Dec 14, 2000
Dr. Lyons
BL425
The Two Builders
(Luke 6:47-49)
47 Anyone who comes to me and listens to my words and obeys them—I will show you what he is like. 48 He is like a man who, in building his house, dug deep and laid the foundation on rock. The river flooded over and hit that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But anyone who hears my words and does not obey them is like a man who built his house without laying a foundation; when the flood hit that house it fell at once—and what a terrible crash that was!"
The parable of the wise and foolish builders appears twice in the Gospels: here, and in Matthew 7:24-27. It comes at similar points in the two: in Luke, at the end of the Sermon on the Plain; and in Matthew, at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Immediately preceding the pericope is the discourse, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, lord’ will enter….” The Matthean version is more memorable, as if from an oral source. Luke is more circumstantial. Matthew centers on the storm, which comes and destroys the house without a foundation while leaving the house on the rock. Luke focuses more on the preparation of a good foundation.
The point of the parable within its present literary setting is to urge disciples to follow through with Jesus teaching. The crowds have come to hear Jesus’ teaching. Concluding his sermon, he points out the decisive factor in being a disciple: one who not merely hears, but puts into practice what he says. His teaching is radically different from what the scribes and Pharisees teach. They focus on a right interpretation of specific Jewish laws. Jesus tells a vivid story about a house and a storm, both things with which the people could easily relate.
Exegesis
This parable is build on two antithetical similitudes between one who does and one who only hears what Jesus says. There’s little room for missing the point of Jesus story. He says (v 47) “I will show you what someone is like, who comes to me, hears my words, and does not put them into practice.” The illustration is pre-interpreted by his introduction to it. Foundations were not common for homes in Palestine, but the temple was laid on a foundation. And foundations would have been familiar to Luke's Greco-Roman audience. Luke says the one man dug deeply and laid his foundation “on a rock” which was used as a allusion to God frequently in the Old Testament representing his strength. This man obviously went to a lot more trouble than he would have needed, if he had simply built a house on the dirt.
“When a flood came” or “when the river flooded over” indicates that the occurrence of disaster is inevitable. The flood is going to come regardless of one's preparation or lack of it. The wise man is not extraordinary, but just a guy who knows what he needs to do in order to be secure for the coming flood. The fool gives no thought to the destructiveness ahead, building his house with little effort. Indubitably, the flood burst against his house and it immediately fell to nothing.
Some of the people in Jesus’ audience are leaders of the church, whom at time, he addresses specifically, “Can a blind man lead another blind man?” “First take the speck out of your own eye ….” There is more to the gospel than just hearing the words of God, they must be headed. Wisdom for Jews in this time was observance of the Torah. Jesus is being very confident at this point, claiming that wisdom is in obeying what he says.
The wise and the foolish men both had resolutions to build a house. But the resolution alone was to shallow. The only man who would end up with the house he envisioned was the man who also dug deep. The foolish man had the vision but lacked the discipline to do it right. The storm indicates the judgment of God that is surely coming. Will he find people obeying or simply listening and not doing?
Jesus’ sermon has focused on such aspects of living as love and generosity. They are not simply statements of faith that a person confirms belief in; they must be worked out practically by obeying (i.e., literally going to those in need and giving personal resources to support them). A similar theme is in the first chapter of James, “Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.”
Jesus does not hide the fact that storms will come. In Matthew, it is not only a flood, but “rains … floods … winds” which beat against the house. Jesus doesn’t want to give the impression that being his follower is any bit easier a life than just being a spectator. Following Jesus' hard example is no simple task. It means we keep digging deeper until we find the rock and then build a strong foundation. In an attempt to be “seeker sensitive” we seem to want to make the gospel message easier to swallow, less demanding. It becomes more socially acceptable and less counter-cultural. Jesus' role was to cast a line between those who would lose their lives for him, and those who tried to save it.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Blomberg, Craig L. Interpreting the Parables. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990.
Culpepper, R. Alan.
The New Interpreter's Bible. Volume 8;
Luke and John. Nashville, Tenn. : Abingdon, 1995.
Ellis, E. Ellis. The Gospel of Luke; New Century Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Eerdmans, 1981, c1972.
Evans, Craig A. Matthew; New International Biblical Commentary. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1985.
Hutlgren, Arland J. The Parables of Jesus; A Commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000.
Scott, Bernard. Hear Then the Parables; A Commentary on the Parables of Jesus. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1971.