When
once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside, and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ then he will answer and tell you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ He will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets, in God’s Kingdom, and yourselves being thrown outside. They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in God’s Kingdom. Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last.”
Luke 13:25-30
Luke 13 [20.] Again he said, “To what shall I compare God’s Kingdom? It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
Luke 13 [22.] He went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and traveling on to Jerusalem. One said to him, “Lord, are they few who are saved?”
He said to them, “Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside, and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ then he will answer and tell you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ He will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets, in God’s Kingdom, and yourselves being thrown outside. They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in God’s Kingdom. Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last.”
Luke 13 [31.] On that same day, some Pharisees came, saying to him, “Get out of here, and go away, for Herod wants to kill you.”
Meaning:
Someone has asked Jesus, “Lord, are they few who are saved?” (Luke 13:22-23). Jesus replied, “Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able” (Luke 13:24). Now he explains why some will not be able to enter. He pictures a householder who has shut his door for the night and a great banquet in God’s Kingdom. The open door will not stay open forever.
- “When once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut the door”
In a village house, once the master locked the door at night, it stayed shut. Those who arrive late knock and call, “Lord, Lord, open to us!” They are not strangers to the idea of God’s Kingdom; they want in. But the time for entering has passed. Jesus told a similar parable of virgins who came late to a wedding: “Lord, Lord, open to us.” But the bridegroom answered, “I don’t know you” (Matthew 25:11-12).
- “We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.”
The people outside appeal to their acquaintance with Jesus. They had shared meals where he was present and had listened to him teach in their towns. But being near Jesus is not the same as belonging to him. Hearing his teaching without obeying it gives no right of entry. Matthew records a similar warning about those who say, “Lord, Lord,” and claim mighty works done in his name, to whom he will say, “I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23).
- “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”
Weeping expresses grief; gnashing of teeth expresses anguish and bitter frustration. The pain is sharpened by what they see: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets inside God’s Kingdom, while they are thrown outside. Many in Israel assumed that descent from Abraham guaranteed a place. John the Baptist had warned, “don’t begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones!” (Luke 3:8).
- “They will come from the east, west, north, and south”
The Kingdom is pictured as a great feast. Guests arrive from every direction, meaning people from all nations, including Gentiles once thought to be outsiders. Matthew records the same words in the story of the Roman centurion: “many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 8:11). Paul explains, “those who are of faith, the same are children of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7). Jesus soon tells the parable of the great supper, where the invited guests refuse and the poor and outsiders are brought in (Luke 14:15-24).
- “some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last”
God’s judgement reverses human expectations. Those who seemed first, the religious and privileged, may find themselves outside, while those considered last are welcomed. Matthew records the same saying (Matthew 19:30).
The Significance of Luke 13:25-30
- Today is the day to enter
The door is open now, but it will not stay open forever. Delay is dangerous.
- Knowing Jesus, not just knowing about him
Familiarity with Jesus, church attendance or religious heritage cannot replace a real relationship of faith and obedience.
- A welcome for all nations
God’s Kingdom gathers people from every direction. No one is excluded by background, and no one is included by background alone.
Cross-References:
Luke 13:24: "Strive to enter in by the narrow door," The command these verses explain.
Matthew 7:23: "I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity." A parallel warning.
Matthew 8:11: "many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven," The nations at the feast.
Matthew 19:30: "But many will be last who are first; and first who are last." The great reversal.
Conclusion: Jesus warned that the door of God’s Kingdom will one day be shut. Those who merely ate and drank in his presence and heard his teaching, without truly turning to him, will find themselves outside, while people from every nation sit down at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets. Many who seem first will be last, and the last first.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible