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

On Tuesday, we read Jesus' explanation of the parable of the Sower for His disciples:  "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for awhile.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

"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!'"  Today's reading directly follows the reading of Monday in the order of the text.  It is the final reading in the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5 - 7.  (The lectionary had skipped to chapter 13 in preparation for Ascension Day, which was yesterday.)  In Monday's reading, Jesus taught:  "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."  The words of today's reading directly follow.  Jesus has been giving His word throughout the Sermon on the Mount.  That is, the commands that He sets out for discipleship, which is a blessed way of life, the life of the Kingdom.  Here He makes it clear that even great signs of power and wonders, miracles done in His name, and prophecies, will not be sufficient for the time of the Judgment.  It is those who do the will of His Father in heaven.  At the Last Supper, Jesus will tie these teachings to love:  love of God and love of one another.  He will teach three times that those who love Him will follow His commands.  He teaches about the love between Himself and the Father, and tie that love to our discipleship.  He will also give a new command, that we as His disciples love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34-35).

"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."  My study bible says that hearing the gospel alone is not enough, for salvation is based not on hearing alone, nor even faith alone, but also on doing the things spoken by Christ (see James 2:24).

Jesus gives us an analogy of the life He offers, His words and commandments, as a strong foundation upon which to build our home.  His word is our rock, our foundation, that will stand us through storms and floods and winds.  Or course, Jesus has given us this teaching and analogy in the context of the Judgment.  We have a lot to lose.  Life with its full capacities as taught by Christ is eternal, without end, and therefore to lose such an infinite potential would mean truly that "great was its fall."  In the parable of the Sower, which we've been given in the readings on Monday and Tuesday, Jesus speaks of His word as a seed that is planted in the heart.  The seed or plant that doesn't take root or last is the one which falls on stony ground, which perishes with tribulation or persecution, is choked by the cares of the world or the deceitfulness of riches.  But the one who bears much fruit is the one who perseveres and endures in this word.  In some sense, the teachings here and of that great first parable which Christ will teach are the same:  our foundation is His word.  But we don't get that foundation simply through obedience.  His word is the word of love, and His discipleship is love.  Jesus will teach that all the Law and the Prophets hang on two commands, to love God with all our heart and soul and strength, and to love neighbor as oneself.  But it is Jesus, the Son Incarnate, who personalizes that love.  We know Him, the disciples live with Him, He shares with them and with us His touching and intimate love with the Father, whom He declares will send us the Helper.  It is in this personal, intimate love that we learn who we are and how to follow His commands.  This is something that we as Christians should never lose sight of, because it defines wholly the impact of the Incarnate Christ.  We know who He is, and through His love we know who we are.  We know why and how our discipleship works, and why it is worth every sacrifice.  We know the love for which we sacrifice and by which we are motivated to pursue the true heart of this blessedness of life He offers.  We are not compelled by force but by love, by His love.  There is nothing that can replace that truth and its wholeness and fullness of what it teaches us that we are made for; this is why it is His rock that is our only sure foundation.  Only He knows and reveals the full truth of what we are meant for, the love with which we are held and in which we may live the blessed life He teaches.