There’s a verse in Matthew 7 that gets quoted a lot—about a narrow road and a wide one. I used to think I knew exactly what it meant… but lately, I’ve been wondering.
If you grew up in church, you probably heard this verse in the context of salvation—heaven versus hell. Believe the right things, live the right way, and you’ll stay on the narrow road.
But what if Yeshua wasn’t just dividing people into saved and unsaved?
What if he was pointing to something deeper—about how we live, what we align with, and how easy it is to drift into ego and spiritual performance, even with good intentions?
Because when you look at the full context—from verse 13 all the way to 23—it’s not just about which road you’re on. It’s also about who you’re following, what you’re embodying, and whether your life is actually rooted in divine love.
Let’s take a closer look.
The Wide Road: Comfortable, but Misaligned
Yeshua begins with the command, “Enter through the narrow gate.” He then contrasts the two paths people can take in life. He starts with the wide road.
… For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. — Matthew 7:13 (CSB)
The wide road is the path most of us are handed. It’s about living life with default settings. This isn’t about “bad people.” It’s about going with the flow, chasing success, performing to be accepted, staying busy, not questioning too much in life.
You can even be religious and walk this path (more on that later).
The thing about this road… it requires nothing of you. No healing. No heart change. You can perform externally while remaining disconnected internally.
And honestly? It works for a while. You blend in. You check the boxes. You get by.
But under the surface, something starts to feel… off.
You’re disconnected from yourself.
Disconnected from peace.
Disconnected from God… even if you’re still doing all the “godly” things.
That’s the destruction Yeshua was talking about. Not necessarily damnation or hellfire and brimstone… but disintegration. The slow erosion of your soul when you’re living out of alignment with love and truth. In other words, you’re not living the life God has designed for you to live.
The Narrow Road: Difficult Because It Heals
Yeshua then continues…
How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it. — Matthew 7:14 (CSB)
Let’s talk about that word: difficult. In the Greek, it’s tethlimmenē. It means pressed. Crushed. Squeezed. Not punished… but refined.
Yes, the narrow road is hard. But it’s not because God is making it difficult for us. It’s because healing is hard work. The road narrows and becomes difficult when you start living with intentionality. When you decide to prioritize connection with God.
It’s the road of unlearning old patterns of living.
Of nervous system rewiring.
Of shedding old beliefs and facing the stuff you’ve been running from for years.
It’s dying to ego and waking up to love.
It’s being honest with yourself.
It’s choosing peace when anxiety feels easier.
It’s slowing down when the world is screaming at you to go faster.
It’s a life of sacred discomfort. It’s choosing to live in resonance, even if it costs you approval, certainty, or comfort.
That’s the real invitation here. Not to be “one of the few” who get it right… but to be one of the few who actually choose to wake up from living inside the Matrix and enter the real world.
A Very Real Warning
Then we get to the verses that follow…
“Be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So you’ll recognize them by their fruit. — Matthew 7:15-20 (CSB)
This is where Yeshua pivots. He’s not just warning individuals about their own path… he’s warning them to pay attention to who they follow.
There are leaders who look the part but operate from ego. They might use religious language, wear spiritual authority, and even do “miraculous” things—but their energy is off. Their fruit doesn’t reflect love, humility, or healing. It reeks of inauthenticity.
This would have been the religious leaders in Yeshua’s day—the Pharisees and Sadducees. The did things so they would be seen and praised by their followers. They taught the people to do one thing, but exempted themselves from following their own teachings. They lived to stroke their ego.
That is why Yeshua calls us to be on guard. He even says elsewhere to do what they say, but don’t do what they do. Because while what they say might be right, their intentions are not pure. Instead, we ought to follow those who come from a place of love, peace, and authenticity.
The Illusion of “Religious Success”
This next part of Yeshua’s teaching in Matthew 7? It hits different.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’ — Matthew 7:21–23 (CSB)
Let that sink in.
This hits hard. These aren’t skeptics or outsiders. These are people doing all the right things. Spiritual things. Impressive things. The kind of things that, on the outside, look like a deep relationship with God.
Who is Yeshua Talking About?
The question is: who is Yeshua talking about here? Maybe both.
Yes, this is a warning to false prophets—leaders who operate in ego and spiritual performance. But it’s also a warning to anyone who falls into the trap of doing things for God without ever walking with God.
