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Matthew 3:2,8
And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand…

Matthew 18:2,3
And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, …

Matthew 23:13
But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go inyourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

for.

Genesis 6:5,12
And GOD saw that the wickedness of manwas great in the earth, andthat every imagination of the thoughts of his heartwas only evil continually…

Psalm 14:2,3
The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand,and seek God…

Isaiah 1:9
Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom,and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

that.

Matthew 25:41,46
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: …

Proverbs 7:27
Her houseis the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

Proverbs 16:25
There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereofare the ways of death.

For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction,
The wide gate and broad way symbolize the easy, popular path that many choose, which ultimately leads to spiritual ruin. This reflects the cultural and historical context of Jesus' time, where many followed religious practices without true devotion or understanding. The broad way is characterized by moral laxity and conformity to worldly values, contrasting with the narrow path of true discipleship. This imagery is consistent with Old Testament warnings against following the crowd in doing evil (Exodus 23:2) and the call to choose life over death (Deuteronomy 30:19).

and many enter through it.
This phrase highlights the reality that many people choose the path of least resistance, which is spiritually perilous. It serves as a warning about the prevalence of false teachings and the temptation to follow the majority rather than adhering to the truth of the Gospel. This is echoed in other scriptures, such as2 Timothy 4:3-4, where Paul warns of a time when people will not endure sound doctrine. The emphasis on "many" underscores the importance of discernment and the need to remain steadfast in faith, even when it is countercultural or challenging.

• Jesus commands an active choice: “Enter through the narrow gate.” The directive is personal and immediate.

• Scripture consistently identifies Christ Himself as that gate: “I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9).

• The narrow gate illustrates exclusivity—one way, not many. Jesus confirms: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

• Choosing the narrow gate means repentance and faith, turning from self-reliance to the sufficiency of Christ (Acts 4:12;Psalm 118:19–20).

• In contrast, the wide gate requires no decision to repent or surrender. It welcomes anything and anyone on their own terms.

• Old Testament history highlights this broad invitation to rebellion: “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth” (Genesis 6:5).

• The wide gate flatters human pride, assuring people they can define truth for themselves (Judges 21:25).

• A broad road feels comfortable: no guardrails, few convictions, plenty of company.

• Yet the destination is clear: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

• Destruction is not annihilation but eternal separation from God—“the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

• The broad way contrasts sharply with the illuminated path of obedience: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

• Popularity is never a measure of truth. The majority often chooses ease over obedience (Numbers 14:1-4).

• Jesus forewarned, “Many will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24).

• Cultural pressure, love of the world (1 John 2:15-17), and last-days apostasy (2 Timothy 3:1-5) all funnel multitudes toward the broad way.

• True discipleship remains a minority path, yet it leads to life, joy, and fellowship with God (Matthew 7:14).

Matthew 7:13 confronts every listener with a choice between two gates and two roads. The narrow gate—Christ Himself—leads to life for those who repent and believe. The wide gate, alluring and crowded, ends in destruction. Scripture leaves no middle option: salvation is exclusive, urgent, and available only through Jesus. Choose the narrow gate while it stands open.

That leadeth to destruction.--The question, which has been much discussed lately, whether this word "destruction" means the extinction of conscious life--what is popularly called annihilation--or prolonged existence in endless suffering, is one which can hardly be settled by mere reference to lexicons. So far as they go, the word implies, not annihilation, but waste (Matthew 26:8;Mark 14:4), perdition,i.e., the loss of all that makes existence precious. I question whether a single passage can be adduced in which it means, in relation to material things, more than the breaking up of their outward form and beauty, or in spiritual things, more than what may be described as the wretchedness of a wasted life. The use of the cognate verb confirms this meaning. Men "perish" when they are put to death (Matthew 22:7;Acts 5:37;et al.). Caiaphas gave his counsel that one man should die for the people, that the whole nationperish not (John 11:50). The demons ask whether the Christ has come todestroy them (Mark 1:24). The sheep arelost when they are wandering in the wilderness (Matthew 15:24;Luke 15:6). The immediate context leads to the same conclusion. "Life" is more than mere existence. "Destruction," by parity of reasoning, should be more than mere non-existence. On the other hand, the fact of the waste, the loss, the perdition, does not absolutely exclude the possibility of deliverance. Thelost sheep was found; the exiled son,perishing with hunger, was brought back to his father's house. . . .

(4)Epilogue (cf.Matthew 5:3, note). Dare to take up this position, which has been laid down inMatthew 5:21 - 7:12, involving though it must separation from the majority of men (vers. 13, 14); and this notwithstanding the claim of others to reveal the Lord's mind, whose true nature, however, you shall perceive from their actions (vers. 15-20); they that work iniquity have neither present nor future union with me (vers. 21-23). Finally a solemn warning (vers. 24-27).Verse 13. - For vers. 13, 14, cf.Luke 13:23, 24, which, however (notwithstanding the similarity of vers. 25-27 to our vers. 21-23), were probably spoken later, and were perhaps suggested to both the disciples and the Master by this earlier saying. On the other hand, our ver. 14 seems so direct an answer toLuke 13:23 that it is not unlikely that this is one of the many passages placed by St. Matthew, or the authors of his sources, out of chronological order. Enter ye in. Show immediate energy and determination. Observe:

(1) In Luke, "strive (ἀγωνίζεσθε) to enter in"; here, "enter at once."

(2) In Luke, "through the narrow door" into, apparently, the final abiding-place; here, "through the narrow gate" into apparently the (perhaps long) road which takes us at last to full salvation. Thus in Luke our Lord speaks of continued striving; here, of immediate decision, in which, however, lies the assurance of ultimate success (cf. ver. 14, end; also1 John 2:13).At the strait gate; Revised Version,by the narrow gate -the entrance resembling the road (ver. 14, note). Chrysostom (in lot.), contrasting present trials with future happiness, says, "straitened is the way and narrow is the gate,but not the city."For wide is the gate, and Broad is the way. So also the Revised Version, but the Revised Version margin has, "some ancient authorities omitis the gate." (For a full discussion on the difficult question of the genuineness ofἡ πύλη here,vide Westcott and Hort, 'App.') Westcott and Hort omit it, withא, Old Latin, and many Greek and Latin Fathers, and say that, thoughἡ πύλη is probably genuine in ver. 14, "till the latter part of the fourth century the firstἡ πύλῃ has no Greek or Latin patristic evidence in its favour, much against it." They think this is "one of those rare readings in which the true text has been preserved byא without extant uncial support... . It was natural to scribes to set ver. 13 in precisely antithetic contrast to ver. 14; but the sense gains in force if there is no mention of two gates, and if the contrast in ver. 13 is between the narrow gate and the broad and spacious way." There must be a definite entering upon the right way; no entrance upon the wrong way is necessary, men find themselves upon it only too easily, and it is "made level with stones" (Ecclus. 21:10).Wide... broad. The second epithet (εὐρύχωρος) lays stress on there being plenty of space to walk in (Latt.,spatiosa).Thatleadeth to destruction (ei) th\n a)pw/leian); that "perishing" in which "the sons of perishing" perish (John 17:12).And many there be which; Revised Version, more exactly,and many be they that (καὶπολλοί εἰσιν οἱ εἰσερχόμενοι). Our Lord says that they that are perishing are many (cf. ver. 14, note).Go in; Revised Version,enter in; keeping up the allusion to "enter ye in." Observe, however, that ifἡ πύλη (vide supra) is false, the thought here is of entrance into the final issue of the way -ἡ ἀπώλεια.Thereat; Revised Version,thereby;i.e. by the way.

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