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 our 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."

And so it was, when Jesus ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

- Matthew 7:22-29

Since last Monday, we have been working our way through Matthew's Sermon on the Mount. We began with the Beatitudes. Then Jesus taught that His followers are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He began to explain His expanded version of the Law, beginning with the statute against murder; and taught further about casting away from ourselves the things we must not harbor in order to find righteousness. Then He expanded on the understanding of justice in the Law. Next Jesus taught about religious discipline and practice, and gave us a prayer: Our Father in heaven. Turning to the realities of heaven, Jesus taught us we must choose what we treasure in life; and that we cannot serve two masters. He next taught about practicing judgment, discernment, and the Golden Rule that summed up the Law and the Prophets - and seeking the spiritual mysteries from a loving Father. Finally, in yesterday's reading, we learned of the narrow gate by which we enter this kingdom, and a warning about the false prophets who will come. Today, He continues.

"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast our 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!" Beginning in yesterday's reading, Jesus has clearly declared Himself as a Divine Person and as Judge. My study bible points out that He calls Himself 'Lord" as in Yahweh of the Old Testament, and also speaks about the Father's will which He fully knows and shares (see yesterday's reading). "In that day," of course, refers to Judgment. But I feel the greatest impact here is from the teaching itself -- that there are those who may perform all kinds of powerful signs and act in His name whom He will cast away from Himself. It is, again, a teaching about hypocrisy. We are to live for the "praise of God" and not the praise of men. We must always practice what He teaches - the Golden Rule, and guarding what we dwell upon, what we seek in life, what we choose to serve in our hearts, where our real treasure is. It takes real humility to do that, to serve the Father's purpose with our lives, which may be secret and hidden. It is beautifully poetic to understand why none of us can judge - because only the knower of hearts understands the secret depths where we know God, and what may be hidden from our sight in the world. Therefore the emphasis returns to the heavenly realities we must treasure and seek.

"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." It's the great rock of faith that sees us through the storms. Upon what is your faith founded? To "hear these sayings of Mine" is to reflect upon all the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount: the repeated warnings against hypocrisy; the encouraging we receive to watch our thoughts, to take care what we dwell upon and what we love and treasure, to seek peace in our lives, to remember our Father in the "secret place" and to cultivate our relationship there. This powerful reality is what will serve us in the long run with a faith that can't be diminished by the storms of life that will come. Humility seems like such a weak thing to our material eyes and ears, but its power is irrevocable; the bond of love it forms in spiritual life will shape our strength in relationship to God. In this statement, we are taken back to the Beatitudes with which He began, the blessings of the spiritual life.

And so it was, when Jesus ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Again, Jesus' authority is emphasized here -- His teaching style is nothing like that of the scribes, who cite other authority for the authority of their teachings. Jesus speaks from Himself. One can just imagine what kind of impression this must have made! "The people were astonished," we are told. He is not afraid to be bold and outspoken, and of the conflict that will come.

Jesus' words are not only bold because of the authority they assume, His lack of appeal to worldly authority and rabbinical teaching. Here, He has even declared Himself to be Judge -- after teaching us to "judge not!" His important teachings on justice bring us back repeatedly to the Law of the Golden Rule: "What judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." This great economy, in which He will be Judge on that day, is one of love, and its currency is love. Therefore it is the passion that we can bring to God - whose nature is love - that really counts here. To guard against hypocrisy is, in the end, a question of all that we bring to the table for refinement and care and understanding, the whole of ourselves. The truth is, a loving Father desires above all relationship with His creatures, in which we grow and become like Him. Jesus' entirety of His teachings here in the Sermon on the Mount sum up how we are to do that, what we dwell upon, what we love, what we are prepared to let go of. He also teaches us to be discerning, to find the narrow way, to beware of false prophets -- and how to avoid being one ourselves! What do we learn today from His teaching, what do we take away? Where do we need to go? It is a long journey until "that day" - but the time is always "now" to start.