13:24a

Jesus did not answer the question directly. Instead, he spoke figuratively of the effort that is necessary to enter God’s kingdom.

Make every effort: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Make every effort is literally “struggle.” It refers to trying hard to do something. Other ways to translate it are:

Work hard (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Do all you can (Contemporary English Version)

to enter through the narrow door: This phrase is a metaphor that compares the kingdom of God to a house with a narrow door. The point of similarity is the difficulty of entering. Some ways to translate this metaphor are:

• Make the topic explicit. For example:

Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s kingdom (New Living Translation (2004))

• Make the topic and point of similarity explicit. For example:

It is difficult to enter the narrow doorway to God’s kingdom. Make every effort to do so

• Change the metaphor to a simile and make the topic and illustration explicit. For example:

God’s kingdom/rule is like a house that has a narrow door. You must try very hard to enter that door

Translate this metaphor in a way that is most natural in your language.

13:24b

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For here introduces the reason why people need to make every effort to enter the kingdom of God.

many, I tell you, will try to enter: The clause many…will try to enter means “many people will attempt to enter the house.” This is a figurative way of saying that many people will want to be part of the kingdom of God.

I tell you: The clause I tell you emphasizes what Jesus was saying. See the note in 13:3a for translation suggestions. In some languages it will be necessary to order this clause before the word “many.” For example:

I can guarantee that (God’s Word)

and: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and introduces the fact that many people will not be able to do what they try to do. In some languages it may be more natural to translate this as “but,” as in the Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004), and several other English versions.

will not be able: The phrase will not be able means “will not be able to enter the house.” The reason why the people will not be able to enter is made clear in the following verse. 13:25 indicates that the door will be shut, and no one can enter unless the owner of the house opens the door and permits him to enter.

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