01 Wide Gate

When Jesus spoke of a "wide gate" and a "broad way," the people in his audience had a very clear understanding of his illustration. In the Greek and Roman world, cities built elaborate gates to welcome (or intimidate) visitors. In this video, you'll see the ruins of a massive city gate in Thessalonica, Greece. The gate is covered with carvings of the greatest people who've lived in the city, historical events, and the gods of that community. Sometimes the gates were part of a defensive fortification. At other times, it was more about art and influence. Many modern cities welcome visitors today with the names of famous people born in the city, of war heroes, and sports champions. One city in the Galilee, Bet She'an, was part of the Decapolis. As such, it had a very wide gate and a broad road that led into a pagan environment. Whatever the Bible had forbidden was celebrated in the Decapolis. To get there, one only needed to go through a wide gate and follow a broad road. There would be a lot of people on such a road!