The broad and narrow gates

Is the following an accurate picture of what Christ was saying about the broad and narrow way?

Like all scriptural passages, we must read them in light of what goes on before and behind any given verse - i.e. in their context - to get a full understanding of their meaning. And not only the immediate context but the context of the entire book or letter as well as the Bible as a whole. Though the Bible has many human contributors it has one author - God himself - with a unified message.

Many things may appear at odds within the Bible but when you dig deep, you find they are pointed to the same God "...with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." Jas 1:17 ESV

Before I took a course in hermeneutics (i.e. principles of biblical interpretation) many passages in scripture were unclear or confusing. The broad and narrow gate passage is an example of a passage that always puzzled me. It seemed to be a random teaching with no connection whatsoever with the surrounding verses. How did it fit in with the rest of this passage or the sermon on the mount as a whole?

Is there a common thread that runs throughout Matt chapter 7 (or the entire sermon on the mount in Matt 5-7 - or all scripture for that matter)?  If so, what is it?

This well heard of sermon is about others and how we relate to and treat them, whether the "other" is God himself, our neighbors or anyone else, even our enemies. The entire sermon has to do with applying the greatest commandment and the 2nd which is like it for "... this is (sums up) the Law and the Prophets..." (vs 7:12) i.e. the main overall teaching of the OT - as well as the NT.

The golden rule mentioned in Matt 7:12 isn't randomly sandwiched between other teachings of Christ with no apparent relationship to the surrounding verses i.e. completely out of place and standing on its own. It is actually the unifying thread throughout the whole sermon as well as the rest of Bible.

We have heard the narrow and broad gate has to do with our eternal destination, who and how many go where eternally. But the context is about the golden rule not directly about our eternal destination.

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." - Matthew 7:12‭-‬14 ESV

In light of this context how should we interpret the "golden rule" in vs 12 in relationship to the verses immediately surrounding it? Or maybe we should ask, how do we understand the broad and narrow gate in light of vs 12 i.e. the golden rule. I offer the following interpretation for consideration.

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this (the command to love your neighbor as you love yourself) is the Law and the Prophets. “Enter by the narrow gate (of treating others as you want them to treat you). For the gate - of loving yourself more than others - is wide (most go through it) and the way - of loving yourself more than others - is easy (its much easier to be selfish than selfless. But selfishness...) that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life (i.e. life and flourishing now, not necessarily eternal life) and those who find it are few (i.e. very few people connect with God and His infinite love well enough that they are empowered to live sacrificially i.e. live for God and others first instead of just for themselves). Sacrificial living is hard ("faith is hard work"). Very few live this way. Matthew 7:12‭-‬14 ESV

The narrow way Christ is referring to is living by the golden rule and the broad gate simply means that most don't i.e. don't  live sacrificially. In fact very few do. It is truly the narrow way to live.

To not live according to the golden rule does in fact lead to great harm and destruction here on earth… our own harm as well as that of others. It is in fact the reason for ¹all human conflict on this planet. 

This ultimately leads to our eternal destruction but in this context living by the golden rule is primarily about the here and now, not eternity i.e. how we treat others today.

The sermon on the mount deals with the direction of our hearts. Christ knows well - and assumes - that we cannot live by this sermon without being empowered by God and his love. We can't and won't love God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength unless we know we are loved this same way by God 1st. To live the narrow way requires we love God with everything we are and have. But none do until they grasp how God infinitely loves them 1st. Few grasp this love because few believe and trust in it. It truly is the narrow gate.

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¹due to rebellious distrust of God we have cut ourselves off from the very source of life and love i.e. God Himself.