From our Sunday service on September 28, 2025, Luke 13, John 10 and John 15. This is part 7 of our Parables of Christ series. Watch the full message: The Way to New Life – The Parables of Christ #7 on YouTube.
Today is message number seven in our series on the parables of Christ. Seven is the number of completion, so it’s appropriate that in message seven we talk about Christ’s completed work on the cross and how we can find the way to new life.
Over the last two weeks we looked at the feelings surrounding salvation. First we saw how God feels about salvation, and then how we feel about it, and how we can become jealous of grace. Today and in the coming weeks we continue with salvation as taught through the parables of Christ. Today we look at how Jesus is the only way to new life. In the following weeks we’ll talk about living out that new life. But how can we talk about living it out if we first don’t talk about how we get it?
God wants you to find new life in him.
The Narrow Door
Before we get to Luke 13 and the narrow door, I want to go to where this teaching first comes from. In Matthew 7, Jesus is giving the Sermon on the Mount, the biggest message he ever gives, and he brings up a specific truth: the path that leads to life is a narrow road. One of the people who heard this teaching had a question for Jesus about it, and that question prompts today’s parable.
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Matthew 7:13–14
Jesus is teaching the concept of the two paths. This isn’t new to Jesus. It goes all the way back to Deuteronomy 30, where God says to the nation of Israel that two paths are laid before them. Joshua’s “Choose you this day whom ye will serve” was a response to that message. You have to choose. Are you going to follow the path of righteousness, be blessed by God, enter the promised land and have life in him, or choose the path to destruction and have God punish you for your sins? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives a shocking revelation: it’s not that easy to tell which path you’re walking on. A lot of the Jews thought they were on the narrow path to life, and they weren’t. They had misunderstood what it was about, and they were completely unaware of it. So Jesus’s teaching shocked them. “What? The path to life is narrow? Only a few make it in?” Later, while Jesus was doing his ministry, a man who had heard this teaching approached him about it. That brings us to Luke 13, the parable of the narrow door. Let’s read verses 22 and 23.
And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
Luke 13:22–23
We’ll get to what he said in a moment, but here’s the question: “Lord, teacher, rabbi, master, is it true that only a few are going to make it to salvation?” Why was he asking? Consider a few things.
First, they knew that a remnant of Israel would be saved. That wasn’t controversial, because it was what the Bible had been teaching. Look at the times God saved people in the Bible. Only eight were saved from the flood in Noah’s day, because they were righteous. Millions left Egypt, but because they lacked the faith to enter the promised land, only two who originally left Egypt made it in. And prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah specifically said that only a faithful remnant of Israel would be saved. So the man wasn’t asking because he didn’t know this from Scripture. There must be another reason.
Second, consider what their teachers were teaching. In the first century many religious leaders taught that everyone in Israel would be saved purely because they were God’s chosen people. That directly contradicted what the Bible taught about salvation and the Old Testament examples of it. The Pharisees cared so much about their national identity that they had given up the idea of a spiritual identity. So when Jesus said many people think they’re on the path to righteousness and aren’t, it shocked them, because their religious leaders were saying, “You’re on the path to righteousness because you’re by nature a Jew.” The man is confused: “The Bible says this, but the people who are supposed to be teaching me the Bible disagree.”
Third, consider what he saw around him. Only some of the Jews kept the law. The Romans had taken over their nation, and many Jews had decided to enjoy the comforts of Rome, give up their Jewish identity and standards, and embrace the standards of the Greeks and the Romans. So the man was probably thinking, “My teachers say all Jews will be saved, but I look around and find that not all of them are faithful. Are my teachers right that being a Jew will save us? Or won’t they be saved because they’re following Rome?” There were so many conflicting ideas about what gets a man to heaven, what gives a man life. He needed to know which was true.
There are also a few things he might have thought salvation was. The people weren’t thinking about salvation the way we do. Many expected national deliverance: that God would send the Messiah to deliver Israel from Rome and restore the Jewish kingdom, a collective, political salvation. Others thought salvation was being a part of God’s people, counted among the righteous, so that those who tried to live righteously would automatically be saved. Others thought of it as a coming judgment on Israel, from which a faithful remnant would be spared, an escape from God’s wrath on the nation. All three were wrong, and the man was about to be shocked to find out that none of them was right. Let’s look at Jesus’s answer in verses 24 to 27.
