The Two Ways
Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it. –Matthew 7:13-14 (CSB)
One of the joys I have had studying the early Church and second temple Jewish literature is that it helps bring more context to the Bible. It can also help us shed light on different themes and traditions that the Jewish/Christian people held and passed on to the next generations. A great example of this is the teaching commonly called “The Two Ways”.
The general understanding of “The Two Ways” is that it presents life in a black and white scenario. You either walk the path that leads you to God and life, or you walk the path that leads to sin and ultimately destruction. The origin of this teaching is speculated, but as we will see in a moment, it is all over the Bible, as well as Jewish/Christian writings outside the Biblical canon.
Now, before we go any further, it would be good to clarify the point of this teaching. This is NOT meant to be a complete guide for all of life’s difficult moments and decisions. Life is complicated, and there are many times we will have to discern greatly what the best choice is. Jesus acknowledges this when choosing to heal on the Sabbath, as healing a person is more important. (Mark 3:1-6)
Rather, the deeper conviction of “The Two Ways” is that it helps the person think more critically about the choices they make every day. It brings to light how every choice has a consequence, and that we need to reflect if the choices we are making, even ones that seem innocent, glorify God or will disobey God in the long run.
The fact that God would illustrate such a lifestyle was actually quite counter cultural for a lot of people groups in the ancient world. In explaining “The Two Ways”, Toby Janicki comments:
“Implied in the two-ways theology was the freedom of choice. This made Judaism attractive to the pagan world. In most non-Jewish religions, the stars or the gods ultimately determined a person’s destiny; the ordinary person supposed that he could do little to control the outcome of his own life.”
Examples in Scripture
An example of “The Two Ways” in Scripture would be Deuteronomy 30:
“Look, I have given before your face today life and death, good and evil. If you listen to the commands of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his ordinances and his judgements, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in all the land into which you are entering there to take possession of it. And if your heart turns away and you do not listen, and in wandering you worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall be destroyed with destruction, and you shall not be long-lived on the land into which you are crossing over the Jordan there to take possession of it…. ”
Perhaps the two most popular examples are Psalm 1 and Proverbs 4:10-27. Psalm 1 blesses those who walk in the ways of God, and curses those who walk in the way of sinners. Proverbs 4 instructs the reader to walk in the way of wisdom as opposed to the ways of the ungodly. In fact, the Lexham English Septuagint titles this passage in Proverbs 4 “Two Ways” (2019, Pg. 729).
In addition to the Law and Wisdom books, “The Two Ways” can also be found in the Prophets. Jeremiah 21:8 says, “But tell this people, ‘This is what the LORD says: Look, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.”
As quoted earlier, Jesus says in Matthew 7 to walk the narrow path that leads to eternal life, and not the broad path that leads to destruction. Many commentators have understood this to be a form of “The Two Ways” teaching. Outside of the Bible, “The Two Ways” is found in many Jewish writings, which clearly shows how strong the tradition was.
Examples in the Apostolic Fathers
Interestingly, this teaching didn’t stay exclusive to Jewish tradition, as we see “The Two Ways” found in multiple writings in the Apostolic Fathers. As we saw previously, The Didache contains several teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. Leading into these teachings, it states: “There are two ways: one of life and one of death; however, there is a great difference between the two ways.” (Janicki, 2017, Pg. 27)
After listing the way of life, it shifts to the way of death:
“And the way of death is this: First of all it is evil and full of curse: murders, adulteries, lusts, fornications, thefts, idolatries, magic arts, witchcraft, rapine, false witnessing, hypocrisy, double-heartedness, deceit, haughtiness, depravity, self-will, greediness, filthy talking, jealousy, over-confidence, loftiness, boastfulness; persecutors of the good, hating truth, loving a lie, not knowing a reward for righteousness, not cleaving to good nor to righteous judgment, watching not for that which is good, but for that which is evil; from whom meekness and endurance are far, loving vanities, pursuing requital, not pitying a poor man, not laboring for the afflicted, not knowing Him that made them, murderers of children, destroyers of the handiwork of God, turning away from him that is in want, afflicting him that is distressed, advocates of the rich, lawless judges of the poor, utter sinners.
Be delivered, children, from all these.”
We see “The Two Ways” pop up again in the Epistle of Barnabas. Chapters 18-20 instruct what both ways look like, similar to The Didache.
“But let us now pass to another sort of knowledge and doctrine. There are two ways of doctrine and authority, the one of light, and the other of darkness. But there is a great difference between these two ways. For over one are stationed the light-bringing angels of God, but over the other the angels of Satan. And He (God) indeed is Lord for ever and ever, but he (Satan) is prince of the time of iniquity. ”
And once again, we find “The Two Ways” in The Shepard of Hermas. Chapter 35 discusses the straightway of righteousness and crooked way of sin. Those who genuinely follow God will walk the straight path.
The Two Ways fulfilled in Jesus
As we consider just how influential “The Two Ways” teaching was, it can help bring even further impact to the statement Jesus makes in John 14:6, “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father…” (CSB)
To truly walk in the way of righteousness and eternal life, we are to follow Jesus. He is the way, not just a guide to walking the way, but the way itself. He is righteousness, holy, and eternal. To follow Him is to walk in the way God calls us to. So as we continue on our journey, let us consider the choices we make, and stay focused on the narrow path.
Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. –Hebrews 12:1-2a (CSB)
Bibliography
Janicki, T. (2017). The Way of Life: The Rediscovered Teachings of the Twelve Jewish Apostles to the Gentiles. Jerusalem, Israel. Vine of David.
Schaff, P. (1885). The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Vol. 7).
Schaff, P. (2016). The Complete Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post-Nicene Collection of Early Church Fathers. Toronto, Canada.
Holmes, M. (2006). The Apostolic Fathers in English (3rd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI. Baker Academic.
Brannan, R. (2017). The Apostolic Fathers: A New Translation. Bellingham, WA. Lexham Press.
Penner, K. (2019). The Lexham English Septuagint. Bellingham, WA. Lexham Press.
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.