December 8, 2014

Recently I’ve seen a discussion and video circulating the internet regarding a man who decided that he wanted to be eaten by an Anaconda.  Apparently he had a special suit made so that the digestive juices wouldn’t harm him.  This was a journey he was curious about and wanted to know what an animal that experienced this felt and saw.

But very quickly into this experiment he called for them to pull him out.  It seems he failed to account for the intense pressure which the muscles of the snake apply to its meal.  Before the digestive juices could even begin to break down the content, the muscles of the snake apply such an intense pressure that crushes it, kills it and condenses it into a digestible form.

Once the man’s head was swallowed by the snake, he screamed to be pulled out because the intense pressure being applied was unbearable and he knew his skull would be crushed.

Reading about this, this morning I was reminded of a scripture I had read in the Amplified bible years ago that the Holy Spirit had caused me to see and remember, so I went and looked it up and was compelled to study it even further.

The scriptures were Matthew 7:13-14.

When looking this scripture up in the Greek I began to write down each word translation and this is what I found.

Matthew 7:13 & 14

13) Enter through the folding entrance with obstacles standing close about applying pressure because the folding entrance that is spread out and spacious is the journey that leads away to physical, spiritual and eternal destruction where many agree to go in through.

14) For the folding entrance is narrow with obstacles standing close about applying pressure and on that journey they will suffer tribulation that leads into life and a puny number are those who perceive it.

It is very cumbersome but I think shows incredible revelation to what Jesus was truly saying.

Let’s look at it a little closer.

13a “Enter through the narrow gate.

13a Enter through the folding entrance with obstacles standing close about applying pressure

The first thing I notice is that we have a choice.  Jesus is telling us to make a specific choice to enter this entrance.  He is then telling us that this entrance is narrow.  In the Greek the word narrow is further defined as something with obstacles standing close about applying pressure.

13b For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

13b because the folding entrance that is spread out and spacious is the journey that leads away to physical, spiritual and eternal destruction where many agree to go in through.

The second part of verse 13 tells about the other choice we could make, that many make and where that choice leads us.  What stood out to me on this section of the scripture was that the translation for road was journey.

14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

14 For the folding entrance is narrow with obstacles standing close about applying pressure and on that journey they will suffer tribulation that leads into life and a puny number are those who perceive it.

Again in verse 14 Jesus emphasizes that the right choice will lead a person on a life journey that applies pressure and where there is tribulation, but it leads to life.  He also points out that a very small number of people perceive this.

I used to hear this scripture in sermons quite a bit in my early years.  But honestly I have not heard anyone at all anywhere mention it in a very long time.  I think that as the message of the truth of God’s grace and His intense love for us began to grow, an important and very necessary teaching, this scripture seemed out of place and few knew exactly how to make it fit.

I’ve heard many sermons and teachers take a verse and try and twist it to fit their perception.  This happens a lot when we feel forced to explain a scripture that we don’t have full revelation on yet.

It is OK to not know it all and it should be more common for us to say we don’t know rather than to twist something with our own understand attempting to make it fit.  This has caused great damage to the body of Christ.

We should never feel bad about telling someone that we must pray about that before we answer because we have not gotten a full revelation on it yet.  But human pride kicks in and we don’t want to appear stupid, so we answer even though we are risking twisting the holy word of God.

That was just a side bar warning that I was not expecting! Now back to this scripture.

My personal belief is that many become so excited when introduced to Jesus and are eager to enter into a life journey with Him just as the man who eagerly wanted to allow an Anaconda to swallow him whole.

However because we are so eager to paint such a rosy picture of what a life with Christ is truly about, we do those we disciple a huge disservice by not properly educating them and advising them.  And they enter into this life with a perception that their troubles are now going to be over and life will be perfect because they have accepted Jesus and His great love and grace will slide them through life without a sign of trouble.

But like the man swallowed by the Anaconda, once the pressure is applied they scream to be pulled out!  When life gets too hard, without proper discipleship, they resort back to the path of least resistance or the wide path.

However with proper discipleship, encouragement and support they can find that this journey with pressure can be the very thing that gives them life.

I want to look at and talk more about the details of these two scriptures, but because there is so much to discuss and because this post is already quite long.  I am going to put it into my next post.

Click HERE to read the continuation.

Part 1, Part 2 Part 3 and the cheat

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