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

Moni Agias Triadas (Holy Trinity Monastery). Meteora, Greece (photo courtesy of creative commons license)

 "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, on the commemoration of Christ's Ascension, we read that 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!'"  Today's reading continues and completes the Sermon on the Mount, which we were given in the lectionary prior to this week's readings leading to the feast of the Ascension.  These verses continue from Saturday's reading.   In this last section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus testifies to His deity, calling Himself Lord (which refers to the divine name "Yahweh" of the Old Testament.  He speaks of judgment, which can be truly executed only by God.  In that day, my study bible says, 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 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."  Jesus gives us a prescription for building and living our lives, and offers us what is clearly a choice.  My study bible notes that hearing the gospel alone is not enough, for salvation is based not on hearing alone, nor even on faith alone, but also on doing the things spoken by Christ (see James 2:24).

In His conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of Judgment.  But then He also offers us a picture of our lives, a perspective on the whole of our lives, and not just advice for the moment or whatever decisions or struggles we may be engaged in at the moment.  In this perspective of building a house, He gives us an understanding of the importance of our choices in building the whole of our lives.  What are we living for?  On what principles do we build and live our lives?  What is our foundation?  Recently I read a review of a book by historian Tom Holland.  It's titled Dominion:  How the Christian Revolution Made the World.   What is notable about this book is not just its assertion that Christianity has shaped the Western World, but that the author is an atheist, and as a historian has come to this conclusion -- that Christianity might be necessary for the civilization.  According to the reviews, it's not a book to read to learn about Christianity, but it is noteworthy in its assertion that it is Christian values and convictions that have shaped our modern notions of law and justice, the dignity of all human beings, the evil of slavery, and so much more that we presently take for granted without considering precisely what kinds of choices were involved in shaping this reality.  Jesus' offering to us of His perspective teaches what an atheist historian might conclude given over 2,000 years of evidentiary effects:  that a sense of order and civilization -- particularly at the individual level in our lives -- is founded upon faith, and that it is this He offers to us.   Jesus' Sermon on the Mount offers to us a way of being in the world, a way of righteousness, that stands a Darwinian dog-eat-dog perspective on its head.  It offers to us a choice that determines that we do not merely need to live our lives in a purely materialistic way, but rather teaches us that we have a choice to allow God in as foundation to guide our lives in the world.  That foundation or mediation in our lives gives us alternatives to a life of opportunistic cruelty or coercion:  it offers us a life conditioned on mercy, on a righteousness and beauty that comes from faith, even from observing the beauty of the created world.  Christ releases us from a life based solely on reaction to our fears and anxieties, and offers us the love and care of God.  Mostly He strengthens us within the will of the Father and our own seeking of that will.  The verse that begins today's section (but is not included in today's reading) reads:  "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" (7:21).   Although Jesus clearly speaks of Judgment, we might be tempted to believe that what He is offering us is merely a perspective on whether or not we receive eternal life, or entrance into this kingdom after our worldly lives.  But that is not what He is teaching with His illustration of building our houses upon a rock, nor in the entirety of the Sermon on the Mount.  What He gives us is a teaching that sets our own lives on a firm foundation of what we might term "civilization" for want of a better word.  The Sermon on the Mount is a teaching for righteousness, in which our lives may build up the world, in which we endure hardship and temptation in order to preserve and care and build up what is good and refrain from what is destructive to life.  We learn to endure in the good, in caring for others, in respecting life, in cherishing what is beautiful, in holding ourselves to a standard of truth that does not lose sight of the dignity and sanctity of life and its value as a gift from God filled with possibilities -- and indeed, struggles which are not meaningless but count for so much.  Let us heed His teachings and start from the beginning to build our lives upon this foundation which He offers, creating through our choice for faith something greater than what we can see right in front of us, lives upon which we may look back and find greater value than the world offers merely through choices of material value alone, or social structures based on currencies that leave God's values out of the equation.  Let us take our house and our foundation seriously.  The storms of life will demolish hopes based on a perspective outside of the strength and the constant steadfast love He offers.

