During Jesus’ earthly ministry, one of his desires was to help those he met to understand spiritual concepts. He wanted to show himself to his followers even when they did not fully understand his purpose. One of the ways that Jesus did this was by telling parables. Parables are often referred to as earthly stories with heavenly meanings.
Since the believers in the New Testament were not permanently indwelt with the Holy Spirit yet, they sometimes struggled to understand Jesus’ stories and sermons. These parables referenced common and everyday concepts of that day to unveil a deeper spiritual meaning.
The first parable we will dive into is found in Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:47-49. Many parables we will study are told from different perspectives in the four Gospels, yet they have the same meaning.
The parable of the wise man and the foolish man opens with Jesus explaining that those who follow his words and do them will be like a wise man who builds his house on a rock. By rock, this is referencing a foundation of a house. When homes are built on a steady foundation, they are more likely to withstand storms, trials and difficult circumstances.
Matthew 7:25 says, “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.” When the storms came, the wise man’s house stood firm because of his choice of foundation.
In contrast, Jesus continues the story by talking about a man who built his house on the sand. This man is likened to someone who disregards the words of Jesus. Unlike the wise man, the foolish man builds his house on sand. When the rain came, it deteriorated the foundation and the house washed away.
Matthew 7:26-7 says, “ 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.”
While this story is technically about houses, foundations and storms, there is a much deeper meaning. Jesus is explaining that those who listen and obey Jesus’ words are building a foundation that will not be shaken when the storms of life arise.
The foolish, on the other hand, hear Jesus’ words, but disregard the are building a shaky spiritual foundation that is volatile and exposed. When the inevitable storms come to shake their faith, they cave and fall like a house that has an unstable and sandy foundation.
Let this parable be a reminder to hear the words of Jesus through his Word and not disregard them, but to absorb them and apply them to our everyday lives. When the storms of life find us, we can lean on our firm foundation in Christ.
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