You can build a brand in his name, start a ministry, help people, look the part—and still not be walking in resonance with divine love.
Why? Because doing something for God isn’t the same as living from God.
That’s why Yeshua says: I never knew you.
That line used to terrify me. Now, it humbles me… and honestly, kind of sets me free. Because he’s not saying, “You didn’t work hard enough.” He’s saying, “You never let me all the way in.” He’s not asking for performance. He’s inviting intimacy.
“I Never Knew You”: What That Really Means
The Greek word for “know” here is ginōskō—and it’s not casual. It’s deep. Experiential. Relational. It’s the same word used for “Adam knew Eve.” This is soul-level connection.
And it’s the same exact word Yeshua uses in John 17:3 when he says:
“This is eternal life: that they may know (ginōskō) you…”
So eternal life isn’t just living forever.
It’s living in deep union.
It’s about resonance—not just recognition.
Knowing God Isn’t About Belief—It’s About Embodiment
Let’s flip back to the Hebrew for a second.
In the Old Testament, the word for “know” is yadaʿ. Same vibe as ginōskō: not head knowledge. Heart knowledge. It’s covenantal. Embodied. Intimate.
It’s the word used when Moses says:
… teach me your ways, and I will know you… — Exodus 33:13 (CSB)
And when God says through the prophet Hosea:
For I desire faithful love and not sacrifice, the knowledge (yadaʿ) of God rather than burnt offerings. — Hosea 6:6 (CSB)
In other words… God doesn’t want your rituals. He wants you. The real you. The messy, healing, waking-up you.
So when Yeshua talks about the narrow road?
He’s not trying to scare us.
He’s trying to wake us up.
So it’s not about religious effort.
It’s about spiritual intimacy.
The Litmus Test — 1 John and the Proof of Knowing
Let’s talk about 1 John. Yeshua’s BFF says…
Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. — 1 John 4:7–8 (CSB)
This truth is simple.
You can’t “know” God and not love people.
You can’t walk the narrow road and stay in ego, hate, or self-righteousness.
If God is love (and he is), then to know God is to embody love.
What About Fear?
John goes even further:
There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. — 1 John 4:18 (CSB)
If you’re living in fear—of judgment, of punishment, of not being enough—you’re not out of God’s love, but you are out of resonance with it.
Fear is the fruit of misalignment.
Love is the fruit of knowing.
If your faith keeps you afraid, anxious, or performative—it might not be the narrow path after all.
Because Yeshua didn’t call us to fear our way into his kingdom. He invited us to walk with him in love.
Life Isn’t Later—It’s Now
The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. — 1 John 5:12 (CSB)
And that word for life? Zōē… not survival, not afterlife, but vibrant, divine aliveness.
This whole thing—this narrow road, this deep knowing, this real life—it’s not something you earn later.
It’s something you step into now.
✨ Eternal life begins the moment you align with Love.
The Kingdom Is Now
Over and over again, Yeshua said:
“The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Not coming someday.
Not waiting in the clouds.
Here.
Right now.
Every time you choose love, you’re living in the kingdom.
Every time you embody peace, compassion, or forgiveness—you’re bringing heaven to earth.
This isn’t about making it into heaven when you die.
It’s about becoming the kind of person who lives heaven now.
That is what it means to walk the narrow road.
Reflect + Recenter
Feeling curious about where you might be on the journey? Take a few moments and reflect on these questions and let truth reveal itself:
- Where have I been walking the wide road out of habit or fear?
- What would it look like to re-align with love today—not perfectly, but honestly?
- Am I doing spiritual things… or actually walking in spiritual resonance?
- Where is the kingdom showing up in my life right now—and how can I say yes to it?
Let’s live in the kingdom here and now.
Let’s Keep the Conversation Going
If this stirred something in you… if it helped you see an old teaching in a new light… or gave you permission to breathe a little deeper in your faith journey—I’d love to hear from you.
Drop a comment. Send a message. Or just sit with it and let it do what it needs to do in your soul.
This path we’re on? It’s narrow, yes. But we don’t have to walk it alone.
You’re not crazy for asking deeper questions.
You’re not off track for wanting more than performance.
You’re not losing your faith—you might just be waking up to it.
So let’s walk it—together. In love. In resonance. In the here-and-now kingdom.