Sermon on the Mount - Two Builders

(Matthew 7:24-27)

By Mary Jane Chaignot

Categories: Sermon on the Mount, Sermon on the Mount (Bible Study)

Having reached the end of the Sermon, Jesus continues to lay out the choices facing his disciples – are they ready to follow his teachings, or not?
The fourth division is at hand.
It is important to remember that the people standing at this point are all the disciples who found and entered through the narrow gate.
They made that right decision, and they also have a genuine message and are living a good, not evil, life.
Jesus begins with, “Therefore,” essentially tying these words together with everything he’s previously been saying.
He continues, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
In saying “these words of mine,” Jesus makes claims to a higher authority than just human teachings.
“Mine” comes first in the sentence, meaning it is to be emphasized.
These are his words.
He refers to his words like others refer to the revelations of God.
At the least, he is a spokesperson for God, but he speaks with a greater authority than the greatest prophet.
Now when Jesus says “these words of mine,” he is referring to all of the words he has just spoken. This entire sermon is his words.
The first thing people have to do is “hear” his words.
He quickly emphasizes that hearing them, though, is not enough.
People also have to put them into practice; they have to act on them.
This is not to say, however, that doing his words adds just another checklist of requirements.
That would make his words an extra burden, added to an already long list of laws that people have to follow.
“Doing his words” means bringing the listener into a condition of faith, of repentance, of changing one’s life.
His words come with their own life force, their own power, enabling listeners to put them into practice.
His words must be put into action.
The person who doesn’t just hear the words but puts them into action is like a person who is “wise.”
The word for “wise” could also be translated as “sensible.”
The one who “hears and puts into practice” is like a very thoughtful and sensible person who anticipates and plans ahead.
Being wise and sensible usually refers to a discerning person who knows what is true and acts accordingly.
That person understands the need for obedience.
That person demonstrates wisdom by building a house on a rock.
A house built on a rock doesn’t have to be big, but it will be strong.
Jesus continues his analogy: “When the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
Severe storms like this are well known throughout Palestine.
Jesus describes a classic storm—torrential rains can happen suddenly, high winds come up, river beds that have been dry overflow with rushing water.
Jesus assures his listeners that after the storm, the house built on rock will still be standing firm.
Notice, the text presumes there are going to be storms.
It doesn’t say that the rocks are going to be a protection from the storms; it says they are going to provide a solid foundation during the storm.
They don’t serve as barriers to keep the storm away; they are a support during it.
It also helps to know that “rock” is a common metaphor for relying upon God.
If the “house” is a metaphor for one’s life, then building on a rock is basing one’s life on a good foundation, namely, Jesus’ teachings.
So far so good, but then Jesus continues with a harsh warning.
“But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.”
The typical definition of a foolish man is one who is dull, ignorant, and without honor.
He might have listened attentively, but does not take any of Jesus’ words to heart. He sees no reason to apply them to himself.
That person also builds a house, but he chooses sand for his foundation.
Building on sand is obviously easier and quicker than rock.
Storms are going to arise in this person’s life as well.
The description of the storm is similar, but it has a very different outcome.
“The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
“Building on sand” suggests the builder has chosen a wadi bed, dry except for the rainy season.
The problem is when the rains come, the water rushes down and takes the house with it.
The builder, looking for the quick and easy way, gives no thought to long-term consequences.
There is no issue with the way the house is built; the only mistake is choosing the wrong site.
Some scholars believe the storms are a metaphor for the final judgment.
Like the storm, the Day of Judgment will come suddenly.
Others believe life presents many storms that need to be withstood.
In Jesus’ parable, the houses might even look the same, but only one will survive the “storms.”
The story is replete with parallels: wise and foolish, put into practice or not, rock and sand, stand and fall.
This is the way the Greek reads: “And the rain came down, the rivers came up, the winds blew and they hit that house, and it fell. And its fall was great.”
The last word in this sermon is “great.” That it is a fall which is great stands as a deeply emphatic comment on the issue of greatness.
Throughout this sermon, greatness has been an underlying theme.
People of God strive for great righteousness and mercy, for great faithfulness and obedience.
People of the world have other goals, other aspirations.
However, the people standing at this point are the ones who have gone through the right gate; they have heard these words and have genuinely rooted their lives in the right message; they practice what they preach. Those who choose to do what he says, to act upon his words, are those who build upon the rock.
But those who choose not to act upon Jesus’ words, not to do them, are likened to those who build upon the sand.
If at this point they choose greatness apart from this sermon, they will have a great fall.
If the world’s standard of greatness is their goal, then a great fall will be their reward, so to speak.
It is the fall that will be great.
This is not a happy ending; this is a brutal warning.
This Sermon begins with God’s unconditional blessings and ends with an unconditional warning about how to lead one’s life.

Bible Characters