When we look at the comparison of the Wise and the Foolish Builders, we see Jesus’ conclusion to His most famous sermon. There is much to be mined here. In doing so, we are able to answer a few questions:
1. What do the storms in this parable represent? (vv. 7:24-27)
How many times have you heard a sermon preached on this passage and it has talked about the storms and compared them to storms of life?
I have heard it and I have done it. It isn’t a terrible application of the passage, but understand this, it is not the direct meaning of the passage. Storms do come in life. We face sickness, death, job loss, broken relationships, etc. And during these storms, those who are in Christ can withstand with much greater consistency than those apart from Christ.
But this isn’t a storm of life in the context. It is God’s coming judgment. (Refer to the following Old Testament Passages: Psalm 50:3-4, Jeremiah 23:19-20, 30:23-24, 25:32, Isaiah 28:16-22, and Ezekiel 13:10-16)
The coming judgment has been a common theme in this last chapter of the Sermon on the Mount particularly (See previous verses: Matt 7:13-14, 19-20, 22-23).
Christ has been showing the Two Ways, the Two Prophets, and the Two Confessions. He has shown us those who are His enter into Life and those who are not, enter into a terrible judgment.
Judgement is Coming
2. What is the firm foundation, or the rock, that the wise builder uses? (vv. 7:24-25)
The word THEREFORE connects us to the preceding verses. You have probably heard this in a literature class before, but if not, remember this little phrase: When you see the word “Therefore” see what it’s “there for”.
The immediate context is the Two Confessions- Those who were obedient to God’s Word vs. those who were disobedient. If you remember, both called out “Lord, Lord” but only one group obeyed God.
The longer context is the Contrasting Pairs we have already discussed- two Ways and Gates, Two Trees and Prophets, Two Professions and now Two Foundations
The full context would be the entirety of this Sermon on the Mount, from the Beatitudes until now.
And again, here in the conclusion, we get another High Christological Picture of Jesus proclaiming “My Words”.
So what is the foundation? Many say Jesus Christ and throughout Scripture, that is a great response. He is the “rejected cornerstone that becomes the Capstone”. He is the “rock upon which the Church will stand and even Hell cannot stand against it”. He is the foundation of the Gospel and Church as Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians.
Here though, the foundation is specifically the Words and Testimony of Christ, “whoever hears these sayings of Mine AND DOES THEM”. The doing of the words shows that Christ AND His Message are the intended foundation
So we ask ourselves again, “Are we following Christ?” We cannot be simply professing, we must be following.
3. What is the poor foundation, or the sand, that the foolish builder uses? (vv. 7:26-27)
We saw this previously when we read about the Wide Way/Gate and the Narrow Way/Gate but the striking reality is that there is God’s Way and there is every other way combined to make the Broad path.
Here it is the same thing. Either we are resting on God’s Word and the Work of Christ and having obedience flow from our relationship with Him . . . Or our foundation is built on sand.
There are some things we must see: The houses seem to look similar, as in, just by glancing you and I wouldn’t know the difference. The wording implies craftsmanship in the builder, as in these aren’t just houses thrown together but put together with care. Therefore, the builders SHOULD know the difference, as in, they should know what their houses stand upon.
Both houses seemed to meet the needs of the occupants . . . That is until the storm or the judgment came. I want you to get a picture of the type of structure we would be looking at in the minds of the hearers of Jesus’ words. Oftentimes, clay bricks could be used for the structure of the house. They would be formed and baked and be pretty sturdy. The bricks, if placed on a rock foundation, could withstand a lot of the elements. These bricks though, if placed on dirt or sand, would weaken. What would happen is, the dirt underneath gets wet and begins to wash and to erode and to shift. When that happens, the clay bricks then would be resting on the mud and themselves absorbing the water and therefore when the pounding wind comes, the structure of the house would give.
Not only does the house fall, But the FALL IS TERRIBLE. IT IS MAGNIFIED. IT IS TREMENDOUS. Let’s look at some different translations of the destruction in verse 27:
NKJV- “and great was its fall”
NIV- “fell with a great crash”
CSB- “collapsed with a great crash”
The NET Bible- “it collapsed, it was utterly destroyed”
NLT- “It will collapse with a mighty crash”
It is a devastating event. And the builder thought it would stand, just as the person thinks they can withstand God’s Judgement
4. What is the authority that I base my life on?
When Jesus finished, the crowds were amazed at His teaching. They were astonished. Why?
They were amazed because of the Authority of His teaching. The great teachers of the day, the Scribes and Leaders, had to appeal to another’s authority. They might refer to “Moses giving the Law” or to “Abraham fathering their people” or to one of the prophets giving a proclamation from God. Christ, however, in the Sermon on the Mount: spoke HIS words, raised the bar for Old Testament understanding, declared Himself Lord, and put out His words as the foundation because Christ, as God, is the Authority.
He does not appeal to anyone else, He does not defer to anyone else, He needs no permit, for His Words have the King’s Seal.
What is your response?
Speak These Things- Titus 2:15 