Sermon on the Mount – The Two Foundations

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Christianity, Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Matthew, Jesus, Luke, Matthew, Parable of the two builders, religion, Sermon, Sermon on the mount, spirituality, synoptic gospels, The Two Foundations, tvaraj

Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time. The reading is from Gospel of Matthew 7:24-29.

The Two Foundations – Matthew 7:24-29

[Jesus said to his disciples:]

“Everyone who listens to 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 buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.

And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.

The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

This is the conclusion of the “Sermon on the Mount” by Matthew. A passage similar to the above passage from Matthew appears in Luke also.

The Two Foundations – Luke 6:46-49

[Jesus said to his disciples:]

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?

I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them.

That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built.

But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.

Here the relation is not between saying and doing as in Matthew 7:15–23 but between hearing and doing, and the words of Jesus are applied to everyone who listens.

The following two verses

The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. (Matthew 7:25–26)

have a similarity to

When the tempest passes, the wicked are no more; but the just are established forever. (Proverbs 10:25)

” When Jesus finished these words” or a similar formula is used by Matthew to conclude each of the five great discourses of Jesus.

When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, (Matthew 7:28)

When Jesus finished giving these commands to his twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns. (Matthew 11:1)