24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.”
These would be the most audacious words a mere human teacher could ever speak. But Jesus is no “mere” human, He is divine-human, One who speaks the truth of God. Whoever builds his life squarely on the Lord’s teachings will have a solid life that no tragedy or difficulty can shake. What a promise!
The disciples heard this early in Jesus’ ministry, and, to be sure, gave mental assent to it. But as with all spiritual truth there comes a time when the truth becomes internalized through a testing process. The disciples had many storms that battered them. The literal storms of the sea of Galilee on more than one occasion threatened to swamp their lives into an early, watery demise. There were failures in ministry, like when they failed at casting out a demon. And don’t forget the rebukes of the Lord, “You men of little faith,” which must have plagued them with a sense of spiritual failure. All these things together don’t seem like an unshakable house built on a rock, do they?
Peter, on more than one occasion, was rebuked by the Lord and at one juncture was even called satanic in his intentions (Matt 16:22-23)! What about when he denied the Lord three times? He, in particular of all the disciples, miserably failed to build upon the solid foundation of the Lord’s teaching.
Then finally they abandoned all hope when their Messiah was crucified as a common criminal and died. They had left all and at least attempted to build their lives on the solid foundation of His teachings. Not much of a rock to build the house of their lives on, it seemed! (Luke 24:21)
In the end, though, the Rock held up against the worst storm that could buffet it. Death could not keep Jesus dead! He arose, proving He was who He said He was, the Son of God (Rom 1:4). Everything He taught was true: forgiveness of sin, spiritual rebirth, adoption into God’s family, citizenship in the Kingdom. When Jesus arose from the dead, hope was restored.
The teachings of Jesus Christ are not just wise counsel (though they are that). They form the very core, foundational truth on which all our life must grow. This, truly, makes for a solid, substantial, indestructible inner life.
Lord, Your word is the foundation on which I stand. Everything else is flimsy and fleeting. Help me to not just stand, but to build the life You want for me.
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