Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock

"Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

- Matthew 7:22-27

Today's reading follows the verses in the reading from Saturday. Jesus taught, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." He warned us to beware of false prophets, who come to the flock in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are like ravenous wolves. He taught that "a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them." He continued, ""Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

"Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" I think it's very important to note the spectacular feats Jesus notes as done by those who are not truly His sheep, but are in fact wolves in sheep's clothing, predators among the flock. We are not to trust in such works, because these who cannot follow His teachings don't belong to Him at all. As Shepherd, He tells us, He will declare, "I never knew you." In fact, these are "lawless" - they don't follow at all His teachings, His Way. It is in this Way that the fruits of true faith are found, the care of the flock, the love and the inner life He teaches and has taught throughout all the readings of the Sermon on the Mount, the law written on the heart. It is not works of "power" we are to observe, but the fruits of those who come in His name.

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock." In the end, where is our security in faith, in Christ? It is in the teachings that He has given us. Today's words come at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. If we are to understand Him, we must go back to His teachings in this Sermon. It is in this Way that we find our security, that we build our lives upon a foundation of strong rock. Christ, throughout the Sermon on the Mount, has gone beyond the mere appearances of the Law and has broadened and deepened our understanding of it, fulfilling it. He has taught the Law and the Prophets in teachings about the practice of mercy and forgiveness, and the necessity to guard our own hearts, and to cherish the fruits and blessedness of the life of discipleship.

"But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." Here is a testimony to the gift of His teachings, the gift of grace that is offered to us. To hear and not to do is to reject something unwisely, to be foolish. His words and teachings are sure; to reject them is to build a home on the sand that shifts every day, and cannot stand up to the difficulties of life in this world -- the winds, storms and floods that come in life. Only in the surety of the rock will we stand as disciples.

Repeatedly throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has preached against hypocrisy. We remember that He is speaking to those people who would be His disciples. Where do we build our spiritual homes? On what foundation do we stake our identity, our lives? I believe we have to consider the storms and winds and rain that come in life, the emotional floods, the things that will turn us upside down, wondering what will come about, what will happen, where is life leading us. In discipleship, we find the surety that we need in terms of the place we build our true homes, and find our shelter. His teachings give us the sure steps we need -- not the spectacular feats of power that may impress the mind, but the security of righteousness, good judgment, right-relatedness, and it is in this that we take the peace of the heart that has its foundations on solid stone, something dependable, which we can rely on. Let's not forget His warnings about predatory wolves in sheep's clothing, who would lead us away from His teachings for their own gain and profit. We are the rational sheep, we are to keep our eyes open, and to depend upon His teachings. He has given us His gift and His grace for our own welfare and well-being. All of this is there for everyone who would be a disciple, He has made sure of it from the beginning. In that we can trust, in His gospel, in His word - even when we may be misled by those who would use us, we have the word and the teachings of our Good Shepherd, in Whom we can trust. He wants us to be wise and not foolish; in this discipleship His flock finds its roots, its solid foundation for life.