City Life Starter

Written by Stefan Johnsson

The Word

²⁴ “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

²⁶ “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: ²⁷ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Matthew 7:24-27 (NKJV)

Reflection

The understanding for many in Israel was different than what we may read today. Most of the Israelites who lived in the desert would pitch their tents on the sand, but as we know, no rain comes in the desert. So what kind of sand is Jesus talking about? Should no tents be pitched on sand at all? If you lived in the Middle East, there may be no other area to pitch your tent or build a house than on sand. Understanding the terrain helps give us the answer we need.

When I was in Israel we had a Bible study over this exact parable, I learned what a “wadi” is or in a more common English term, it would be similarly to a flash flood. As rain gathers in the mountains during the rainy season in the far distance, the water pools together and rushes down the side of the mountain. It creates these valleys in the desert where water will flow and fill a dry river bed in seconds. They say that once you hear the water coming, it is already too late to get out of the way. It is considered one of the most common reasons for death within the desert as foreigners are not aware of or look for where a wadi would flow. You can say that if you built your house where a wadi would come, it could be quite foolish indeed and the listeners to what Jesus said would picture this exact scenario.

https://youtu.be/oWHvi_tW-rg?t=174

Application

Learning what foundation to to build your house on is one of the most important steps you can take in your life. If your house is not built on the foundation of Christ, it is bound to falter and fall at some point. Only through Jesus can we find stability in all the tough times that come our way. Even if we have to rebuild our house again, it will be stronger than before because the foundation would remain if it is rooted in Jesus Christ.

So what kind of foundation are you building your house on?

Prayer

Father, thank you for making Jesus are strong foundation that we can rely on when things go wrong and we are surrounded by trials and tribulations. Help me to rely on You and to put my trust in the Truth that is Your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.