Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 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. 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 rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
— Matthew 7:46-49
Following the Call—Chap. 51: Building of Rock
Words in proper order. What are you building? Blessed are the forewarned. Your turn.
To avoid offending too many people, we preachers use a little trickery, a little flimflam, a little smoke and mirrors. We pull this off by talking less about what the passages are saying, and more about what they are not saying. It’s a technique that we preachers often employ to basically ignore what they are actually saying.
— Jarrett Banks
Words in Proper Order
Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with a graphic appeal to put his words into practice. In the Greek, Jesus literally says: “Everyone therefore who hears me, these words, and does them….” The order here highlights something important.
First, when you listen to the Sermon on the Mount, do you simply hear Jesus’ words, or do you hear Jesus? Apart from Jesus himself, his words have no power. Jesus is the Sermon on the Mount. We follow him first, then obey his teaching. Only then can we be transformed into a people who embody his rule and reign. Only then can we begin to understand how to put his words into practice.
Secondly, it is easy to think that we are obeying Jesus when in fact we are not. Jesus doesn’t just call us to action, but to a certain kind of action. Clarence Jordan notes, “The foolish fellow’s trouble was not that he failed to act, for he, too, had a house to build. In fact, his excuse might have been that he was ‘too busy’ acting upon a thousand and one other things. But he did nothing about ‘these words of mine.’”
A friend of mine served prison time for burning down an abortion clinic. He almost lost his marriage and family because of it. In his zeal to protect the unborn, to defend the innocent, he failed to take heed to what Jesus says regarding enemies. He forgot that Jesus was the prince of peace, and that he never imposed his righteousness on anybody. He forgot Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” To build our lives on the one sure foundation demands that we do what Jesus says.
What Are You Building?
Jesus says that the wise man built his house on “the rock,” not just a rock. Now, we know from elsewhere that Jesus himself is the rock, the cornerstone on which our faith is built (Eph. 2:19-22). But here Jesus is saying that it is our response to his words that determines whether our lives are on a solid foundation.
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus refers not only to a solid foundation but to a house that is itself “well built” (Luke 6:48). Houses may look alike, but with time one can begin to tell how well-built they are. When walls crack and floors sink, when doors don’t properly close or pipes leak, when the basement floods and the shingles and siding fall off, you know what kind of house you’re in. This is why storms are so important. They put your house to the test. They reveal how sturdy yours actually is.
When I was a boy, I spent years building a fort. It was like a treehouse, but built on the ground on a hill in our backyard. I kept adding rooms to it, but for every section I built I made sure it would withstand the rains of northern California. Did the roof leak? Did the floors sag? Did the carpets stay dry? Did it hold heat? The winter storms showed me what shape my fort was in.
Our faith should be built like that—to withstand the trials that come our way. Unfortunately, too many of us live fair-weather lives. Consequently, we wonder why our faith is not more adequate when times get tough. Instead of reexamining the foundation of our lives, we do things like medicate ourselves, move, change jobs, even switch churches. In other words, we cover up the cracks of our lives with a bit of drywall mud and paint.
Part of our problem is that we think that if we follow Jesus in some general way, things won’t get so bad. God will somehow bail us out. We’re like those preachers Jarrett Banks refers to. We use a little trickery to ignore the full import of what Jesus teaches. We obey, but only part-way. We feel justified taking someone to court, or calling in sick when we’re not, or judging some person who irritates us, or watching a flick which we know has too much violence and sex. We’re not doing anything that bad? We don’t kill, steal, or sleep around. Jesus’ response? “Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.”
Blessed Are the Forewarned
Jesus has now warned his listeners three times. Failing to do what he says will lead to “destruction” (7:13), to being “thrown into the fire” (7:19), and ending life in a “great crash” (7:27). Why such terrible warnings? Is Jesus a doomsday prophet, a harsh master that demands strict obedience, or else!?
The Sermon on the Mount is couched between two chapters that describe who Jesus is. When Jesus sees the crowds, he is moved with compassion. They are like sheep without a shepherd, harassed and helpless (Matt. 4:23-25; 9:35-38). So, Jesus heals their infirmities and teaches them about the kingdom. He is the good shepherd, the one who seeks to gather and feed his flock. He is the great physician who heals us from the inside out. He comes to bring life and to bring it abundantly (John 10:10).
Jesus, the master teacher, the one who teaches with authority, is also the great physician and the good shepherd. And so, he sounds the alarm. He uses drastic imagery and speaks categorically because of his great love and mercy. His love is so wide and long, so high and deep, that he will even lay down his life to turn us around. Will we respond?
Your Turn
In what ways do you avoid doing what Jesus actually says? To make a comment just reply to this email.
Thanks Ed. If salvation is not transformation then I'm not interested. "Behold, I make all things new!" This is what makes the good news good.
Aye, Chas, Sir! Good word about the finest words of the Perfect Man...ever! Gracie. In short, any "salvation" divorced from "transformation" is a diminution of Jesus' Good News of the Kingdom now-at-hand. A sad loss.