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THE PARABLES OF JESUS, #005
A chronological Study

Jesus Said:
"The Wise and Foolish Builders"
Luke 6:46-49

"To Him who opened His mouth in parables and
uttered things hidden since the creations of the world."
Psalm 78:2

The parables are the direct words of Jesus! Now, open your ears, sharpen your understanding, and hear what He has to say!

BACKGROUND:

1. Luke 6:1-5
Pharisees, “Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” – Eating Grain.

Jesus said, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

2. Luke 6:6-11

Pharisees – Thinking to catch Jesus in a trap.

Jesus heals the man with a withered hand and they “themselves were filled with rage and discussed together what they might to to Jesus.

Choosing the Twelve (Recap) – Luke 6:12-19

After spending the night in prayer, Jesus chose the twelve disciples, then healed all manner of people when they just touched Him.

The Beatitudes (Recap) – Luke 6:20-45

The List:

1. Blessed are (you who are) the poor

2. Blessed are (you who are) who hunger

3. Blessed are (you who are) those who weep

4. Blessed are you when (you) are hated, ostracized, insulted, scorned – For the sake of The Son of Man

(You, then) Be Glad and (You, then) Leap for Joy.

For: (#4 above) in the same way their fathers used to treat the Prophets.

Woe (parallel opposites):

1. To the rich; (already receiving comfort)

2. To the well fed; (will be hungry)

3. To those who laugh; (will mourn and weep)

4. To you when all men speak well of you – for their fathers treated the false prophets in the same way.

BUT – I say to you who hear…

(You) Love your enemies

(You) Do good to those who hate you

(You) Bless those who curse you

(You) Pray for those who mistreat you

(You) When someone hits you, offer the other side

(You) Give to those who ask

(You) Do not demand back what someone takes

(You) Love your enemies (Again!)

(You) Do Good

(You) Lend and expect nothing in return

(You) Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful

AND

Your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the most high, for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

And He Also Spoke A Parable To Them:
The Blind leading the Blind;
The Speck in your brother’s Eye.

Recap: (simple logic)

A Blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he?”

A Speck in your brother’s eye, a log in your own (makes you blind). Clear the log in your own eye before helping your brother with a speck in his eye. (Make sure you can see, before leading another who cannot see).

For (simple logic) The Tree and The Man:

“There is no good tree which produces bad fruit.”
“There is no bad tree which produces good fruit.”
“The good man produces good out of the treasures of his heart.”

For (simple logic) The Tree and The Man:

“Each tree is known by its own fruit.”
Good = Good

Evil = Evil

“His (good or evil) mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”

PARABLE #005
The Wise and the Foolish Builder
Luke 6:46-49

[NASB]
Jesus Said:
46 “Now why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

The Man who comes to Jesus and hears:
47 Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like:

48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when there was a flood, the river burst against that house and yet it could not shake it, because it had been well built.

The Man who heard and has not acted accordingly:
49 But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly

He is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; and the river burst against it and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Therefore:
Right from the start we need to understand that this parable is not about two houses and while Jesus characterizes this story with two builders, it's really not about them either. They are just symbols used in this little parable to get across a very important point. That point is, just who are you, and how do you respond when you hear what Jesus has to say? It is not about those who can't, or won't hear what Jesus has to say. It is a very pointed parable, so I say again, the point is, just who are YOU, and how do you respond, when YOU HEAR what Jesus has to say?

This parable is about those who hear what Jesus has to say. When you hear Him saying, "That's not something YOU should be doing, stop it," then what is your response to Him? Jesus is saying that YOU hear Him and recognize what He is saying, but for whatever reasons you have... you do not do what He has said that you hear and understand. He wants to know, from you, how you can ignore what He says to you and still call Him Lord - even Lord, Lord!

We must be careful when interpreting this parable. Jesus has just chosen His “apostles,” those whom He has specifically “Called” to that strategic position (vss 14-16a). But we must not forget or overlook vs 16b. Jesus calls “Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” Also present that day was a great crowd of followers – some who believed He was the Christ, and many who were just “followers.” And mixed in would have been a few Pharisees who were tracking His every move.

So, Who was Jesus speaking to? Since the recording of the scriptures is for all time then Jesus’s messages were for all who hear Him with whatever hearts they have.

Therefore, there is a message for those who hear and believe and are saved (once, for all time and eternity). There is a message specifically for Judas Iscariot – who did not “listen” to what he heard. And there is a message for those like Judas Iscariot, who hear and never believe or perhaps hear… and refuse to believe. And like the Pharisees, who only heard reasons to have Jesus killed.

Jesus, in this parable, equates the person who calls Him Lord and is obedient to what He commands to "a man" (could be a man, woman or child) who, when he builds a house, digs down deep until he hits bedrock (living faith in Him as God and Savior) and it is there that he builds his foundation. Doing that is hard work. Every little piece required to build that home must be carried up to that location (where the water does seldom reaches). He has to work hard to dig down to that bedrock. This is no little shack on the beach of a lake or along a river. This is a labor of love. This is a foundation that cannot be shaken by the flood when it comes - because of the manner in which it is built. The parable is about you and how and… if… you build your life and your faith so that it cannot be shaken.

