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 rains 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 

 

In yesterday's reading, the lectionary gave us the following (the final verses of St. Matthew's Gospel) for the Feast of the Ascension:  Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Amen.  Today we resume reading in the Sermon on the Mount.  Today's reading continues from the verses given in Saturday's reading.

 

  "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!'"  These verses, together with verse 21, which precedes them, form a threefold testimony to Christ's deity.  He first calls Himself Lord, which is a reference to the divine name "Yahweh" of the Old Testament.  In verse 21, He declares, "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."  Thus, He speaks here of the will of My Father, which He fully knows and shares.  He speaks of Himself as judge, which reveals Him as God, for only God can execute judgment.  My study Bible adds that in that day refers to the final judgment.  

 

 "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 rains 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 comments here that hearing the gospel alone isn't enough, because salvation is not based on hearing alone, and neither on faith alone, but also on doing the things spoken by Christ (see James 2:24).  

 

Jesus says, "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 rains 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."  What we have is the emphasis on what it means to be faithful, to have faith,  We "hear His sayings" and "do them."  We live our faith.   We notice that He likens this to building our house on a rock, and we may connect this to another time Jesus uses the image of a rock. That is, when He gives St. Peter the name by which we know him.  Peter is the English form of Πετρος/Petros, meaning "rock" or "stone" in Greek.  We look at the time in specific terms when Jesus gave St. Peter this name, and we find it is upon his confession that Jesus is the Christ.  Jesus first asked the disciples who people say that He is.  After they reply, giving the answers according to popular opinion, He asks them who they say that He is. Then we're told, "Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And Jesus said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it' " (see Matthew 16:13-20).  When we consider what this rock is upon which Jesus will build His church, we must conclude that this rock is the rock of faith, that faith by which St. Peter understands -- and is illumined by God the Father according to Jesus' words -- that Jesus is the Christ.  By that we discern the deep connection between St. Peter, now called "Rock" by Jesus, and the rock upon which we build our home in real faith.  Jesus expresses here for us what faith does and is.  It is not about simply subscribing to a belief on intellectual terms, but living our faith.  Quite literally, He gives this to us; He speaks of whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them.  For real faith is about trust.  It is about placing our trust so deeply in Christ that we hear His sayings -- that is, the gospel He has preached in the whole of the Sermon on the Mount -- and we do them, we live them, we make them a part of our lives.  In this way, our faith is not only internal or only external, but it is both.  It is in the depth of the heart, and it is also what we do.  This kind of consistency from the inside to the outside defines what it is to be truly pure in the Christian sense.  Let us build our houses upon this rock, and truly live our faith in Him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!

 

"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

 

- Matthew 25:1-13 

 

On Saturday, we continued to read Jesus' discourse on the end times to His disciples:  "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near - at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Then two men will be in the field:  one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill:  one will be taken and the other left.  Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to given them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 

"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."  Jesus is continuing His discourse to the disciples regarding the end times, which specifically refers to this time in which we now live, this period of the Church since His Incarnation, as we await His return.   My study Bible has lengthy notes on this parable.  It says that this parable illustrates the need for being spiritually prepared while the bridegroom -- that is, Christ Himself -- is delayed in His return.  The Kingdom, it says, is often portrayed as a marriage between Christ and His Church (see, for example, Matthew 22:1-14 in this reading and commentary).  The marriage will e consummated at the end of the age when the Bridegroom returns to escort His Bride (the Church) into the eternal wedding banquet.   This parable is primarily about the virtue of charity and almsgiving.  In the Greek, the words for oil (meaning olive oil) and "mercy" sound alike.  (In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the pouring out of the oil upon the wounds of the hurt man by the Samaritan is an image of mercy, as is the image of the anointing of the Holy Spirit given to humankind and mirrored in chrismation in the Church.)   The wise virgins in the parable, therefore, are those who practice charity and mercy in this life, while the foolish are those who squander God's gifts on themselves.  The fact that all of the virgins slumbered and slept indicates death, my study Bible says.  In this world the virtuous will die alongside the wicked.  The cry at midnight is an indication of the Second Coming, when the wicked will arise with the righteous for judgment.  The inability of the righteous to share their oil is not to be understood as a lack of generosity.  Instead, it illustrates the impossibility of entering heaven without one's own faith and virtue, and also the impossibility of changing one's state of virtue after death (see Luke 16:26).  In the Orthodox Church, the Holy Week services of Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are called the Services of the Bridegroom.  The themes of its hymns come from today's parable and Christ's parable of the Wedding Feast in this reading.  

