Matthew 7:24-27 24Therefore, everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them, he will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25And the rain came down, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27And the rain came down, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and its fall was great.
The short parable illustrates the importance of obeying Jesus’ words mentioned in the previous verses. These verses are a fitting conclusion to the Sermon and provide the same two options as in other pericopes in this chapter: the way of discipleship or the way of the world. Therefore marks these verses as the final word that disciples need to heed. Two types of people are described: those who hear and obey and those who hear but do not obey. Hearing is the common denominator, and the difference is how people respond to the words they hear.
Those who hear and obey are called wise because they listen to Jesus’ words and act on them. The key to wisdom is appropriate action in response to what is heard. Those who live in places of severe weather and floods can appreciate the image of the bad storm in this parable. Bad storms sometimes go through Israel causing the dried up wadis to become rivers. Tropical storms sweep through many parts of the world. If a house is not well built out of concrete or rock, it could experience damage or destruction.
Jesus uses parallel sayings that are easy to understand. Those who hear but do not obey are called foolish be they know what to do but do not do it. The unstated question is, why would a person do this? The same issue is behind this passage in the earlier passages: people are deceived and harden their hearts, and their knowledge of Jesus is only intellectual. Verse 27 contains the same type of sad words as verses 13, 19, and 23. Judgment and destruction await those who refuse to obey Jesus’ words.
There are two important images in this parable that challenge readers to make an application. Storms are the adversaries in this parable and cause the potential damage to the houses because of the rising river with its flood and the blowing wind. Life will give us many challenges, especially those who go against the evil ways of the people around us. The Sermon ends with an ideas given at the beginning about the possibility of persecution (5:10-12).
The other important image is the foundation. The reason one house fell and the other stood is the type of foundation used in the building process and upon what it was built. The rock represents the solid foundation of Jesus’ teachings. The sand represents human intellect and understanding. These are two different types of knowledge. True knowledge comes through the revelation of the Messiah. Inferior and weak knowledge comes from human effort.
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