The Two Builders

Too long, please open your Bible Matthew 7: 24-27

Too long, please open your Bible Luke 6: 47-49

Sermon on the Mount or Plain?

In both Matthew and Luke, this parable is placed at the end of the sermon on the Mount/Plain.

The teachings often called the Sermon on the Mount appear in the Gospel of Matthew 5-7, while a similar set of teachings, known as the Sermon on the Plain, is found in Luke 6: 17-49. Scholars and theologians debate whether these two sermons are distinct or simply variations of a single event. Here are the main distinctions and theories about the setting:

Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7): Matthew's account takes place on a mountain, emphasizing themes of a "new law" reminiscent of Moses receiving the law on Mount Sinai. This mountain setting has symbolic significance in the Jewish tradition.
Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17–49): Luke, on the other hand, describes Jesus teaching on "a level place," which may signify Jesus meeting people where they are, reflecting his focus on the marginalized.

Possible Explanations

Different Locations, Same Teachings: Jesus may have given similar teachings in different places, adapting his message for various audiences.
Literary Device: Some scholars suggest that Matthew may have chosen the mountain to symbolize Jesus as the new Moses, while Luke’s use of a plain might reflect his emphasis on social equality.

Ultimately, whether these sermons are two separate events or two versions of one event, they both share key teachings of Jesus on themes like love, humility, and justice.

Comparison of both accounts

Matthew tells the story emphasizing the location of the building and the condition of the weather, while Luke emphasizes the building process and the depth of both builders’ digging.

Judgement

All five of Matthew’s discourses end with a focus on judgement, and he tells a parable each time except once (check ends of Matthew 7, 10, 13, 18 & 25; no parable at the end of ch 10).

We also know from the Old Testament, that floods, storms, e.t.c are often used as metaphors for danger, and God’s judgement.

Too long, please open your Bible Psalm 69: 1-4

Too long, please open your Bible Psalm 89: 8-10

Too long, please open your Bible Isaiah 8: 7-8

Considering the above alongside Matthew’s expression “will be like…”, many theologians agree that Jesus was referring to the final judgement, and not a strength of faith when life gets difficult.

Wise vs Foolish

The way to get meaning of this parable is to look at the contrast between both characters. The Old Testament provides precedence for the distinction we have in this parable. We find a lot contrasts between the wise & foolish, or righteous & unrighteous especially in the Psalms and Proverbs.

Righteousness guards people of integrity, but wickedness undermines the sinner. Proverbs 13:6

A fool despises his father’s discipline, but a person who accepts correction is sensible. Proverbs 15:5

Too long, please open your Bible Psalm 1

In the broader sermon as well, we find contrasts between the right & wrong way to pray, give and fast, the right way to approach wealth, e.t.c. This antithetical method of deriving meaning is also what we find in the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

The point of the parable is that security depends on hearing and doing Jesus’ teachings.Hearing alone does not cut it. The one who hears Jesus’ teachings and does them is as wise as someone who builds on a rock, while the one who hears and does not do is as foolish as one who builds on sand without proper foundation.

Hearing & Doing

In the Old Testament, the word “hear” in Hebrew is shema, and it is usually translated as “obey”. This is because there is no separate word in the Hebrew to speak of obedience. To hear is to respond to an instruction, and not doing what we hear is as good as not hearing at all.

‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine Exodus 19:5

Faith & Works

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2: 8-9

Too long, please open your Bible James 2: 14-25

Many have rejected the eschatological implication of this parable because of a gross misunderstanding of the message of the Gospel. They believe that anything that requires effort is “works” and therefore cancels out the message of the free gift of salvation. Some even go ahead to claim that James and Paul contradicted each other.

But we must understand that while the gift of salvation is truly given by grace, it ought to produce certain fruits as the evidence of reception of that grace. Jesus and the Apostles also consistently place emphasis on the importance of “doing”, because true faith in Christ isn’t just limited to an affirmation of the truth.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Matthew 7:21

If you love me, you will keep my commands. John 14:15

My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples. John 15:8

Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say? Luke 6:46

Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:27

This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commands. The one who says, 'I have come to know him,' and yet doesn’t keep his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 1 John 2: 3-4

Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. Philippians 2: 12-13

Rock & Sand