A Foundational Problem
by Danielle King / Web Administrator
Sometimes when I read a familiar piece of scripture, I kind of glaze over it and rely on memory and previous teachings instead of looking for new insight from God. I recently studied the parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders and almost did just that, but instead God showed me a deeper message of hope than I ever saw there before.
“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 its 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.” Matthew 7:24-27
This all sounds pretty practical, right? This would have been a very practical understanding for the Israelites who were familiar with the physical labor and investment of building a house to live in. The crash of the second house is not exactly a plot twist; it's expected.
The real plot twist has to do with the two builders and the fact that Jesus is identifying some of US in the audience (then and now) as the foolish ones. Some of us are building lives of faith that are as weak as the sandy base of the foolish builder.
There have been times when I feel like I've failed and discovered I had built upon something unstable, like pride, fear, desire, anger, or comfort - something that kept me from obeying God. Guilt and shame want me to think that when the end is coming Jesus will point at me and say, "Gotcha, you impostor!!" But that is not why Jesus shared this parable that day; Jesus desires us to experience that rock foundation where our life of faith can be built strong and secure.
As I studied I wondered what to do if I find sand instead of rock. How do I fix it and save my house? How far would I have to dig to find the rock? And then I realized that Jesus doesn't want to save my little house on the sand. Everything built in the sand will be crooked, not square, and tainted with the selfish desires or insecurities and fears that we were focused on while we built.
He calls us to walk away from that house and claim the new land, the ROCK, that God offers us.
How freeing to walk away from that mess! Jesus' message has always been to repent, not to repair. Repent means to turn around, walk away, and start fresh. Move forward, not backward. Seek forgiveness where necessary, but don’t keep trying to clean up the rubble of that old house. Don’t try to bring any parts of it with you. Start again. On the Rock. With Christ.