Matthew 7:24–29

Be careful! A building may look good. But, it may not be safe.

A builder should plan and prepare well first. If a disciple wants to succeed, he must do the same. He may hear God’s words. But, he may not obey them. This will mean very bad trouble in the end.

Read Matthew 7:15–20. There, Jesus compared two groups of people. They were the false teachers and the true teachers. Read Matthew 7:21–23. Here, Jesus compared another two groups. There were the people who just believed facts. But also, there were the real disciples. Now read Matthew 7:24–27. Here, Jesus compared two groups again. There were wise builders. But also, there were foolish builders.

Hear and do God’s words (Matthew 7:24–27)

Everyone ‘builds’ in life. This is a picture of how a person lives. There is the wise person. He or she is the sort of person who works hard. He or she makes plans, and then follows them. This person thinks about all that he or she will need first. Then he or she ‘builds’. The result shows in the way that a person deals with a sudden crisis. Usually, a person who is like this can deal with these events. He or she can find an answer. (Note: ‘He’ refers to both ‘he’ and ‘she’.)

But, there is another type of builder. It is the foolish person. He wants the same things as the wise person wants. (He wants a house in which to live.) But he is not ready for the hard work that is necessary. Such people do not make proper plans. Often, they will not listen to the advice of other people.

Foolish people may progress as fast as wise people. This makes them think that they do not need to plan. Effort is not necessary. But it is different when there is very bad trouble. They do not prepare for difficulties. Their troubles destroy the lives of people like this.

So, Jesus described two groups of people. Both groups wanted to be disciples. But, only one group was willing to use God’s methods. The two buildings looked the same. Both groups wanted God to accept them. They both wanted to be members of his kingdom. They seemed to be similar. But, there were actually great differences. These were because of a different attitude to the word of God. One group heard what God said and did it. The other group only heard God’s word.

When troubles come, foolish people cannot deal with them. This happens today too. People say that they are disciples of Jesus. But they stop believing when there are difficulties. The Day of Judgement will be even worse. God will examine them very carefully. The truth about them will be clear then.

To obey God is like when someone builds on a rock. This does not mean that there will be no troubles. Jesus described two groups of people. Both groups had the same troubles. (Compare Matthew 7:25-27.) But there was a big difference. Even if the trouble is worse, someone who is like a strong building stays firm. This is because ‘the building’ stands on a rock.

Jesus taught something very clearly. It is still most important. It is for all of his disciples. They must know what God requires. They must do God’s will too. Only then can God bless them. Only then can they know real security. They will be safe for ever.

Addition to the sermon (talk) on the mountain (Matthew 7:28–29)

The people who heard Jesus were ‘astonished’. They had felt like this for some time. Think about what caused this reaction. First, it was the authority of Jesus. It was not just his manner as he spoke. It was what he said. When the prophets spoke, they said: ‘This is what the Lord says’. When Jesus spoke, he did not need to say this. He used his own authority to speak.

Jesus gave his own opinions. But notice something here. Jesus said: ‘I say only the things that the Father has taught me.’ Read John 8:28. But he said too: ‘The Father and I are one.’ Read John 10:30. The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were not like this. They always repeated the opinions of other people. In the OT, a prophet was someone who spoke for God. But, in Matthew 5:11–12, Jesus claimed that his disciples would be like prophets. So, Jesus was claiming to be God.

Jesus said things about himself. They were things that could only be true about God. Here are some of Jesus’ claims:

• He came to give full meaning to the law (Matthew 5:17). This tells us something. It is this. Jesus had a life before he came into the world.
• He had a special relationship with God. Jesus called him ‘My father’ (Matthew 7:21). Compare this with ‘Our Father’ (Matthew 6:9).
• He could ask all people to obey him. Jesus had the right to do this (Matthew 7:24).
• He spoke with the authority of God himself (Matthew 7:21–23).

Those who listened to Jesus were ‘astonished’. This is not a surprise. But it was not just his claims that had this effect on them. It was his teaching too. There was one thing in particular. He taught that human effort could never cause God to accept anyone. This was the exact opposite of what the religious leaders taught.

Jesus also spoke about those who obeyed God. They must obey because they really wanted to obey. The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were not like this. They knew that they should obey. So they did. But that was the only reason why they obeyed. Jesus explained about people whom God would accept. They must be more holy than these leaders. Many people were listening to Jesus. That idea was a great shock to them.

Questions

• You have read the Sermon on the Mount (the talk on the mountain). What is your reaction to it? Read each section again. Ask God what he is saying to you.
• Someone may say that he or she is a believer (Christian). How can you know if that claim is true?
• What is like ‘sand’ in your own situation? What is like ‘rock’ in your own situation?
• Someone may say: ‘Jesus was a great moral teacher.’ What would you say to this person?