Variety: Matthew 7:24-27
‘Everyone, then, who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell – and great was its fall!’ Matthew 7:24–27
As the disciples sat on mountainside rocks listening to Jesus, they would’ve been acutely aware of stable and unstable land. There’s nothing like hiking a mountain to make you think about where it’s safe to walk.
In this dry, rocky landscape, where sand and dust are a constant reality, the image of building on solid ground would be tangible and tactile. From where they sat, the disciples may have been able to see small dwellings perched on the hillside in carefully chosen spots, safe from slips and slides. They would have been able to feel the dusty sand between their fingers and toes.
We are called to build our whole lives on the solid ground of Jesus: to follow his calling and to be fruitful in all we do. You may be heading to the beach this week, off to climb a mountain, or simply walking along a solid path. As you do so, let the places your feet take you remind you of what it means to walk and build on solid ground.
There’s an amazing city in Jordan called Petra, still there today. In Biblical times, it was inhabited by the Edomites, and was probably known to those in the crowds gathered around Jesus. It was a wealthy city on the rise and a centre for trade on well-established routes. And in Petra, houses weren’t just built on the rock – they were cut into it. Like those houses, every part of our lives can be firmly founded on Jesus, as we trust in his promises and learn to follow his ways.
To stretch the analogy of the ‘house of your life’, you can build the living room where you rest, read, and watch TV on Jesus’ unshakable teaching, making all you do there fruitful and flourishing. Likewise, the table where you welcome others to eat and talk can be built on the hospitality of God, and the culture you shape at it can echo his kindness and provision. The home office or desk tucked in a corner can be the place where you work to the glory of God – and so on and so on. Our physical houses can be shaped by the invitation to build our spiritual ‘houses’ in a way that relies on and reflects the radical generosity of God.
As you go about this week, are there any parts of your life where you notice you’ve not built on Jesus? Take this moment to invite him to be your foundation in those places and to help you be fruitful in all you do.
Jo Trickey, London institute for Contemporary Christianity