When Jesus spoke of the narrow way that leads to life and the broad way that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13-14), He was not freezing the Kingdom of God into an eternally fixed condition—where the faithful would always be a pitiful, struggling minority, and the wicked would always be the triumphant mass. No, He was speaking to His own generation—a generation that, by and large, was about to rush headlong into destruction.
And what was that destruction? The same one He had been warning about all throughout His ministry—the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (Matt. 24:2, Luke 19:41-44). In that first-century moment, the way of life was indeed narrow—so narrow that only a handful of disciples, a remnant within Israel, were truly finding it. The vast majority of Jesus’ contemporaries—especially the religious leaders—were on the broad road, the well-worn path of rebellion against God, and it would lead to their ruin.
But was Jesus saying that the Kingdom itself would always be like this? That His way would always be small, unnoticed, and weak? Not at all! He explicitly tells us that the Kingdom starts small but does not stay that way:
The mustard seed begins as the smallest of seeds, but it grows into the largest of garden plants (Matt. 13:31-32).
The leaven is hidden in three measures of flour, but over time, it leavens the whole lump (Matt. 13:33).
The rock cut without hands in Daniel 2:34 starts small but becomes a great mountain that fills the entire earth.
Think about the history of Christianity.
In the first century, the narrow way was scarcely more than a footpath. A few hundred believers, most of them persecuted, clung to Christ in the midst of a hostile Roman and Jewish world.
By the second century, the way had widened. Thousands upon thousands were coming into the faith, even while emperors raged against them.
By the time of Constantine, Christianity had so thoroughly spread that the great empire which once crucified our Lord now professed Him as King. The narrow way had now become a highway.
By the Middle Ages, Christendom was no longer a fringe sect among the myriad of larger peoples; Christians were ruling on thrones, governing Kingdoms, writing laws, building cathedrals, and being the leaven that was spreading through the lump. The narrow way had become an interstate.
And what about today? The narrow way has become broader than it has ever been. Christianity, far from being a fringe sect, is the largest religion on earth, stretching across continents, time zones, latitudes, and longitudes. More people have found life in Christ today than at any other time in history, which means the narrow way is not so narrow anymore.
And, frankly, why should we believe that this broadening will not continue? The narrow way has been becoming the broad way for 20 centuries and counting so far. Why should we think that the narrow way will always be narrow when Jesus Himself taught that His reign would increase (Isaiah 9:7), that all nations would be discipled (Matt. 28:19) and that the knowledge of the Lord would cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14)?
In the same way that the narrow way is broadening, the broad way is shrinking and becoming narrower.
There was a time when nearly the entire world lay under the grip of paganism, where child sacrifice was common, human life was cheap, and demonic idolatry enslaved the nations. But as Christ’s Kingdom has advanced, the old ways have been beaten back.
The pagan temples of Greece and Rome have fallen into dust.
The Norse gods have been abandoned.
The human-sacrificing religions of the Aztecs and Canaanites are no more.
The nations that once walked in darkness have seen a great light (Isaiah 9:2).
Yes, wickedness still exists. But we cannot deny that it is now confined to smaller corners of the earth than it used to be. We must not be blind to the fact that the broad way is not as broad as it once was—and it is growing narrower still!
Why is this important? Well…. Too many Christians have embraced a pessimistic eschatology that cannot tolerate success. We want to believe that Christianity is destined to fail, that the remnant will always be the smallest group, and that Satan will always have the upper hand in history.
But Jesus did not teach that. Jesus taught a victorious kingdom. A Kingdom that He Himself will build and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). A Kingdom that will come on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). And a Kingdom that will baptize the nations and teach them how to obey everything Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:18-20).
This does not sound like a perpetually narrow way.
It sounds like the broad way is shrinking, the narrow way is widening, and under the Lordship of Jesus, all the nations will eventually come to know our Lord Jesus Christ!
The narrow way will become the broad way before it is over, and for that, we must SHOUT ON, PRAY ON, AND KEEP ON GAINING GROUND. GLORY HALLELUJAH!
