The Wise and Foolish Builders - Matthew 7:24-28

 One of the mistakes we make, and I am quite guilty as well, is that we take the scriptures out of context and use it to suit our own thoughts and intentions. Most of the time it appears good, relevant   and encouraging, but we really misconstrued what was intended and so doing, teach another doctrine.

The parable of the wise and the foolish builders, is another good example of taking the scriptures out of context. 

Jesus had just finished his discourse to a multitude. We call it the Sermon on the Mount. The sermon impacted the listens of that day so much that, Matthew records their creation in this manner:

Matthew 7:28-29 - When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

This sermon had such profound impact, not just to those who listened that day, it continues to impact generations, even to this day. In fact India's Mahatma Ghandi said, "The Sermon on the Mount went straight to my heart." He believed that the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount were not just for Christians but had universal appeal and relevance. 

Most of the time, we equate this parable to building our foundation on the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course this is not wrong because we are told in 1 Corinthians 3:11 - For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. But was this the message in the text?

Just because I am a Christian and I confess that Jesus is my rock, does not mean that my foundation is on a rock. That is not the issue here. Because in the earlier verse says:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven....Mere confession of faith is no guarantee that one is on sure foundation. 

Dies it talk about how to get wisdom? I am afraid it's not, not in this passage. 

What then is the issue in the text. 

Notice both the wise and the foolish builders faced the same type of situation. "The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house."

In life, all of us will face such situations, in a figurative sense. No one is exempt from perils and the adversities of life. Because this is a fallen world, we all face the consequences of sin. Sickness, death, disagreements, financial crisis, emotional struggles, just to name a few. These come to the rich as well as to the pauper. No one is exempted. Even Jesus said that we will face tribulations in this world. 

How does one stand firm against such adversities?

Jesus said that the wise builder is one who, "hears these words of mine and puts them into practise? He is using the building of the house as an illustration of a christians who not only listens but obeys the words of our Lord. And we don't have to try and intemperate the illustration because Jesus has already told us the meaning. 

Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

The parable emphasises the difference between merely hearing the teachings of Jesus and actually living according to them. True discipleship requires action and obedience, not just knowledge.

The Apostle James reinforces this principle in James 1:22 - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

So, the one who builds his house on the sand is simply one "who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice". The Lord calls such "foolish". Why? Because obedience was not part of the equation.

Let's not be fools but wise in not just hearing but doing. 

1 Samuel 15:22 - Obedience is better than sacrifice.

The parable then in a nutshell - Obedience to the words of our Lord will help us to withstand the storms of life.