What do followers of Jesus have in common with those who do not follow Jesus? Two things are for sure: we both invest in our lives and we both suffer. Jesus directly addressed these two issues when He taught the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders. He also clearly expresses the one thing the wise and foolish builders do not have in common – the end result of life as a whole. At the surface – and from a bird’s-eye view – much can appear similar when it comes to working through life and enduring all the nasty things the world can bring. However, a marked difference exists. For one person, the result is everlasting endurance; for the other, it is final destruction.
Keep in mind that Jesus is not simply a storyteller or a kindly teacher. Jesus is God . . . and the Creator and Designer of reality. When He speaks to the issues of life, He knows what He is talking about! This parable is not just an inspirational speech; this teaching is Truth. Do you want to be hit square between the eyes with what matters? Do you want to face actuality head-on? Do you want to take the blinders off and be real about your soul and destiny? Then listen to the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV):
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Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had is foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
My mathematical mind so prone to symmetry immediately notices the similarities and differences between the two types of “life builders”:
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1) Both types of people hear the words of Jesus. So, hearing or reading or even knowing God’s Word is not the answer to a secure life.
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2) While one group hears and does not put the words into practice, the other type actually lives out the Word of God. This is no little thing. The wise builders do not simply read the Bible in order to feel good about themselves or to appease church-going onlookers. The wise builders actually apply God’s Word to the inner workings of their minds and the outer working of their lives. They do not just hear Jesus say, “Take up your cross and follow Me,” (Luke 9:23) or scan publicly that sobering statement in the Bible, they really rise in the morning with a consciousness of death to self and life to Christ! They lay aside their selfish desires to obey God’s voice in the big and small stuff of everyday living.
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3) Both types build. Both are at least spending minutes, hours, days, and years doing what is necessary to survive. Both must toil, eat, relate, and plan for the future. Both are occupied. One, however, is immersed in his own desires. The other is going about the business of living according to authentic biblical principles.
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4) Both experience hardship. Notice the careful wording of Jesus here. The wise and the foolish builders each experience the same three difficulties: rain coming down, streams rising up, and winds blowing and beating against what they have built. Building a life wisely on the Word of God is no guarantee of a carefree life. This world system is broken by sin, and everyone in it experiences adversity. Do not think God has abandoned you because distress arises. No, think rather that – for now – you are stuck in a broken world.
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5) The major difference between the two groups emphasized here is the ultimate outcome of life-building. Living out God’s Word is likened to erecting the house of your life on a solid, rock foundation. The rain, streams, and wind cannot destroy such a life; for the foundation is the Rock Himself, Jesus! The Maker of weather is greater than weather’s effects. So, too, Jesus is the Maker of life. He is certainly greater than life’s effects. When we build according to Him, no tragedy can annihilate us and no annoyance can dissuade us. Our lives will stand! In great contrast, the life of one who hears but does not actually obey will fall; and the crash, says Jesus, will be great. That final demise is assured because any foundation other than Jesus is likened to sand. Sand subsides in the end. As the rains come down, sand begins to shift. The house built without adherence to the Word of God gives way; it is not able to withstand the accumulation of blasts from this broken world. In the end, its crash is great; its demise is sealed. How great is the disintegration of a life completely lost because of the refusal to walk in alignment with the God who made everything and defines the parameters for true and successful living!
Which kind of builder will you be? Wise or foolish? Both hear the Word of God. Both build and endure hardship. Only one kind actually lives out the Word, and only the same survives.