Charles Wesley in the 1700's wrote a little hymn which starts, "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, Look upon a little child;...". There is more to this hymn, but most simply remember the first couple of verses. This is a common flaw in our biblically illiterate society. We take a verse here, a little story there, and by so doing we create a Jesus of our own making. Many do the same with the Father. Because of this flawed view many mistakenly make the comment that they like the God of the New Testament, but they don't care much for the God of the Old Testament, all the while not realizing they are the same God, who is immutable or unchanging. Jesus was meek, but He was not weak. He was mild, but He was not a pushover. He was forgiving, but He was also just and fair. Many choose to disregard the things of God and the Bible their entire lives, trusting instead, in their fabricated view of Jesus. Many can't fathom that Jesus, meek and mild would ever allow them to go to hell. The first mistake with this is, He doesn't send, He loves us so much that He gives us an entire lifetime to make the correct choice. The other mistake is we can't choose to eliminate or disregard certain verses to conjure up this incorrect image of Jesus. He consistently said what would happen to those who fail to recognize Him for who He was, and not fully accept the only door, the only option, the only offer for eternity in heaven, which is through and by Him. Quite simply, by rejecting the Savior of the world, you cannot be saved in eternity.
We read in Luke 19:11-27, the Parable of the Minas. This is not the same as the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. In the Parable of the Talents, the three individuals were given different amounts or opportunities in which to work with. In this Parable, the three started with the same amount or the same opportunity. This is the reality for us, in that though we come from different backgrounds, we all have the same opportunity to give our lives completely in the service of God. This service can be how we spend our time, how we share His message, how we love others, what we do with our resources, etc. In this Parable the one who was faithful earned ten more for his Master. While the faithless one said in Luke 19:20-21, "Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. For I feared you, because you are an austere (or severe) man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow'." This faithless man in the Parable, like the religious leaders of Jesus' day, and the overwhelming majority of our society now, failed to recognize the Master for who He was. The Master then has the one mina removed from the faithless servant and given to the servant with ten, and concludes in 19:26-27, "For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me." These verses are a problem for those who would like to label Jesus a communist. They are a real problem for those who prefer to follow a Jesus who they believe is weak and powerless. A little further we read in Luke 20:9-19, in the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers, in 19:17-18, "Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone'? Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls will grind him to powder." In Matthew 7:13-23, Jesus clearly states that most are not on the right road, and that most will indeed enter hell, rather than heaven. To those who feel that they belong to the right denomination, or did the right "things" to guarantee their ticket to heaven (baptism, confirmation, etc), but have never really committed their lives to Him, He said in Matthew 7:23, " 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' "
So, with so much at stake, our eternity, to what or in whom are we placing our trust and our souls. Jesus is clearly presented in Scripture, but most never bother to read Scripture in its entirety. Jesus clearly spells out the correct path in which we are guaranteed eternity in heaven with Him, but most prefer to create their own path trusting in the Jesus of their own making. The sad but honest truth is that most don't really care enough to investigate the truth themselves. Whether it be pride, in that they compare themselves with others and deem themselves good, and certainly better than most, mistakenly creating their own criteria for goodness as to who enters heaven. Whether it be laziness, in that they would rather take the words of a church leader or a denominational statement without really checking the real source themselves. From Jesus' own lips, the religious leaders then led many down the wrong path. We have His Book, His Words, His promise, and His assurance if we choose to follow His plan. But may we never forget, there is only One Plan. He chooses the right plan, any other plan or path will lead to the other eternal destination.