Entering the Kingdom

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate.^(A) For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,^(B) and there are many who go through it. ¹⁴ How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

¹³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you don’t go in, and you don’t allow those entering to go in.^[a](A)

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins^[a] who took their lamps^[b] and went out to meet the groom.^{(A) 2} Five of them were foolish and five were wise.^{(B) 3} When the foolish took their lamps, they didn’t take oil with them; ⁴ but the wise ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps. ⁵ When the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶ “In the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him.’

⁷ “Then all the virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’

⁹ “The wise ones answered, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell oil, and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰ “When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.^{(C) 11} Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’

¹² “He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you!’

¹³ “Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour.^[c]

²³ “Lord,” someone asked him, “are only a few people going to be saved?” ^(A)

He said to them, ²⁴ “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door,^(B) because I tell you, many will try to enter and won’t be able ²⁵ once the homeowner gets up and shuts the door.^(C) Then you will stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up for us!’ He will answer you, ‘I don’t know you or where you’re from.’ ²⁶ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you’re from. Get away from me,^(D) all you evildoers!’ ²⁸ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth^(E) in that place,^(F) when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God,^(G) but yourselves thrown out. ²⁹ They will come from east and west, from north and south, to share the banquet^[a] in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ Note this: Some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”^(H)

The Good Shepherd

10 “Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber.^{(A) 2} The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd^(B) of the sheep.^{(C) 3} The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand^(D) what he was telling them.

⁷ Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am^(E) the gate for the sheep.^{(F) 8} All who came before me^[a] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. ⁹ I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰ A thief comes only to steal^(G) and kill and destroy.^(H) I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.