A Firm Foundation
Notes
Transcript
“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!”
What are the wind and the wave? And what is the foundation?
I had always assumed this passage meant one thing. I don’t know if I was taught that, or came up with it myself, but for years and years my understanding of this passage was basically “If I have the right belief system, nothing can happen to me that will shake my faith.” I went and did some digging on several popular sermon websites, and found that many contemporary preachers cover this passage from the same angle. Some agree with Jesus, some think maybe he’s over-simplifying things, but these other folks are pretty sure that’s more or less what he’s saying.
There are a few problems with this view, though.
First, we know it’s not true. people of great faith throughout history have lost their devotion in the face of tragedy, betrayal, and personal loss. And that’s to say nothing of the many people who struggled in silence without giving up. Mother Teresa of Calcutta spent the last fifty years of her life feeling like God was absent from her. Martin Luther struggled constantly with despair and feelings of divine abandonment. If a true faith is one which cannot be shaken, then it’s hard to imagine anyone has ever had a true faith.
But, perhaps more importantly, the “perfect faith is unshakable” interpretation of the Wise and Foolish builders ignores how the story is introduced: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built is house on a rock.”
What words are those? Probably the ones that preceded this parable. That is to say the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount is conspicuously devoid of dogma and doctrine. It’s actually a very practical speech. Which makes sense, because Jesus doesn’t say “whoever hears these words and believes them” but “whoever hears these words and does them.” It’s really hard to do a belief. It’s much easier to do an action.
So, if the house being built is not one of right belief, but of action, what are the wind and the waves?
original story - mother sends the pigs out to find their fortune. First 2 are eaten when their houses are blown down. 3rd not only has to survive structurally, but avoid several wolf traps, before eventually boiling the wolf alive.