The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders
Mt. 7:24-29
Quiz: When I was at school, we had a master called Mr. Pilgrim and he used to ask “Mars Bar” questions. If you got the answer right – you got a Mars Bar
So I have a “Mars Bar” question:
Can you guess what this building is?
1. It has something to do with the Parable of the House on the Rock
2. It was built between 1173 and 1350
3. It is about two meters above sea level
4. It is a bell tower of a Cathedral
5. It has poor foundations
6. A famous scientist dropped two balls of the same weight from it and found that they reached the bottom at the same time.
7. That scientist was Galileo
8. It is somewhere in Italy
9. In 1997, it had a lean of 5.2 meters from the vertical
Answer: The Leaning Tower of Pisa
Question: Why does the Tower lean?
Answer: Because it has poor foundations
Overhead Projector:
Jesus told a story about two houses.
Slide 1: The men built the houses the same.
Slide 2: They finished them at the same time and sat down to have a drink.
Slide 3: trouble was on the horizon, a storm was brewing
Slide 4: Which man felt safer in his house
Slide 5: What was the outcome of the storm?
Story: When I was younger, I used to go to the beach and build sandcastles, but if I went back the next day – they were always gone.
Why because sand is a bad foundation for a castle.
The difference between sand and rock is basically that the rock particles are bonded were tightly together and the sand particles are compacted loosely together.
So sand, although it might look good – is not a good foundation.
Question: So in Jesus’ story, what do you think the house symbolises?
Answer: Our lives
Story: When I was in Switzerland, Maddy and I ran a refugee church. We used to have simultaneous translations of my sermons into German, French Portuguese, Tamil, Indian, and Kurdish just to name some of the languages.
And one Sunday, I spoke of the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders.
And before I had said one word, I put my first slide up showing the houses being built – and one of the Indian refugees turned to the translator and said: He’s going to speak about my life, isn’t he?
Question: With which builder did Jesus compare a person who listened to Jesus teaching and put it into effect
Answer: The wise man who built his house of the rock
Question: With which builder did Jesus compare a person who listened to Jesus’ teaching but didn’t put it into effect
Answer: The foolish man who built his house on the sand
Question: There will be storms in life - times when things go wrong. Which type of person did Jesus say will survive?
Answer: Those who follow what he teaches
Jesus told this story at the end of a series of talks which we call the Sermon on the Mount that you can find in Matt. 5-7
I have asked some people to read some of the more famous sayings of Jesus from these chapters
i. Mt. 5:3-12
Jesus said:
3. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted
5 Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth
6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for thee shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
11 Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely, on account of me
12 Rejoice and be glad , for your reward in heaven is great
The world has very few peacemakers.
Story: One man I greatly respected was President Anwar al-Sadat of Egypt. On 20th November 1977, he went to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, and spoke there. And that speech was very influential in bringing about the peace in 1979 between Israel and Egypt.
Sadat was assassinated on 6th October 1981 by some Egyptian extremists for his efforts in making peace with Israel.
Let me read you some of that speech:
President Anwar Sadat’s Address to the Israeli Knesset November 20, 1977
In the name of God, Mr. Speaker of the Knesset, ladies and gentlemen, allow me first to thank deeply the Speaker of the Knesset for affording me this opportunity to address you....
I come to you today on solid ground to shape a new life and to establish peace. We all love this land, the land of God, we all, Moslems, Christians and Jews, all worship God....
I do not blame all those who received my decision (negatively) when I announced it to the entire world before the Egyptian People’s Assembly. I do not blame all those who received my decision with surprise and even with amazement, some gripped even by violent surprise. Still others interpreted it as political, to camouflage my intentions of launching a new war.
I would go so far as to tell you that one of my aides at the presidential office contacted me at a late hour following my return home from the People’s Assembly and sounded worried as he asked me: "Mr. President, what would be our reaction if Israel actually extended an invitation to you?"
I replied calmly: "I would accept it immediately. I have declared that I would go to the end of the earth. I would go to Israel, for I want to put before the people of Israel all the facts...."
No one could have ever conceived that the president of the biggest Arab state, which bears the heaviest burden and the main responsibility pertaining to the cause of war and peace in the Middle East, should declare his readiness to go to the land of the adversary while we were still in a state of war.
We all still bear the consequences of four fierce wars waged within 30 years. All this at the time when the families of the 1973 October war are still mourning under the cruel pain of bereavement of father, son, husband and brother.
Sadat then put his peace initiative forward and then concluded:
I have chosen to come to you with an open heart and an open mind. I have chosen to give this great impetus to all international efforts exerted for peace. I have chosen to present to you, in your own home, the realities, devoid of any scheme or whim. Not to manoeuvre, or win a round, but for us to win together, the most dangerous of rounds embattled in modern history, the battle of permanent peace based on justice.
I had tears in my eyes that day when I heard him speak when the speech was broadcast – a man seeking peace with his enemies. And it cost him his life
Jesus said: Blessed are the peacemakers.
ii. Mt 6:9-14
Jesus said: Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name
Your Kingdom come
Your will be done, on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
And forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who have sinned against us
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours
Now and for ever. Amen
Story: The lack of forgiveness is one of the greatest curses in life.
Many years ago, at the end of the Second World War one of my Austrian uncles, my grandmother – so it is alleged- into giving him the family farm, instead of his older brother. That elder brother and his wife never forgave him.
And today, almost 60 years later, even though that Uncle is dead, the feud goes on. His daughter – my cousin is at war with the daughters of the uncle who inherited the farmhouse
Such is the fruit of unforgiveness
iii) Mt. 7:1-2
“Judge not lest you be judged
For in the way you judge, you will be judged and by your standard of measure it will be measured to you”
Are you fair to others when you criticise them Do you really tell he truth when you talk about them.
Jesus’ words are hard – but if we follow them we will have a better world to live in.
Conclusion:
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish builders is all about how we intend to lead our lives. Do we want to follow Jesus’ teaching or will we simply follow the crowd and our own selfish ways?
