Luke 13:23-30

The Voice

Inquiring Individual: Lord, will only a few people be rescued?

Jesus: ²⁴ Strive to enter through the narrow door now, because many people—hear Me on this—will try to enter later on and will not be able to. ²⁵ Imagine you want to enter someone’s home, but you wait until after the homeowner has shut the door. Then you stand outside and bang on the door, and you say, “Sir, please open the door for us!” But he will answer, “I don’t know where you’re from.”

²⁶ Then you’ll say, “Just a minute. We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.” ²⁷ But he’ll say, “Sorry, I have no idea where you’re from. Leave me, all of you evildoers.” ²⁸ Then you’ll see something that will make you cry and grind your teeth together—you’ll see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves will be on the outside looking in.

²⁹ And then you’ll see people streaming in from east and west, from north and south, gathering around the table in the kingdom of God, but you’ll be on the outside looking in. ³⁰ That’s how it will be; some are last now who will be first then, and some are first now who will be last then.