“Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon 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 upon 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
Imagine trying to build a structure without a foundation. Take some wood or bricks and just lay them on grass and start to build. When the ground gets wet, the structure will lean. Take it to the next step. Start building on a driveway or in a parking lot. Is any driveway or parking lot level? Most slope to some degree. Most parking lots are perfectly flat. Putting a building up on a surface that isn’t quite flat allows water to seep into the floor.
The foundation sets the tone for the whole building. When a structure is being built, the builder takes care to level the ground, compact the dirt, and lay down a solid foundation. It is only after the foundation is firm that they begin to build on it. Because while the walls and the roof are certainly important to the structural integrity of the building, without a solid foundation, the walls and the roof will not hold up, no matter how well they have been placed. If the foundation shifts, the walls will crack and without solid walls to hold up the roof, that will fail as well.
Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with a reference to buildings and foundations. The messages in the Sermon on the Mount are foundational for the Christian life. If we build a Christian life with the precepts of the Sermon on the Mount as our foundation, then there we will have structural integrity in our spiritual life. Jesus reminds us that it is not only enough to hear His words, but we must DO them as well. To hear the words but not do them is like building a house without a solid foundation.
Jesus in Matthew 7:24-25, “Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” When we build a life on not only knowing but doing the words of Christ, then our structure is solid. If we do not know Christ, we cannot do His work. If we know Christ and we do His work, then our lives will have the spiritual integrity to withstand the rains, the floods, the winds and the storms of life. We know that Christ speaks of faith, trust, patience and perseverance. If we are practicing these things, and a storm comes along—an illness, a crisis, etc.—then we are better able to withstand these from a spiritual perspective.
In Matthew 7:25-26, Jesus also takes the opposite view, saying “And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house upon 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.” If we build in a foolish or careless manner, when the storms of life (the rains, the floods and the wind) come, our structure won’t stand, our souls will struggle to survive the crisis in a Christ-centered way.
Having lived in Florida for many years, hurricanes are part of life. June through November is hurricane season. We are reminded at the beginning of the season to be ready, with water, non-perishable food, batteries, etc. And this is because a major storm can pop up at any time with little warning. Sometimes we have several days, but there have been many instances where we had only a day warning, and then you see people scrambling around for water and gas because the storm has caught people unprepared. There are those who are prepared when hurricane season begins, so that if a storm comes, they have ample provisions stored up.
The storms of life often come upon us without much warning. The Paschal season ends this Sunday, with the Feast of All Saints falling eight weeks after Pascha. I know several people who were one hundred percent healthy on Pascha who have been diagnosed with cancer in the past eight weeks. It’s actually getting a bit unnerving. Crises like these, and other things that come up unexpectedly, will test the foundation of our “spiritual houses.” This is where faith is defined. Those with strong faith can, and sadly will, take a beating in a storm, but will emerge spiritually intact. Those who have not cultivated a strong faith will have a hard time remaining faithful when that faith is tested by a storm. And because these “storms” pop up often without warning, it is critically important that we have a strong foundation to our spiritual lives at all times, because we really don’t know when the storm is coming and when our foundation will be tested.
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly moved. How long will you set upon a man to shatter him, all of you, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? They only plan to thrust him down from his eminence. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Men of low estate are but a breath, men of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. Put no confidence in extortion, set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them. Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God; and that to Thee, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For Thou dost not requite a man according to his work. Psalm 62
Points to ponder: What areas of your spiritual life do you feel confidence in? What areas need some shoring up?
