Jesus said, “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14). Here, Jesus tells us the gate and pathway to eternal life has a small opening and narrow road. Yet what does this mean for us when we consider that there is no physical gate and pathway to the kingdom of Heaven?
In Proverbs, Solomon writes, “Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove your foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:26-27). In other words, Solomon advises us to stay on the “path” of righteousness, according to God. Turning to the left or right metaphorically stands for turning to do evil. It appears there is only one way to God because any veering from straightness is called evil.
Another verse in the Bible gives us even more clarification of what Jesus was saying. (We must remember, all words in Scripture are the words of God (Jesus)).
The prophet Isaiah says, “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21). In this passage, Isaiah tells us that when we are followers of Jesus Christ, we will hear a voice, not an audible voice, but a spiritual voice from the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit will let us know when we are not going the right direction. He (Holy Spirit) will direct us to stay on the path when we turn toward the wayside.
Therefore, the strait and narrow way Jesus describes is “the way to life.” On this path is obedience to the commandments of Jesus and God. On this path are the virtues God wants us to show as followers of Jesus Christ. And on this path is the Holy Spirit helping us every bit of the way. We must do our best to keep our ears attuned to the Holy Spirit, who directs us spiritually as we walk on the road to eternal life.