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
Luke 13:24–27
Jesus doesn’t give a simple yes or no. He could have said, “Yes, a few will be saved,” and moved on. But he doesn’t want the man to have a yes or no answer to take back to his teachers. He wants him to understand why people won’t be saved. Many will want to enter through this door, but will not be able. Why? That’s the really important question. A lot of people want to go to heaven. Ask almost anyone, “If heaven is real, would you like to go?” and they’d say yes. But not everyone who wants to go will be able.
Jesus draws the picture. A homeowner is hosting a banquet. He has prepared the dinner, his guests are seated, and he has shut the door for the night. Some people begin to knock and ask to enter, but he doesn’t recognize the voices of the strangers on the other side. They say, “We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.” They claim to have been around this teacher. “Let us in. We were at your other dinner a couple months back with our friend. We didn’t talk to you one-on-one, but we were there. And last Tuesday you were teaching in the streets, and I was sitting in the crowd listening to everything you said.” Yet the homeowner says, “I know you not whence ye are.” Though they were around the host, they did not know the host. They had been around people who knew him and had a relationship with him, but they themselves had no one-on-one relationship with the homeowner. If they had, he would have said, “I recognize your voice. I know you. Come on in.” But they never made that connection. They only knew people who knew him. They never sought out a real, personal relationship. So from the homeowner’s perspective, why in the world would he let strangers into his home, with the people he knows, loves and cares about? To him they look like workers of iniquity trying to break in and ruin the banquet.
Jesus’s answer to why so many will miss heaven is that you cannot be saved without a relationship with Jesus Christ. Sitting under biblical teaching is not a substitute for a relationship with him. Having friends and family who know him is not enough to ensure that you know him. You can enjoy the blessings of being around believers without being a true believer yourself. I don’t think any other place in Scripture lays out more clearly that the relationship is what matters. We as Baptists like to emphasize a relationship with Jesus Christ, and here we see it’s biblical. The question is whether we know him.
The Good Shepherd
Jesus develops this illustration of the door elsewhere, so let’s go to John 10, the parable of the good shepherd. To get through the door, you must have a relationship. This builds on the parable of the lost sheep from a couple of weeks ago. I find it entertaining that pastors often say shepherding was well known and Jesus used it because everybody knew about it. In this parable, Jesus uses shepherding as an illustration and the people don’t get it. They don’t know enough about it. I believe there were a lot of people in Israel who had no idea what shepherding really was, which is probably why Jesus gave the parable of the lost coin alongside the lost sheep. Every time he uses a shepherding illustration, people say, “What?” and he has to explain it. That’s good for us, because today we know exactly what Jesus wanted to say. Let’s read verses 1 to 6.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
John 10:1–6
Jesus has already been a good shepherd in the earlier parable, leaving the ninety-nine to rescue the one and celebrating its salvation. That showed how God seeks out and pursues the lost so they can return to the sheepfold. Now we’re introduced to the sheepfold itself: a big walled-in area with a giant gate and a porter, a gatekeeper, who opens the gate and lets people in and out. Jesus says the one who goes in and out is the shepherd, and he is that shepherd.
Jesus wants us to get two truths. First, those who try to enter the sheepfold, the kingdom of heaven, without using the door, which is Christ, are false teachers. There’s only one way to enter, and that’s through Jesus Christ. If you are told you can go in some other way, that’s not true. Second, true followers of Jesus will recognize their shepherd’s voice, because they have a relationship with him. Because they recognize his voice, they will not follow the voice of strangers, the people trying to say you can get to heaven another way, the ones who say Jesus is one way to heaven. No, Jesus is the only way. There’s one door. Those who say you can climb over the wall or find a loophole are false teachers. They’re liars. But the people didn’t understand the parable, so Jesus breaks it down in verses 7 to 10.
Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
John 10:7–10
If you asked me my favorite verse, it’s probably verse 10: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” A lot of people look at Christianity the wrong way, as “I have to give up this, this and that.” Christianity isn’t about giving up. It’s about gaining something in Christ. Christ doesn’t ask us to give up anything other than what harms us. He is calling us to abandon bad things and live a life better than anything else.
