Broad versus Narrow

I recently came across a copy I have of an old Victorian poster - the type you would find in the church Sunday School room. It is called The Broad and Narrow way and is based on Jesus' words in Matthew 7:13-14;

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

In the poster the two ways are detailed with many Bible verses illustrating on the one hand the dangers of the broad way and on the other the way to live on the narrow way. On the broad way there are, disturbingly, some contemporary references in the poster which is, in fact, well over 100 years old. For instance, the lottery, the Loan Office and the Gambling House (although you don't have to go there today to get lose money, you can just log on to a gaming website). Sunday trains are also seen as a scourge in those days - today the complaint is not enough trains because they are always working on the line on Sunday!

I love the poster! It's a great example of the Victorian way of putting across these principles. But the point it made is still relevant today, even if we wouldn't illustrate it in the same way. All the temptations on the poster may seem attractive to many - for the road is wide, and many do indeed find it - but as the poster graphically illustrates, they lead ultimately to destruction.

I remember many years ago someone who was having an affair saying, "How can this be wrong when it feels so good?" The answer is simple. If sin wasn't so attractive, no-one would bother with it! But it does feel good, and people go down the road of pleasure now, whatever the cost to themselves or others. But the good news is perhaps encapsulated in a verse that's on the wall by the entrance to the narrow way. It is John 6:37 where Jesus promises, "Whoever comes to me I will never drive away."

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Above is a photograph of my poster and if you click on it, you can load a larger image. Or you can go to
http://pictureswithamessage.com/81/cat81.htm?743 where you can view the poster, read about it and (of course!) buy a copy.