The link between "oil" and mercy is important to understand.  In the ancient world, olive oil, in its various qualities, was used for all kinds of purposes.  It was the basis for medicines, including topical medicines and unguents such as was used in the parable of the Good Samaritan, as mentioned above.  Very pure olive oil was also the basis for perfumes, such as that which was used to anoint Jesus (John 12:1-8, Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9).  In the ministry of the apostles, when they were sent out on their first mission, Jesus instructed them to anoint the sick with oil (Mark 6:13).  We see this practice continued by the early Church, as the Epistle of James instructs (James 5:14).  The connection between anointing with oil and the anointing of the Spirit is clear as St. Peter quotes from the prophecy of Joel as he preaches in Judea, and speaks of the gift of the Holy Spirit in baptism (see Acts 2:1-39).   In Greek, the word for this oil is ἔλαιον/elaion and the word for mercy is ἔλεος/eleos.  The only difference in pronunciation is in the final letter; in all other ways these two words are pronounced exactly alike.  So when we are to understand that it is this oil of mercy and compassion that fills the lamps that may burn with the light we shine to the world, we can make sense of the parable, and also out of why the prudent virgins who were prepared with oil could not share with the others.  This is one thing we must do for ourselves.  This understanding of the image and word for oil, and the linked meanings to the Holy Spirit, also gives us a picture of the fullness of the lamps as fruit of the spirit, those things which fill up who we are through the action of the Holy Spirit and our cooperation in its blessings and the manifestation of its goodness.   Jesus' choice of the image of the lamps echoes His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, that believers are the light of the world, and such light must shine so that the good works that are its product will glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16).  As my study Bible indicates, this parable teaches us to seize the day, that there is no time like the present for a prayerful life, one lived in communion and faith, and -- moment to moment -- one in which we remember who we are and who we're supposed to be.  In this way we are the "wise virgins."  Again, the Greek of the text tells us something.  The word for "wise" here is the same word that Jesus used when He taught the disciples to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves."  It means shrewd, prudent, a practical understanding of what's sensible and wise in conduct.  Let us make good choices with the time we have in our lives, and think of the fullness of our lamps.

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 

 

Yesterday we read about Christ's Ascension, as in the West it was the celebration the Feast of our Lord's Ascension (next Thursday for the Eastern Churches), which takes place forty days after Christ's Resurrection (Easter or Pascha).  At that time the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Amen.

 

  "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!'"  In today's reading, we pick up where we left off in Saturday's reading (the interim readings were preparation and celebration of the Feast of our Lord's Ascension).   We recall that we had been reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7), and today we are given Christ's closing words to that Sermon.  Here, my study Bible comments that Jesus testifies to His own deity:  He calls Himself Lord, which refers to the divine name "Yahweh" of the Old Testament.   His words indicate His authority as judge, and only God can execute true judgment.  In that day refers to the final judgment.  In the verse just previous to these, He 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."  To speak of the will of My Father also affirms His deity, as He fully knows and shares the Father's will.  

"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 comments that hearing the gospel alone is not enough, for salvation is based not on hearing alone, nor on faith alone, but also on doing the things spoken of by Christ in "these sayings of Mine" (see James 2:24).  

Jesus contrasts "whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them" to "everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them."  The first has the security of a wise person who builds his house on a rock, a solid foundation that does not get shaken by storms, floods, winds, and other natural disasters.  The second is like one who is foolish, and builds a home on sands that shift with rain and flood and wind.  I once found myself in the midst of a very serious earthquake, and I can testify to what happens to homes built on landfill that mostly turned to sand in the shifting, shaking terrain along a coastline.  Jesus' images, as usual, are quite apt, even for modern construction techniques in a known earthquake zone.  Ultimately, what Jesus is saying is borne out throughout the course of our lives.  We might think that one wrong decision or another from time to time won't have much effect.  But decision-making, our patterns of thinking, are built over time.  We tend not necessarily to simply make a bad decision every once in a while, but rather build our lives on patterns.  We go down a road of a way of thinking and choosing, and we don't just stand still, or go backwards and forwards.  We tend to build upon whatever it is we build upon.  We rely on assumptions or decisions of the past to set the pattern, until something prompts us to reconsider, and to turn that thinking around.  This is why Jesus' teachings and sayings are so important, and so profound.  If we are vigilant, and if we recall His words and teachings, we can build our lives on something solid, something -- if one will pardon an oft-used expression -- that civilization, or what we understand of it, is based on.  If we have faith in having compassion for one another, if we have faith and are willing to live that faith in terms of our capacity for building something honestly in our lives, trying to establish righteous relations, then we will find ourselves capable of building up a pattern that leads to a life that gives us what is desirable:  staying away from bad habits, or from taking shortcuts in terms of how we treat others, from not caring about lies or insults in our ways of dealing with others.  Our own integrity becomes essential to us, and a resonance within which we can serve God, a highest good.  We will find that this forms a basis for good and safe choices in terms of what we build with our lives, how we conduct ourselves.  Most of all, I would say that Jesus teachings on prayer, almsgiving, and fasting -- about how God who sees in secret and is in the secret place will reward us openly (see this reading) -- are grounds for eventual outcomes which we can look upon with respect in our lives.  Living His way produces results that we can look back on and describe as things we feel good about, midst whatever tribulation and difficulties we might have through no fault of our own, or even midst our own mistakes we'll inevitably make.  But in Jesus' viewpoint, even those mistakes and even the tribulations become occasions for God's grace, for a learning curve, for prayer and mercy (see, for example, John 9:3; or the healing of one who was possessed by a Legion of demons  and is then sent out as a bearer of good news (Luke 8:38-39).  To hear these sayings and do them is truly to build a good life, despite the problems in our world and the difficulties that may befall us, for this is the way of Christ, and with God we know that all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).  Christ gives us His wisdom; it is the foolish who do not seek to follow it.