Let’s look at it verse by verse. In verse 7, Jesus clearly states that he is the one and only way into the kingdom of heaven. There is no other entrance. If people tell you there is, they are false teachers, thieves and robbers. Notice that false teachers are not identified as liars. They’re identified as thieves and robbers. Their motivation is to take from you, to get gain from you. They are not lying just for the sake of lying. They want something from you. But verse 8 tells us the truth: “the sheep did not hear them.” Those who are truly saved will not be tricked by false teachers. Those who truly believe in Jesus won’t fall into the trap, because they have a relationship with the shepherd and know his voice. When they hear something that contradicts his voice, they say, “You’re a thief. You’re a robber. What you’re telling me isn’t true. Your interest in me is not for good but for evil. I’ll stay with Jesus. Thank you.”
In verse 9, “by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.” Not might be, not could be, but shall be. “And shall go in and out, and find pasture.” This lines up with Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” When you enter the kingdom, you come and go. You go into the fields, get fed, and go out and minister. God isn’t going to keep you in a cage. He’s going to give you everything you need and everything good for you. He’ll find the best pastures and let you graze there for a time. Then he’ll take you on trips through the wilderness, but he’ll be by your side along the way. You don’t just go into the sheepfold and stay there. There are other places he takes you as part of the kingdom. And this connects to the narrow door: it is only through Jesus and a relationship with him that someone can enter the kingdom of heaven.
In verse 10, there are going to be thieves who try to take advantage of the sheep. They’ll teach another gospel, another way to find fulfillment or get to heaven. But they preach it only for their own benefit. They want to steal from you to gain for themselves, and they want to kill and destroy you because they don’t care about your eternal destination. What does Jesus do in comparison? “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” With Jesus there is so much more available. Why? Verses 11 to 14.
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
John 10:11–14
Compare the thieves with the good shepherd. The thieves kill and destroy. The good shepherd sacrifices his life and saves life. Jesus reminds us how much he has invested in us by comparing himself with employees. Hired shepherds take care of the sheep for a paycheck. If one gets lost they don’t really care, because they’ll be paid the same either way. They don’t own the sheep, so the loss isn’t theirs. The owner takes great care not to lose a sheep, because it was purchased at great cost to himself. Jesus is like that with us. Others may not care about our eternal status, but God cares deeply, because we are his creation. He is invested in us and was willing to give his life for us, and in fact did give his life for us on the cross.
Lastly, Jesus says, “I know my sheep, and am known of mine.” Once again, that relationship is what saves you: knowing Jesus, surrendering to Jesus, having a relationship with Jesus. A lot of people at the last day will say, “Lord, Lord,” and Jesus will say, “I never knew you.” We can talk to Jesus, but if Jesus can’t talk to us, we’re not saved. Salvation is a two-way street. It’s not just asking, asking, asking. It’s communicating between God and us. Now Jesus’s sacrifice, verses 15 to 18.
As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
John 10:15–18
Jesus begins revealing his plan for the salvation of the world. He reveals that he’s going to bring non-Jews into the kingdom, which contradicted what the Jewish people believed, that salvation was about your ethnicity. “Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold.” That means there were already followers of Jesus outside the nation of Israel. Think of the whole story of Jonah. Why did God send him to Nineveh? Because God wanted followers in Nineveh. In the Old Testament there were followers of God outside Israel. God worked through the nation of Israel to write Scripture, but throughout history there have been people in other nations who truly believed in God. Jesus says, “There are separate sheepfolds, and I want to bring them together under one umbrella, and that’s under me.”
He also reveals how this unity will happen: he will lay down his life so that he can take it again. Here he reveals that he’s going to die and be resurrected. He doesn’t give all the details of how he’ll die on a cross, but he says, “I’m going to have to lay down my life to restore what is broken, but I’m not going to stay that way. I’m going to rise again.” Why? Because God needs to confirm that what Jesus says about this kingdom is true. If Jesus had stayed dead, we couldn’t say with confidence that if we have a relationship with Jesus Christ we will make it to heaven. But when Jesus rose from the dead, people had to say, “Something’s different about this Jesus.” A lot of prophets died. None of them came back from the dead. There is nobody like Jesus, so we need to take what he says seriously. That’s why the resurrection is so important: it’s the evidence that what Jesus said is true.
