Matthew 7:24

Wednesday, 19 February 2025

 

“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: Matthew 7:24

 

“Therefore, everyone – whoever he hears these, My words, and he does them, I will liken him to a wise man who, he built his house upon the rock” (CG).

 

In the previous verse, Jesus told those who claimed to do things in His name but who do not do His Father’s will that He never knew them and to depart from Him. He now makes a general conclusion concerning the things He has been saying, beginning with, “Therefore, everyone – whoever he hears these, My words.”

 

Jesus is summing up the entirety of the Sermon on the Mount which began in Matthew 5:1. There, it specifically said that when He was seated, His disciples came to Him. From there it said, “Then He opened His mouth and taught them.”

 

Despite this being an address specifically to them, the coming verses will show that it was a larger crowd gathered there who listened. These were all people of Israel, living under the Law of Moses, and who anticipated the coming of Messiah.

 

It is clear from His discourse that He is speaking with the authority of the Father, whether they each realize it or not. Regardless of whether all did or not, He has set forth precepts that have shown the higher standard expected of the law. If the people accepted His words, they would see that more was required than mere rote observance.

 

God is looking at the heart and intent behind what people do. All of this instruction, then, is pointing beyond the law to faith in Him. Jesus is giving them the final tutoring under the law in His ministry. When He is complete, and His work is finished, He will offer a new direction based on His tutoring. It is a foundation that is based on Him and His words.

 

That continues to be seen with His next words, “and he does them.” Jesus has said a lot in these three chapters. However, the key point in what He has said is to be found in verse 5:17 –

 

“You, deem not that I came to disintegrate the law or the prophets. Not, I came to disintegrate but to fulfill” (CG).

 

Jesus didn’t come to ignore the law. Nor did He come to tell people they didn’t need to do the things of the law. Remember that He is talking to Israel under the law. They were bound to it. If He told them they didn’t have to do the things of the law, He would be violating the words of the Lord in the law.

 

However, He came to both do them and fulfill them. In doing so, He could then introduce a New Covenant with a new direction for the people. Hence, doing His words, as He just said, is inclusive of what He will say throughout His ministry. It is not limited to the words of these three chapters. That was seen in verse 7:21 –

 

“Not all, the ‘saying to Me, “Lord, Lord,”’ he will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of My Father the ‘in heavens’” (CG).

 

One cannot tear the Sermon in the Mount out of the rest of the book and say, “You must do these things, and you will stand approved.” As was seen in the commentary on verse 7:21, doing the will of the Father is equated to doing the works of God. And those works, according to John 6:29, are to believe in the Son whom the Father has sent.

 

For those who do such, Jesus continues with, “I will liken him to a sagacious man who, he built his house upon the rock.”

 

Jesus introduces a few new words. The first in phronimos, sagacious. In Greek, the word sophos refers to being wise, learned, skilled, etc. It focuses on practical skills or acumen. The word phronimos a cautious character. He has keen mental discernment and good judgment.

 

The next new word is oikodomeó, to be a house builder. Thus, it is to construct or figuratively to confirm something. The word ultimately comes from oikos, house, and demō, to build a house.

 

Finally, the word petra, stone, or rock, is used. It is the basis for the name Peter. But this doesn’t mean Peter is the first pope and that Catholicism is the basis and approved structure of the Christian faith. That will be explained in Matthew 16. A leap like that is unfounded and should be demolished (house destroyed) immediately.

 

Jesus is saying that His words are the rock upon which one’s house, his structure of life and faith, should be built. In doing so, there will be a firm foundation. Paul uses the metaphorical use of the word house when referring to our bodies in 2 Corinthians –

 

“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 2 Corinthians 5:1

 

As for the rock, Jesus is making a claim that His words are authoritative and have the approval of God. The rock metaphor is found throughout the Old Testament. An example directly from Moses explains the meaning –

 

“For I proclaim the name of the Lord:
Ascribe greatness to our God.
4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.” Deuteronomy 32:3, 4

 

Life application: What will be our foundation in our spiritual walk? Will it be a particular church? It is incredible to see how sheeple will follow Roman Catholicism, even right over a ledge of wickedness and perversion to their destruction.

 

Others build their house on their own deeds, trying to earn their place in heaven through law observance, taking Jesus’ words out of their overall context, and claiming that is the way to be pleasing to God.

 

But Jesus is incrementally instructing His people in their need for Him. There is a logical progression of thought being presented from the first pages of the Bible. Each step is part of a much larger body of history that has been recorded to show us what God is doing as He directs our attention to Jesus.

 

Stopping at any particular step or ignoring the focus of God’s calling of our attention to Jesus will result in a faulty understanding of what we are being shown. The point of Jesus’ coming is not to establish something beyond Himself, like a church filled with sexually deviant priests. Nor is it to show us how we must repeat what Jesus has already done by observing the Law of Moses.

 

Rather, we are to direct our attention to Jesus. Hebrews 12:2 sums it up, “Eyeballing unto the ‘the faith Pioneer and Perfecter,’ Jesus” (CG). Nothing else will do. All else will lead to a sad end.

 

Heavenly Father, may we rightly consider Your plan of redemption, understanding that Jesus is the focus of it and that in honoring Jesus, we are honoring You. Help us to never forget this fundamental point in our lives. Amen.