Strait and Narrow

[zil2]

For a while, I've had this idea that studying individual words used frequently in scripture or gospel teaching might prove fruitful in some way.  I tend to be blind to what other people think is obvious. I also tend to find motivation and new application in greater understanding, so this idea makes sense for me.  Anyway, I recently heard an idea about the "strait and narrow path" that struck me.  It came shortly after a sort of mini-revelation on the same topic. (More on those at the end.)  Since the stuffed animals don't respond when I talk to them, I figured I'd try here...

The Dictionary and Culture

Strait: "(of a place) of limited spatial capacity; narrow or cramped." and "close, strict, or rigorous."  I think both of these definitions give good insight into why the gate or path is called strait, even though we're not technically talking about a place.  According to the etymology, it comes from words meaning "tight, narrow" and before that, "drawn tight" - and from the same root as "strict" (suiting for disciplined disciples to follow a strict course).

Narrow: Most of the definitions are nothing surprising, but some are worth mention, especially the verb!

• "precise or strict in meaning"
• "become or make less wide" and "become or make more limited or restricted in extent or scope." - It seems to me this is an excellent way to think of the path back to our heavenly Father - as we go, we discard the natural man, becoming ever more focused and disciplined.  Our path does indeed narrow.

It should be no surprise to anyone that Americans might recoil a bit at the ideas of strait and narrow being good.  Strait jacket comes to mind...  We come from a country with lots of physical space, and a land of liberty, where individual liberty was (I'm not sure it still is) foundational.  We love our cars and our open roads.  The bigger the better, super-sized and all that.  We can relate to those folks in scripture who say "this place is too narrow / strait for me, give me more room" (Joshua 17:14-16, 2 Kings 6:1, Isaiah 49:20).

Scriptures about Strait and Narrow

• The strait gate is baptism (2 Nephi 31:17) and this puts you on the strait and narrow path, which leads to eternal life; receiving the Holy Ghost is part of this (verse 18). (see also Jacob 6:11)
• The strait gate must be entered by proper authority and ordinance (see D&C 22)
• The strait and narrow path "came along by the rod of iron" to the tree, aka the Savior, aka the love of God... (1 Nephi 8:20)  This vision perhaps provides the best visual of how the strait and narrow path is in extreme difference to "broad is the way" - like 1 degree of right and 359 degrees of wrong.
• Feel free to reverse them (narrow gate, strait path). (2 Nephi 33:9)
• While baptism may seem simple, apparently, it requires effort to enter the strait gate (Luke 13:24), and not all will make that effort.

Quote

Matthew 7

13 ¶ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

(Also 3 Nephi 14:13-14, 3 Nephi 27:33)

And an interesting variation (and perhaps another gate in addition to baptism - sealing):

Quote

D&C 132

22 For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me.

...

25 Broad is the gate, and wide the way that leadeth to the deaths; and many there are that go in thereat, because they receive me not, neither do they abide in my law.

Another instructive derivation:

Quote

2 Nephi 9:41 O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

I like that this one ties in "straight", that Christ is the gate, the keeper of the gate, and the way, the definer of the path, the leader along the path ...  ("Way" is one of those words I think worthy of exploration, but it deserves its own post, if this sort of thing leads to discussion.)

Recent Realizations

So, of late I've been involved in a lot of science-y discussions about fountain pens.  (What, you thought I was going to leave them out?  )  Fountain pens work by capillary action.  A lot of this stuff is new to me because I never took physics classes.  One of the things I learned is that the narrower the capillary, the higher the water can climb.  Did you catch that?  The gospel parallel?  Think of it like rock climbing.  A "chimney" let's you climb:

If the walls were farther apart, you couldn't climb them (or not that way, at least).  As I was reading and looking at someone's capillary action experiments involving two plates of glass and then some capillary tubes, it hit me that this could be likened to our strait and narrow path.  The narrowness of that path allows us to "climb higher".  The more you think about this, the more logical it seems - focused effort, discipline, etc.  Narrowness now seems good and enabling, downright helpful, not "restrictive" or "limiting".

The second insight came from this Jordan Peterson interview with some way-too-smart dude.  (Around 1:26:00) Peterson points out that at any given point, there's a near-infinite number of ways that things could go wrong, but very few ways that things can get better - and that's the strait and narrow path - the path to things getting better.  And the interesting thing is, the better your life, the narrower the path to better, whereas the worse your life, the more ways it could get better - back to "narrow" as a verb.  So, another way to look at the strait gate and narrow path - they are the way for things to get better, and that way is always narrower than the one that leads to "worse".

For those who prefer to learn by music, here's some Johnny Cash (with mention of the strait and narrow)...

 

 

[askandanswer]

For information only, just in case you missed this one. I'm doing my scripture reading at the moment and came across this verse a moment ago. Perhaps this might add to your understanding of how the word strait is used.

Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a ^aPharisee.

[zil2]

5 minutes ago, askandanswer said:

For information only, just in case you missed this one. I'm doing my scripture reading at the moment and came across this verse a moment ago. Perhaps this might add to your understanding of how the word strait is used.

Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a ^aPharisee.

Acts 26:5, for others who wonder...

Yes, fits perfectly with the idea of "strict", thank you.  Of course, that it describes the Pharisees is also a reminder to not get so focused on the rules for their own sake that you forget the rule-giver.

[laronius]

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them.

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

I am the way

there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come