“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:24-27).

Jesus in this very familiar story gives a description of those who are wise and those who are foolish. The wise are those who hear and keeps on doing God’s will. On the other hand, the foolish are those who hear and does not do God’s will. The message is clear – it is not enough just to hear God’s word – it must be obeyed.

It is interesting to note that Jesus does not give a description of the houses that were built, for all men are created in the image of God and are all endowed with the ability to choose. The emphasis is not on the houses, but on the foundations – “the rock” and “the sand”. Both the wise and the foolish builder have to endure the storms of life. The rain beat upon the top of each house, floods beat at the base of each house and the winds beat the sides each house. Likewise, we as Christians are not immune from the vicissitudes and troubles of life. The difference factor is not that we are not confronted with the same difficulties as those in the world– the difference is our foundation. Because we have founded our lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ and His Word – when life happens – we are not washed or carried away by the storms of life.  Like the wise builder in the parable of our Savior, we have built our lives on the Rock and have placed our faith and confidence in Christ – and we shall not be moved.

Tavares D. Mathews