A Community Built on the Rock
For Meditation (Corey Widmer)
This week we come to the very end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. After laying out his vision of life in his upside-down Kingdom—a life marked by humility, mercy, purity, generosity, peacemaking, enemy-love, trust in God, and so much more—Jesus closes his sermon with a final image: two builders, two houses, two foundations.
The striking thing is that both builders hear Jesus’ words. The difference is that only one puts them into practice. One builds on sand, the other on rock. One house collapses under the storm, the other stands firm. It’s not a matter of information, but application. Jesus isn’t just offering lofty ideas—he’s giving us a blueprint for a resilient life, one that can endure the storms of this world.
Jesus’ final words are sobering. They challenge us to examine not just what we believe, but how we live. Are we merely admirers of Jesus’ teaching, or are we apprenticing ourselves to him in actual, daily obedience? This is the difference between wisdom and foolishness, between collapse and flourishing.
Jesus ends with this choice—not to frighten us, but to invite us. The life he describes is hard, but it is beautiful and good. And the foundation he offers is solid. May we be those who not only hear his words, but put them into practice. As you prepare for worship, consider the following:
Why do you think Jesus ends his sermon this way, with a parable about building and foundations? What might that tell us about the purpose of the Sermon on the Mount?
In your own life, what does it mean to “put Jesus’ words into practice?” Where are you tempted to only admire Jesus’ teaching instead of obeying it?
Jesus doesn’t say *if* the storms come, but *when*. What kinds of “storms” have revealed the strength—or weakness—of your spiritual foundation?
As we conclude this series, what is one teaching of Jesus that you want to ask the Spirit to help you practice more intentionally in your life; what might be a first step; and how might participating in a parish group help to you?
Matthew 7:25–29
“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. 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.