Parable · Matthew 7:24-27
The Wise and Foolish Builders
Two houses, one on rock and one on sand. The same storm hits both.
Also called The House on the Rock, The Two Foundations
The point
The storm is not the variable. Both houses get the same weather.
24Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.
26But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”
Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Read the whole chapter
Told again in another gospel
The same parable, recorded differently. The differences are worth reading, not smoothing over.
Luke 6:47-49Read the chapter
47I will show you what he is like who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them:
48He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid his foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the torrent crashed against that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.
49But the one who hears My words and does not act on them is like a man who built his house on ground without a foundation. The torrent crashed against that house, and immediately it fell—and great was its destruction!”
Using this at church
Read in church on
- Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany Year CGospel, Luke 6:39-49
- Ninth Sunday after the Epiphany Year AGospel, Matthew 7:21-29
- Lectionary 8 Year CGospel, Luke 6:39-49
- Lectionary 9 Year AGospel, Matthew 7:21-29
For a newsletter or sermon notes
The parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders, explained in plain words. One house on rock, one on sand. The same storm hits both. https://freescripture.org/parables/wise-and-foolish-builders/
Lines for the next eight Sundays, on Digital Lutheran Church
More on counting the cost
Counting the Cost A man builds a tower without pricing it out. A king marches to war outnumbered.The Barren Fig Tree An owner wants to cut down a tree that has not fruited in three years. The gardener asks for one more year.New Wine in Old Wineskins You do not patch old cloth with new, or pour new wine into brittle old skins.The Unworthy Servants A servant who has done his work does not expect to be thanked for doing his work.