“Do not give what is holy to dogs…pearls” to “swine…” In other words, do not waste your time trying to convince the obstinate and impenitent. Is Jesus not concerned about them? He is! But the Gospel is received, not force-fed, nor thrown out as fodder for wild beasts to eat up off the ground. It is a feast, a banquet, set out for those who will come and eat. We must not waste our time on those who have already made up their hearts and minds.
“Do to others…” That we struggle so much to love others is a sad testimony as to how well we are able to love ourselves. Yet God so loved the world that He asked His Son to become one of us and die to save us. Can we trust in that love and embrace the dignity it reveals in ourselves, and thus believe it is in everyone we meet?
“Enter through the narrow gate…” If God’s desire is that all be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), why would not the gate and road to life be as wide as His desire? Because neither the gate nor the road reflects God’s desire, but our own. Were there a multitude of people on the way, the road would be broad and smooth and well-traveled, and a wide gate built to accommodate the traffic, just as when extra lanes are added to a high-trafficked interstate, or an entrance to a building widened to allow for more people to enter at once. Yet Jesus has shown us the way even to this narrow gate: “I am the way…” (John 14:6).