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

Christ the Good Shepherd, 425 AD, Oratory of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy

 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied 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 had 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

We have been reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  Yesterday we read that 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.  Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears  good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  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.  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, 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 go together with the last one from yesterday's reading, above.  My study bible says this is a threefold testimony of the deity of Christ.  He first calls Himself Lord -- referring to the divine name YHWH of the Old Testament.  Then He speaks of the will of My Father, which He authoritatively knows and shares, and as divine Son.  Finally, He speaks of Himself as judge, in which He is revealed as God, because only God can execute true judgment.  In that day, it says, Christ 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 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 isn't enough.  Salvation is based not simply on hearing alone, but also on doing the things that Christ speaks about.  (See James 2:24.)

And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Here is a phenomenon frequently noted in the Gospels, that Jesus doesn't speak like one of the scribes (that is, referring to the commentary of a famous rabbi, or citing some other authority).  Rather, He speaks of His own authority, which is so remarkable and unusual that it makes the people astonished.

Jesus says that to hear His sayings, and to fail to do them, is like being a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  By contrast, to hear His sayings, and then to do them, is like one who builds his house on a rock.  One house leads to a great disaster when the rains descend, and the floods come, and winds blow and beat on it.  The other home is on a solid foundation, and stands its ground, holding up to whatever hits it.  So, in this likeness, what's our home?  What does it mean that winds blow against it, and rain descends, and floods come?  Jesus uses these images in a sense that they are sure things:  that into each life these winds, and rain, and floods are going to hit.  He talks in such a way as to indicate that for each of us these things are going to come.  So important are His sayings, that He phrases them in likeness to the solid ground upon which we build our lives.  We're either going to throw away that opportunity, or to embrace it.  Either way, whichever choice we make, nothing can take away from the value of what He is offering.  In a sense, His analogy makes it clear that He's speaking of life or death:   we thrive one way, we utterly fail the other way.  And in that sense, everything is up to us.  He's offering what's real, bankable, valuable -- that upon which we can surely rely.  To refuse is to stake one's life on sand, on that which washes away with the winds and rain and floods.  Our home, then, is this solid place upon which we build who we are, the place of the heart at the center of personal existence.  He offers us solid ground on which to stake our very lives, the truth of who we are.  Otherwise we blow with every wind, a failure in a life built on some other kind of god to worship, a faith in something else, is one that will wash away and need rebuilding.  We'll need to seek a new foundation every time something strong enough blows through our lives and topples whatever we've built on a flimsy foundation.  But the things He teaches us are meant to last through all the changes, and calamities, and hard luck, and struggles of our lives.  We can render ourselves to Him, and with His help and guidance, make our way through to the other side of whatever comes, still on that solid ground, and not needing to look around for something new in which to place our faith.  Considering all of His preaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7), we may remember His teaching that one can't serve both God and mammon, we must make a choice.  Do we build our lives on faith in material things alone?  Is life all about how much money we have or how many homes we have?  Is then that really all we have -- something so easily lost?  What happens when those things fail?  Or when our health or even older age fails us in some physical sense of what we rely upon?  What then?  Jesus is saying that what He offers is something we will always be able to rely upon when struggles come, when the difficulties of life blow through wherever we are at.  Think of the struggles:  can we always rely upon friends?  Money?  Our health?  The things we own?  Even family members?  But Christ's sayings are there; and they are much more than sayings.  He teaches us that to do what He says is the bedrock we need.  It's not enough to hear.  So let us consider what that solid rock under our feet is all about.  We seek first God's kingdom, we seek to eliminate from our lives unnecessary worry and fear and anxiety, and we watch what it is we put our faith in first, before all things.  We work at ridding ourselves of habits and perspectives that don't serve such a goal, understanding that it's our job first to recognize our own flaws.  Above all we keep asking and seeking and knocking, through prayer and other faith practices, growing at this goal of faith and a life lived by doing what He says.  Let us continue to study what He asks of us, putting our trust in Him, the solid rock that remains after the floods, winds, and rains, for that is what lasts as the ground of our being, upon which we can build up our lives and entrust our being.

Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?

And He spoke a parable to them:  "Can the blind lead the blind?  Will they not both fall into the ditch?  A disciple is not  above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye.

"For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  For every tree is known by its own fruit.  For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

"But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?  Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:  He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.  And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against the house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.  But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.  And the ruin of that house was great."

- Luke 6:39-49

We have been reading through Jesus' Sermon on the Plain, in Luke's Gospel.  (We began reading the Sermon in Friday's reading.)  On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught, "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.   But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.  Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

And He spoke a parable to them:  "Can the blind lead the blind?  Will they not both fall into the ditch?  A disciple is not  above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye."  Here is a plea for discipleship, for what it means to be "perfect," and to truly learn and follow the Teacher, for good discipline.  My study bible quotes Cyril of Alexandria, who writes that "if the Teacher does not judge, neither must the disciple, for the disciple is guilty of worse sins than those for which he judges others."  Jesus' teaching makes it clear that if we are to grow in discipleship, it is the only true preparation for helping others to do so.  It's also a highly profound psychological insight, and a teaching on the benefits of humility and self-knowledge -- next-to-impossible without the work of discipleship.  Such work of acknowledging our own imperfections -- and working to correct them -- is the only standard by which we grow in mercy to truly help others, rather simply practicing bad judgment.  We can see at any time an abundance of finger-pointing by those apparently unaware of their own far deeper flaws than the one whom they accuse.

"For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  For every tree is known by its own fruit.  For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."   Here is a comment on what it is to be "pure" or "pure in heart."  It's about a kind of consistency from the inner to the outer, and starts with what we truly love, what our treasure is.  Everything flows from there.  Therefore it is the care of the heart that is the true measure of a disciple.

"But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?  Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:  He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.  And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against the house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.  But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.  And the ruin of that house was great."  My study bible says that hearing the gospel alone isn't enough.  Salvation isn't based on hearing alone nor faith alone, but also on doing the things spoken by Christ (see James 2:24).  That is, our faith also determines our acts, what we do, what we choose.  Faith asks us to follow through.  We think, we change, we adjust, we grow.  A life lived on the basis of His commandments is one built on the rock of Christ -- a true safety and security running deep within the self, the heart.

What is true spiritual discipline?  Clearly, as Christ's words tell us, it is one that is built from the heart and is reflected through one's behavior and choices.  This isn't about impressing others, or about the picture that is reflected back at us through others' eyes and judgments.  Jesus Himself was harshly judged!  Instead, Jesus is talking about a real purity of the heart that comes from discipleship, and it is what is truly in the heart that bears the fruit that is important.  What do we nurture?  What do we treasure?  Do we take His words seriously?   Do we try to find insight as to the ways in which we may apply these things in our own lives and through our own choices?  Again, a prayerful kind of "work" in doing so constitutes a good form of discipleship.  One may also discuss the teachings one hears with a more experienced and learned follower, a pastor, someone with the grace and mercy that reflects discipleship and inspires trust.  What is important is what we nurture within us, what we ponder, what we treasure.  Discipline is the acknowledgement that this is something we always have more to learn about, that it must touch on our own choices and behaviors, and that there will always be new insights about applying His teachings to our lives, our habits, our choices.  This is a constant, ongoing work.  We're not born as perfect instruments of love and justice and good judgment.  We're not born with the discernment of merciful and humble discipleship.  We grow in these things.  It is what we nurture in the heart that helps us to put into action: words, deeds, even thoughts, that reflect true a discipleship to Christ.  So how do we approach our faith?  Quite obviously, His word is clear on the necessity of good discipleship, on the practice of discernment, and more particularly of the value of mercy and the quality of the heart.  He cautions us about humility and awareness of our own flaws, and asks us to work on them so that we may help others in this growth in the proper way.   He teaches about training, what it means to be a perfectly trained disciple, or "learner."  How do you set yourself on that road today?  What is the lesson you have to learn?  Where your foundation, your true heart?  And how do we truly see and escape our blindness?