The Parable of The Two Builders

What does it mean that the wise man built his house upon a rock?

This story of the wise man who built his house upon a rock is found in Matthew 7:24-27 and in Luke 6:46-49. It is one of the parables of Jesus.

During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told a story about two men; one who build his house upon a rock and another who built his house upon the sand. The house built upon a rock weathered the storm, and the builder is called wise; but the house built on the sand collapsed during the storm, and builder is called foolish.

The meaning of this parable is quite obvious: proper foundations are necessary.

With a literal house, it is unwise to build on sand, because the foundation will be unsteady, and the house will eventually suffer some kind of damage. This will waste resources, and all the time and work put into building the house in the first place will have gone for nothing. In contrast, it is wise to build one's house on a sure foundation; anchoring to bedrock makes a building withstand the test. But Jesus' sermon was not concerned with house construction or building code violations.

The spiritual meaning of the parable is found in Matthew 7:24: "Everyone who hears these words of min and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock."

We are each building a different life - different people, different goals, etc. The proper foundation for a life is Jesus' words - not just the hearing of them, but the doing of them as well.

It seems at times that everything in the world is set up to make us turn away from God's words. And often, our own feelings pull us toward doing the exact opposite of what the Bible says.

But a wise man will follow the words of God despite these pressures. Why?? Because he trusts God. The wise man is like the tree planted by the riverside, whose leaf does not wither.

King Solomon was one of the most prolific property developers in biblical history and more than qualified to say, "By wisdom a house is built" (Proverbs 24:3).

He constructed the "house of the Lord," or the temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah (2 Chronicles 3:1), a massive project that took seven years to build and turned out to be one of the wonders of the ancient world. He also built his own magnificent palace - "the House of the Forest of Lebanon" (1 Kings 7:1-3, ESV) - as well as gardens, roads, walls, infrastructure, and many government buildings.

Yet again like Jesus, a physical residence was not the only structure Solomon had in mind when he said; "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." (Proverbs 24:3-4)

King Solomon understood that the virtue of wisdom has very constructive, life-giving qualities. The Bible says that believers are "God's house." Through wisdom, we, as God's children are built into a solid and secure "house" for the Lord.

The apostle Paul taught that we are members of the "household of God", we're built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22)

As individual members of Christ's body, we are being built together into one holy temple in the Lord, as referenced in 1 Corinthians 3:17.

The most important stone in any building is the cornerstone. For this reason, Jesus Christ is called the cornerstone of the church. He is the firm, immovable foundation upon which the entire building is established, undergirded, supported, and constructed. he sets the pattern for the entire structure. Christ is "the power of God and the wisdom of God" upon which we are built, (1 Corinthians 1:24).

The Apostle Peter encouraged believers to come to God through Jesus Christ so they might be built into a spiritual house for God:

Without God, we are spinning our wheels.

We must depend on the Lord's wisdom and we see this in Luke 6:48.

We first receive God's wisdom when we are filled with His Holy Spirit at salvation, which we find evidenced in 1 Corinthians 2:6-15.

After that, James tells us that wisdom is gained by asking God for it.

We obtain wisdom by seeking it, pursuing it, and valuing it. These can be found in Proverbs 2:2, Proverbs 2:4-5, and Proverbs 4:8.

Likewise, and here's a shocker, we get wisdom by spending time in God's word. This is referenced in Psalm 19:7, Proverbs 4:5-7, and 2 Timothy 3:15.

The Lord's wisdom is failproof. God's "house" is built by God's wisdom and God's power, and Jesus is the Cornerstone. We can trust that it will never crumble or collapse.

All through the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presented himself as the final authority on and fulfiller of the Law; he ends he sermon with a call to heed his message and, in fact, find one's security in him, we see this in 1 Corinthians 3:11

As we follow the Lord, learning to trust and obey Him, we receive a reward: our "house" is steady and solid, unshaken by circumstances.

Have you had circumstances that rock the "house"?

The wise man is a believer whose life is built upon the Rock of Christ; in this world he has faith and hop, and in the next everlasting life and love.

Are you wise or foolish? You make the determination, and it all starts with knowing Christ as your Savior. No one can take your wisdom unless you allow them to.

If you have any questions about what you've read here today, please reach out to Pastor Steve.

Email: pastorsteve911@gmail.com

Phone: 660-327-1308