Two Houses Tested

 
Are you familiar with the contents of the Sermon on the Mount? You can find this famous discourse in the 
Gospels of Matthew and Luke. (Matthew 5:1–7:29; Luke 6:20-49) It takes just 20 minutes to read the entire sermon. Still, it is packed with more than 20 quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures and more than 50 figures of speech. One figure of speech—involving the building of two houses—stands out because Jesus used it as the conclusion of his discourse. If you understand the significance of that concluding illustration, you will be helped to see how you can continue to stand firm as a follower of Christ no matter what tests of faith you may encounter.
 
Jesus said: “Everyone that hears these sayings of mine and does them will be likened to a discreet man, who built his house upon the rock-mass. And the rain poured down and the floods came and the winds blew and lashed against that house, but it did not cave in, for it had been founded upon the rock-mass. Furthermore, everyone hearing these sayings of mine and not doing them will be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain poured down and the floods came and the winds blew and struck against that house and it caved in, and its collapse was great.”—Matthew 7:24-27.
 

A Man “Who Dug and Went Down Deep”

What important truth did Jesus convey to his disciples with this illustration about the two builders? To find out, take a closer look at Jesus’ words. What do you note about the two houses? Both were exposed to the same calamitous events. The houses may have looked similar. They may also have stood in the same general location—even side by side. Still, one was built on sand, the other on rock. How could that be? Because, as noted in the Gospel of Luke, the discreet man “dug and went down deep” in order to reach a layer of rock. (Luke 6:48) As a result, the house of the discreet man stood firm.
 
What was the point that Jesus wanted to highlight? Jesus told the illustration in order to highlight, not the appearance or the location of the houses nor the power of the elements, but the actions of the builders. One man dug down deep, whereas the other did not. How can you be like the discreet man and dig down deep? 

Jesus himself summarized the point of the illustration by stating: “Why, then, do you call me ‘Lord! Lord!’ but do not do the things I say? Everyone that comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man . . . who dug and went down deep and laid a foundation upon the rock-mass.”—Luke 6:46-48.
 
Indeed, merely listening to Bible teachings or reading the Bible at home is like putting a house on top of sand—no digging required. But to do, or apply, Christ’s teachings is challenging. It involves digging down deep to reach solid rock.
 
Hence, whether you stand firm as a follower of Christ or not depends on whether you apply what you hear or not. When you apply in your daily life what you learn through Bible study, you are like the discreet man who dug down deep. Therefore, each Bible student should pause and ask himself: ‘Am I a hearer, or am I a doer? Do I merely read and study the Bible, or do I follow the Bible’s commands when making decisions?’