Thoughts and Summary: The Parable of the Two Builders (Luke 6:46-49)

Thoughts and Summary:  The Parable of the Two Builders (Luke 6:46-49)

By definition, one cannot call Jesus “Lord” without also obeying him. Acknowledging his authority therefore means ordering life according to his aims and commitments- John Carroll

I can think of no story of Jesus that has been more robbed by clichéd, christianese and Sunday-school interpretations than ‘The Parable of the Two Builders’. You probably already know the story. One builds his house on sand, the other on rock, a storm comes along and the house made on sand falls and is ruined. It’s the Christian version of the three little pigs. But a lot is lost on this text (especially to adults) because of the simplistic and basic teaching of “Jesus is the rock on which we should build.” It’s not a bad interpretation; it’s not extremely thorough or nuanced either. Hopefully some of the following insights will bring it home a bit more. I should say, I am looking at Luke’s version that doesn’t talk of 'sand vs rock' but instead 'foundation vs no foundation', but the same principles apply, as will become clear.

It’s not long so it’s worth a read through.

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you? ⁴⁷ I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. ⁴⁸ That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house.”

Literary context

We should notice where this passage takes place. In Matthews Gospel it takes place just after the ‘Sermon on the Mount’. And in the passage I am looking at, right after the ‘Sermon on the Plain.’ So what has Jesus just taught, that he is so eager to have his followers practice?

Things like:

Love your enemies

Do not judge, Forgive

Be humble, not self righteous

Serve God not money

Do to others as you would have done to you

So Jesus teaches these things and pretty much says “don’t just hear, but practice these things I have taught.” These are the teachings Jesus has in mind.

Rock Bottom

In the Middle East, it is common practice to dig down till you hit bedrock to build the foundations of your house on. This way, when a flood or storm inevitably comes your house will remain stable. Alternatively, you could not dig down and instead build upon the ground (soil/sand). Why would you not dig down? Because in Israel they only build in the summer (it’s hot). Also without modern building tools and vehicles, building takes a long time. So really the decision is between a long hard summer working on a stable house on a sure foundation of rock or a less hard summer with the opposite outcome. The second man doesn’t do the job out of both laziness (he doesn’t want to dig through the deep soil to the rock) and apathy (he knows the risks in his actions, but chooses to ignore them).

Anyway, winter comes, river breaks, house fails, contestant #2 loses. Jesus uses this parable to call for a response to his words. It’s not enough to just hear Jesus’ words, but they also need to be practiced. The Second man in the parable was presented by Jesus as someone who heard but didn’t practice. The consequences were disastrous. The one who has taken the time to build his house on a foundation is the one who has listened to Jesus’ teachings and follows the path of wisdom, while the other hears but ignores thus follows the path of folly (proverbial wisdom). One life brings fruit, the other destruction.

This parable is about me (and probably you).

The man who built his house on rock is presented as the one who responded to Jesus and acted in accordance with his teachings. It would be easy to say “well, obviously the one who is hearing and not doing is not a Christian.” But not so. At the start of the parable, Jesus comments “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I tell you?” This parable is aimed at people who have heard Jesus’ message, may have even responded to it -exclaiming “Lord, Lord” yet don’t practice the things Jesus commands. Joel Green notes on this that “In this instance, ‘Lord’ is a term of great respect; those who use it would thus be designating Jesus as their patron, the one to whom they owe allegiance.” Well maybe then this is aimed at the Pharisees? Probably not though. At this stage, as Joel Green notes, Lk 6:1-11 makes it highly unlikely that the Pharisees would be addressing Jesus as Lord.

 I can’t help but feel as though this is aimed at none other than me. Another, hypocritical, judgemental, dogmatic Christian who says “yes!” but in my actions I say “Sort of/no!” The ECB notes “Jesus’ emphasis on hearing and also acting on his teaching reinforces the observation that this ethic is not passive: one must do it.”

Additional Points

·         The storm hits both houses. Christians do not have divine protection from trails in life, rather are called to trust in something bigger- a stronger foundation, and to persevere.

·         Following on this what is the storm even meant to represent? Trails in life or perhaps judgement (eschatological)?