Seth Carter

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand,” Matthew 7:24-29 reads. “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” 

Imagine hearing someone on the news say this. How would you respond if your preferred athlete, celebrity or politician posted it? How arrogant! I mean, I’ve heard some arrogant things, but to say that obedience to “my way of thinking is truly wisdom, comparable to a wise builder?”

And how audacious that Jesus would call someone foolish for simply not taking his advice and putting his words into practice!

Wow.

But let’s think about the analogy for a second.

A few years ago, I was in another city, in another country, staying in an apartment on the 25th floor of a 26 story building. In the middle of the night, something felt wrong. I got out of bed, feeling a little disoriented, and also noticed that my hanging clothes were swaying.

Earthquake!

I went to the balcony, I guess to figure out what my options were in case the building were to go down. Not having a lot of experience with tall buildings or with earthquakes, I didn’t know what to expect or what the tolerances were. Not having been in this country before, I also wondered what kind of construction codes and oversight the builders had. Was this building designed to withstand earthquakes? I figured I was about to find out.

At that moment, faced with the possibility of catastrophe, I was intensely interested in the foundation of my building. It suddenly mattered to me what it was built on.

One way the integrity of a building, or our lives, will be tested, is by storms — the unwanted but mostly certain circumstances that come to each of us at some point. The wise builder from the opening quote saw, “rain come down, the streams rose, and winds blew and beat against that house; but it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock.”

The most certain circumstance we will all face is death. Just as I contemplated my end in the top of a swaying apartment building, we all will face death. And when we face off with sickness, strained relationships, financial stress or death, what your life is built on will suddenly matter.

You might not have given it a thought before, but when it matters, it really matters.

What about these audacious claims of Jesus? Who was he to say such things? Well, the crowds listening to him were amazed at his authority. The way he was teaching was not like the rabbis they usually listened to — teachers trying to build a movement or convince people to their ways.

No, Jesus taught from a deep place of credibility and mastery that didn’t come from persuasive speech or relational manipulation. He spoke with the authority of God.

We have something else to go on that those crowds did not: the advantage of 2,000 years of observation.

The life, death and resurrection of Jesus prove the power of God and the authority of his words.

Generations of people living by faith in Jesus’ instruction prove that his ways are good and true.

Jesus’ offer still stands. Do you want to be prepared for the catastrophic storms of life? When the challenges come, do you want your feet slipping around in the sand or standing on something solid? Jesus is the foundation. He wasn’t suggesting that our own effort will be enough for us to survive. Jesus is our rock. Repent of sin, acknowledge that he is the only way, the only truth and the only life. No one wants to endure the storms, and it isn’t a question of storm or no storm. It’s a question of will you stand or not stand at the end of it? There’s only one way to know, one sure solution, time-tested. This promise from the apostle Peter can be for you. “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation,” 1 Peter 5:10.

Choose Jesus as the ultimate foundation for your life today.

(Seth Carter is director of Campus Ventures in Powell.)