Matthew 7:13
"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
Matthew 7:14
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
The Lord here draws a contrast between those headed for life and those headed for destruction.
Psalm 1:1–2
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the Law of the LORD,
and on his Law he meditates day and night.
The primary focus is on ensuring we ourselves do not follow the crowd but stay the course for the Lord: "you enter through the narrow gate…many enter through the wide."
Both life and death feature a gate and a road following.
The gate and road leading to destruction are wide-open and level, like a european-style plaza; this is the easy route, made to accommodate crowds.
Exodus 23:2
You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice….
The gate and road leading to life, on the other hand, are a confined, tight squeeze—not suitable for a crowd, and possibly single-file at times.
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
Jesus puts a fine point on the difficulty of getting to life by saying many enter the wide gate but few even find the narrow one—let alone enter it.
Luke makes clear the life Matthew's road leads to is salvation: "Will those who are saved be few?"
Luke 13:23
And someone said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them,
Luke 13:24
"Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
In Matthew's account, Jesus said few would find the narrow gate leading to life.
Here, the question is whether few will obtain salvation.
Jesus's response indicates salvation is both rare and difficult.
Salvation is rare in that there simply are not many people who believe in God and are willing to humble themselves to obey Him.
Acts 17:32–34
some mocked…
others said, "We will hear you again about this…"
but some joined him and believed…
Salvation is difficult in that "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 12:22).
But we would be remiss not to recall a passage that specifically mentions the salvation of a few:
1 Peter 3:20–21
…God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.
Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you….
What makes this passage poignant is the number: out of an entire world of people, only eight survived the flood.
These eight survivors are what the Spirit calls "a few."
And while there is no ark to board today, there is a baptism to undergo.
Will it be few who are saved?
Jesus gave no numbers in His response to the original question, but it is clear God's chosen people have always been in the minority, and God has always granted deliverance to us in our weakness.
Hebrews 11:34
[By faith they…] were made strong out of weakness.
The point is what Jesus starts with in His response: "Strive!"
"Strive" (ἀγωνίζομαι) refers to a strenuous effort.
The term originally referred to participating in the Olympics, where it's easy for us to understand the time, dedication, and excellence required.
The classic type of striving is, of course, Israel himself.
Genesis 32:24–28
And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.
When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.
Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.”
Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
Better is, "will not be strong enough," or "will not have the strength to do so."
"Strength" here corresponds to the first thing Jesus said, "Strive to enter."
It will take strength and effort over time to enter.
It's important to understand this saying as strength because it shows what keeps us from entering is our own weakness.
But it is a moral weakness, not physical weakness, as borne out later in Luke.
Luke 14:1–6
One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully.
And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy.
And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”
But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away.
And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?”
And they [were not strong enough to] reply to these things.
In Luke 14:1–6, Jesus teaches the lawyers and Pharisees about healing on the Sabbath.
He first demonstrates that it is indeed lawful to heal on the Sabbath when He performs the miracle of healing before their eyes.
He then reasons with them that the Sabbath wouldn't prevent them from rescuing their own sons and even their own animals from danger, implying that God can rescue His children on a Sabbath, as well.
The lawyers and Pharisees chose not to respond to the first demonstration.
But when it came to the reasoning of the Lord, Luke says, "they were not strong enough to reply to these things" (v. 6).
It isn't that there was no opportunity for them to reply, or no way in which to accomplish it.
Rather, what they lack is moral strength: the strength to admit they were wrong and to repent.