter 16).

The meaning of the parable here lies on the surface. The way and the gate both represent the path of obedience and holiness. This gate is not reached without pain and effort, but only through it can we enter the city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem. A deeper significance, however, is suggested by our Lord’s own teaching. He Himself is the way (John 14:6), or with a slight variation of the imagery, He is the door, or gate, by which His sheep enter the fold (John 10:7). However, we must remember that His being the way and the door does not mean we can find a substitute for holiness in our union with Him. Instead, it simply shows us how we are to attain it.

That leads to destruction — The question, which has been much discussed lately, of whether this word “destruction” means the extinction of conscious life—what is popularly called annihilation—or prolonged existence in endless suffering, is one that can hardly be settled by a mere reference to lexicons. As far as lexicons go, the word implies not annihilation but waste (Matthew 26:8; Mark 14:4) or perdition—that is, the loss of all that makes existence precious. I question whether a single passage can be produced where it means, in relation to material things, more than the breaking up of their outward form and beauty. In spiritual things, I question if it means more than what may be described as the wretchedness of a wasted life.

The use of the related verb confirms this meaning. Men “perish” when they are put to death (Matthew 22:7; Acts 5:37; and elsewhere). Caiaphas gave his counsel that one man should die for the people, so that the whole nation would not perish (John 11:50). The demons ask whether the Christ has come to destroy them (Mark 1:24). The sheep are lost when they are wandering in the wilderness (Matthew 15:24; Luke 15:6). The immediate context leads to the same conclusion. “Life” is more than mere existence. Therefore, by the same reasoning, “destruction” should be more than mere non-existence. On the other hand, the fact of the waste, the loss, the perdition, does not absolutely exclude the possibility of deliverance. The lost sheep was found; the exiled son, who was perishing with hunger, was brought back to his father’s house.