Matthew 7:13 (KJV)

Passage

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:

Nearby Context

Matthew 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

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:

Matthew 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "enter", "strait", "gate", "wide", "broad", "leadeth", and "destruction". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "enter" and "strait", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that..." into verse 14's "Because strait is the gate and narrow...", so "enter" and "strait" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "enter" and "strait" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.