Then Jesus tells us the other side of the coin - the person who calls Him Lord who is not obedient to what He commands. When he builds a house, he just sets it upon the sandy beach by the water, or along the shore of the river. Obedience is just too much work. It is too demanding. I've got too many important things to do, feel, have. And when the flood comes, straightway it bursts through," and all that he has is washed away, "and the crash of that house came to be great."

Consider Jesus final words… “All that he has… is washed away” All that you think you have in Christ… is washed away… for you cannot live like He is NOT LORD of your life and expect that you will receive the benefits of faith – if there is no faith – obedience to the King, the Lord God. In the end… the ruin will be great!

We’re not talking about Law or Works! We’re talking about faithfully doing what Jesus tells you to do.

WRAP-UP COMMENTARY on Those who Hear Jesus and do what He commands

An article I read recently listed 49 direct commandments that Jesus spoke in the Gospels. Foster writes: "The very first word of Jesus in His public life, recorded in Matthew 4:17, was the word "repent," which literally means to turn your life around and go in an opposite direction. Change your life!"* The article is a really great article. It points us to the list of the actual commands of Jesus and they don't turn out to be many of the things we have come to believe are the most important things we have to do in order to be faithful to His word.

Here's a sample, and I suggest you visit the link to Foster's article (bottom of lesson) and read the whole thing for yourself.

Matt 4:17 - Follow My example;
Matt 5:11-12 - Be happy if others put you down;
Matt 5:37 - Keep your word;
Matt 5:44-46 - Love your enemies;
Matt 7:1-3 - Don't judge others;
Matt 10:28 - Don't be afraid;
Matt 16:6 - Beware of performance-based religion.

And that's only seven from the Gospel of Matthew – Let alone the 11 from Luke at the beginning of this lesson!

You:

Love your enemies

Do good to those who hate you

Bless those who curse you

Pray for those who mistreat you

When someone hits you, offer the other side

Give to those who ask

Do not demand back what someone takes

Love your enemies (Again!)

Do Good

Lend and expect nothing in return

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful

Foster's article ends up with a "short list":

Reconciliation,
treating people as we would like to be treated,
regard and serve all people - especially the unfortunate,
resting and trusting in the goodness of God.

AND

Your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the most high, for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS WITHOUT ANSWERS

1. What is the Question that Jesus asks in this parable?

2. What does Jesus mean by using the term, 'Lord, Lord'?

3. What is the point of building upon a rock foundation?

4. Who were the two types of people involved in this parable?

5. So, If you are In-Christ... What should you do?

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
1. What is the Question that Jesus asks in this parable?
"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?"

2. What does Jesus mean by using the term, 'Lord, Lord'?
Both the disciples and those who came... believing He was the Messiah. For the vast majority of those who surrounded Him that meant that they understood that as Messiah He was God's "Anointed One," the one promised in the Holy Scriptures to make all things right. Rightly understood it would mean that He had to be God. But, even if they did not understand who He really was, they still looked upon Him as their leader, teacher, and rabbi. He was a person of respect: as a leader - they should follow Him, as a teacher, they should listen to Him and learn, and as a rabbi, they should follow His commands both physically and spiritually.

3. What is the point of building upon a rock foundation?
A rock base upon which to build a foundation is, in fact, one of the most basic principles of all construction. It keeps our buildings, towers, bridges, and even our homes secure against, "the flood." In Jesus time it was also true. Galilee and Judah were areas where there was much sand, and area where the sand had been eroded down to bedrock. Many knew that when heavy rains came... things based upon the sand were often washed away. Thus, it was an obvious illustration to make Jesus' point.

4. Who were the types of people involved in this parable?
The first type of person is the one who hears what Jesus has to say, and does what Jesus says to do, they are obedient to Him as their 'Lord.' The second type of person is the one who hears what Jesus has to say, but does not do what Jesus says to do, they are disobedient to Him, as their 'Lord.' (disobedient believers) Third are those who listen but don’t hear what He has to say (Judas Iscariot). And there are those who hear what Jesus has to say, but absolutely reject what they hear (evil Pharisees, Scribes, and others).

5. So, If you are In-Christ... are you the one who is obedient to the commands of Jesus, your 'Lord'? If you are a normal Christian (Biblically normal), then you will be constantly at war with your "old self" who wants you to be 'Lord' of your own life and not yielding to the commands of Jesus. As you grow in-Christ your obedient side should be winning more of those battles. With each "flood" you should be learning how to move your "foundation" closer to the "rock" who is Jesus Christ. If you're new at this, then Listen to Jesus, Hear what He has to command to you, and make up your mind and heart to do what He commands. Don't be washed away by the floods of sin and disobedience!

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References__________
* Dan Foster, "What Jesus Actually Said," Backyard Church, medium.com 2021

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