The True Vine
Before we close, let’s look at the last parable, the true vine in John 15, where Jesus talks about a time for a decision. He said, “I am the door.” Now he says, “I am the vine.” Verses 1 to 4.
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
John 15:1–4
“Husbandman” just means farmer. Jesus calls himself the true vine, the core of the vine from which everything else stems, which supports and directs the nutrients for all the branches to use. His Father is the farmer who tends the field. He gives the Holy Spirit, he waters it, he helps it grow. But Jesus is the central stem on which everything in the kingdom depends. Humanity is the branches. Each of us is a branch that comes from the stem, and our sole purpose as a branch is to produce the fruit of the vine. In the parables, this means being saved and beginning to do good actions on behalf of God’s kingdom.
Sadly, not all will produce fruit and fulfill their purpose. Some branches grow deformed, some get diseased, some wither from the heat and die. Eventually it becomes clear to the farmer that they will never produce fruit, in this case the fruit of salvation. Then it’s the farmer’s job to prune off the weak branches so the whole vine can survive and thrive. If the disease were allowed to go on, it would take over the whole vine and the whole vineyard could fall. Jesus warns us of this painful pruning to show us how God tends his world. He gives each of us an opportunity to grow into salvation and do good for the kingdom. But if we surrender to the evils of the world and choose to reject saving transformation, it is God’s duty to prune us for the health of the rest of the world.
So what do I do to stay on the vine? Verses 5 to 8.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
John 15:5–8
To be saved from destruction, we must rely on the central vine, Jesus Christ alone. A branch can’t extract resources from the soil or the rain. The only way it gets nutrients is from the vine. In the same way, the only way we get what we need to grow into salvation is through Jesus Christ. There’s no other door and no other source. Only Jesus can provide what you need to produce holiness for the kingdom. As the verse says, without him we can do nothing. We are completely dependent on him for our salvation. And without Jesus we lose our entire purpose for life. If our purpose is to grow into salvation and produce good works, and we can’t do it without Christ, then missing salvation is missing everything there is to be offered in this world. And if we’ve lost everything, there’s nothing to do but be pruned and cast away. But verse 7 tells us that if we abide in him, we can ask what we will and it shall be done. With Jesus, all our needs can be taken care of so that we can produce the fruit of good works. And “so shall ye be my disciples.”
As I was working on this message, I noticed pastors debating discipleship: in your discipleship class, is it good enough to give knowledge, or do you need good works? Do you sit down with people and talk about what they should do, or do you go alongside them and have them start doing it? I had just finished this lesson, and this was the last verse I’d looked at: “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” I thought, “Whoa, are we missing this? Discipleship doesn’t come from knowledge but from actions.” You can’t teach discipleship without teaching people to do. Faith without works is dead. Salvation without works is dead. You can’t separate being a disciple of God from doing something for God. Knowledge of God is not the same as a relationship with him. Discipleship is not the same as knowing what the Bible says. Be not hearers of the word only, but doers. Salvation isn’t about sitting in church, talking about God, or being around other people who know about God. It’s that we get up and say, “God, I want to do something with these hands for you. I want to be part of your kingdom. I don’t want to just be attached to the vine. I want to produce fruit.” If we want that discipleship, if we want to do great things in this life, it only comes through Jesus Christ.
Finding the Way
Jesus consistently taught that there is only one way to find new life, and that is through him. The gate is narrow, the door is singular, and the vine has only one route. Salvation is not about being near Jesus, hearing his teachings, or even being surrounded by those who follow them. It’s about having a two-way relationship with him, so that you can recognize and follow his voice as he directs.
God is calling each of us to respond to his invitation. The door is still open, but it will not be open forever. The good shepherd laid down his life so that you could enter and find abundant life in him, and he is calling you into the kingdom by name. Will you answer his call? Will you remain in him and allow him to produce the fruit of goodness in your life? This week, make sure you aren’t just around Jesus, but with Jesus. Talk to him. Trust him. Follow him. He is the way, the truth and the life, and through him you can find the new life that God wants you to have. God wants you to find new life in him. So will you make sure you have found new life in him today?
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