22aAnd He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.
23 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there afew who are saved?” And He said to them,
24a“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for bmany, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
25aWhen once the Master of the house has risen up and bshut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, c‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, d‘I do not know you, where you are from,’
26then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’
27aBut He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. bDepart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’
28aThere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, bwhen you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.
29They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.
Strive (agwnizesqe). Jesus makes short shrift of the question. He includes others (present middle plural of agwnizomai, common verb, our agonize). Originally it was to contend for a prize in the games. The kindred word agwnia occurs of Christ's struggle in Gethsemane (Luke 22:44). The narrow gate appears also in Matthew 7:13, only there it is an outside gate (pulhv) while here it is the entrance to the house, "the narrow door" (qurav).
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Luke 13:24:
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