A few years
ago I was standing in line at the hardware store (aka – adult male candy store)
and I overheard a couple of guys talking about their houses. One of them was doing some major remodeling
which required him to take a look at the foundation. This was one of the older houses of our
community and when he uncovered the foundation, what he found was it consisted
of a big rock at each corner! No wonder
he was having structural problems in his house!
If you have
ever traveled in a third-world country or in an area where there is extreme
poverty, you can see some pretty amazing construction methods and wonder how
they ever stay up.
The Gospel
of Matthew records an extended account of the teachings of Jesus that is
commonly referred to as The Sermon on the Mount. It starts in chapter 5 and Jesus lays out for
his hearers what a Kingdom of God minded person does. He teaches about multiple contrasts in
behavior between a person who follows him and a person who doesn’t follow
him. This wouldn’t have been new kind of
teaching for the Jewish people listening to Jesus. The religious teachers of the day regularly
interpreted the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament) and taught people how they
were to live. But when Jesus finished
his teaching, it said the crowd was amazed because “he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their
scribes.” (Matthew 7:28-29) Jesus taught the people like, well, like
God! He had authority and he was saying
if you want to live a life pleasing to God, live THIS way and don’t live THAT
way.
At the end
of this long section of Jesus’ teaching, he caps it off with his story of the
wise builder and the foolish builder. (Matthew 7:24-27) The wise builder is someone who builds on a
solid foundation. The foolish builder is
someone who builds on an unstable foundation.
In his story, the storms of life (that are guaranteed to come) hit both
of the construction projects. One stands
firm, the other collapses.
In Jesus’
story, he likens our lives to the builders and makes it clear that the
difference between being wise and foolish is obedience to his teaching. Jesus wasn’t looking for people to believe
him, he was looking for people who believed and followed him. And following Jesus means living in obedience
to what he taught. If you truly believe
something, it will change the way you live.
Jesus knows that and he clearly lays out the measuring rod for faith is
how you live. If you don’t obey Jesus’
teaching, you really don’t have belief and faith in Jesus. It isn’t about perfection, it is about
intention so don’t get hung up on the “am I or am I not saved”
not-so-merry-go-round. Focus on being a
follower of Jesus, knowing he will always lead.
So, how
about you? According to Jesus’
measurement, are you wise or foolish? There
is a storm coming that is going to test your construction methods. What are you going to do about it?
Peace and grace,
David
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