Fire Insurance

Fire Insurance. It's a phrase we use when people lean on fear or pending doom as a motivator for action. In Christianity, it's a common occurrence - if you don't say Yes to Jesus you're going to burn for eternity (there's numerous and plenty of descriptors of what 'hell' is going to be like - none of them are appealing, and the 'burn' is a common occurrence throughout the depictions). 

Also just learned I do not know how to spell occurrence. Thankfully there's spellcheck. I misspelled it twice, hah.

Jesus gives a really vivid picture of a door being closed and the people shut out knowing very clearly that they want to be in... should be in? could have been in? 

His words are striking in Luke 13v24 "Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know where you are from.' 

There's clearly a lot going on here, but a significant word is 'strive' (in the LSB). The NIV says "make every effort". The greek word is a fun one - agonizesthe ἀγωνίζεσθε. It's where we get the word 'agonize' from - it can mean to strive, to exert effort, or to fight. 

Jesus is telling people to fight to enter in the narrow door. If I can be honest, when I look at my own life, or even those of other Christians in my circles, the first word that comes to mind about how we're living isn't 'fight'. It's usually softer, with some steadfastness, or perseverance, or maybe faithfulness. 

But Jesus says agonizesthe - fight - make every effort. And while He is 'selling fire insurance' so to speak, He also is telling us the truth, and that truth made very plain. 

There is going to be an end to the grace and mercy we've experienced as humanity. God will return and will at that point begin judging righteously. There will be no more 'second chances' after this return. 

And the image Jesus masterfully paints here is a person on the outside, looking in, begging to get in, but unable to. The reply from the master of the house is quite horrifying "I don't know you. Depart. Worker of iniquity." ((deep sigh)) 

As I was re-reading the passage again, I was stunned at his passion for the city of Jerusalem. After this clear warning - "FIGHT TO ENTER! THE DOOR IS GOING TO CLOSE!" His words expose a heart that is broken for a sinful and confused, rebellious and fighting-the-wrong-person humanity. But there must be a limit. Words can't fully express emotions though, can they. Even attempting to write it out - I don't know where to begin, what words to employ, or even how many. In this case (and in all) Jesus's words must be enough: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you did not want it."

We'd all love a god who extends mercy and grace and 'second chances' ad nauseum. We'd appreciate the loan on our lives, the extension of forgiveness, and likely wrap it all up with promises of improvement, repentance and thankfulness. The sobering reality is that the eternal, perfect, infinite, holy God extended grace and mercy at all to humanity. And while we don't know when the door will be shut for good, nor do any of us truly know the hour our lives here will end - we do know we have today. That we are in the time of God's favor now. Today can be the day of salvation.