Living in a
Beach House: An Interpretive Essay on Jesus’ Parable of the
Builders
Lindsay A. Braman
April 30, 2002
New Testament
24Therefore
everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice
is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came
down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the
rock. 26But
everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into
practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The
rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat
against that house, and it fell with a great crash
Matthew 7:24-27
46"Why
do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47I
will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words
and puts them into practice. 48He
is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the
foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that
house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49But
the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is
like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation.
The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its
destruction was complete."
Luke 6:46-49
The
Parable of the Builders can be found, in slightly different accounts,
in both Matthew and Luke. Though the Parable of the Builders is not a
parable in the story form that we typically associate biblical
parables with, Stein states that this story is a parable in
similitude form that “must be included in any list of
parables.” (4)
The
differences between Matthew’s version of the parable and Luke’s
version are minor and can be explained by examining each author’s
motivation and emphasis in their gospel. According to William Barclay
in his book And Jesus Said, “The difference comes from
the fact that the gospel according to Matthew was written by a Jew
who knew… the conditions of life in Palestine; [where Jesus
was teaching] while the gospel according to Luke was written by a
Greek who put the story in more universal terms that would be
understood in any land.” (217) This explanation accounts for
the emphasis placed on wisdom and foolishness by Matthew (both of
which are key teachings in the Torah) while Luke speaks in more
general terms.
Matthew
places this parable at the end of an extended series of Jesus’
teachings commonly referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. In this
sermon, extending through three chapters, Jesus teaches on adultery,
divorce, taking oaths, loving our enemies, prayer, charity, fasting,
heavenly rewards, anxiety and judging others. As the interpretation
of this parable will show, the purpose of the placement of this
parable at the end of these teachings is to educate Jesus’
listeners (or gospel readers) on why they should hear and put
his words into practice, not just hear them and forget.
Stein,
in his book A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible,
elaborates on the idea that understanding the historical and cultural
surroundings is insufficient to understand a parable unless one
examines the structural elements as well. The structural elements
that he suggests (that are applicable to the parable of the builders)
include an examination of the main characters, the end stress,
repetition, and key words and phrases. According to Stein, when we
study the parables, one of our fist objectives should be to analyze
the parable according to the first Sitz im Leben (Jesus’
surroundings and context) and the historical context of the first
century Jew.
Let
us analyze the historical context and structural elements of this
parable verse by verse:
Luke.
6:48 He is like a man building a
house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock.
Ma
7:24 Therefore everyone who hears
these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man
who built his house on the rock.
In
Luke 6:48, Jesus speaks of a builder who digs down to rock, and
places his foundation upon it. A “foundation on rock” had
much historical and spiritual meaning to first century Jews. The
temple of Jerusalem stood securely on a rock base. (Hultgren) and
Rock is also a metaphor for a solid, stable foundation. (Hultgren)
Frequently God is pictured as the rock on whom one can be secure.1
Isaiah 28:16 is a key scripture in understanding the significance of
this parable; it reads "Look! I am placing a foundation stone in
Jerusalem. It is firm, a tested and precious cornerstone that is safe
to build on. Whoever believes need never run away again.” This
Old Testament allusion to Jesus identifies him as one who is safe to
build on. It should then be no wonder to us that the Word in flesh
uses a parable to identify himself as a solid foundation. “The
Hebrew Bible often employed the rock image for the security Israel
had in God if they obeyed him (for example, Deut 32:4, 18, 31; Ps
18:2, 31, 46; 19:14), including in a time of flood and disaster (Is
28:14-19). (IVP commentary) According to Barclay, a wise first
century builder would “look for a rock, which would stand above
the flood…. [For] the storms were powerless to move what was
founded on the rock.”
Luke. 6:48 When
a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it
Mat. 7:25 The
rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against
that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the
rock.
Luke
portrays the house being struck by a torrent, or rushing flood. In
Matthew, the storm is not merely a flood, but heavy rain, flash
floods, and extreme winds.
“These
are the calamities that can befall inhabitant of Palestine during the
rainy season (October to April, but especially from November to
February when 70 percent of the rain falls annually). When rain falls
in significant amounts, it comes down from the mountains and hills of
upper regions (where portions of some 40 inches and fall at various
times during the rainy season)… Winds off the Mediterranean
Sea can be fierce and do extensive damage (Job 1:19) even in modern
times” (Hultgren)
In
Matthew’s account the house stands because it is built on rock.
In Luke’s account, the house not only stands, but isn’t
even shaken…. That person [the wise builder] is well prepared
for the “rush of mighty waters” in a “time of
distress” (Psalm 32:6) because their house is solid
Luke
6:49 But the one who hears my words
and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house
on the ground without a foundation.
Mat
7:26 But everyone who hears these
words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish
man who built his house on sand.
In
Matthew, the image of the house without a foundation is represented
as a house built upon sand. “Building a house upon sand is
possible in many places, particularly along the coastal plain of
Palestine where sand and sand dunces extend inland for several miles
at places” (Hultgren) Barclay, in examining the historical
content, stated that “in the summertime, a foolish builder
might fight a pleasantly sheltered hollow, where the ground was
smooth and level and, without thinking, might proceed to build there”
but when the rains came and washed his house away he would discover
he had built his house in a gully.
Luke 6:49 The
moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its
destruction was complete.
Mat 7:27 The
rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against
that house, and it fell with a great crash
The
Greek word for house used by both Matthew and Luke in this parable is
oikia, which, in its definition, not only includes the actual
building, but the family and property within the house. (Thayer)
Depending on Jesus’ original intention, this could imply that
Jesus was not only talking about strong buildings, but also his words
extended to families and material belongings being first, founded in
Christ. These verses are the culmination of the parable and examining
the end stress reveals much. Jesus has identified himself and his
teachings as a strong foundation, but in the last verses of these
parables, he makes the extraordinary claim that any foundation other
than his words is foolish and will be destroyed. “In effect, He
is saying that obedience to His teaching is the only safe foundation
for life.” (Barclay)
Jesus
states clearly what the moral of the parable is in the beginning, but
leaves the listener, or reader, to examine themselves how this story
“is like one who puts his words to practice.” If the
story is used by Jesus to illustrate a point, it is reasonable to
wonder, without allegorizing, what is represented by certain elements
of the story. The main elements of this parable are the builders, the
houses, and the storms. Jesus’ own explanation makes it clear
that the wise builder is one who hears his words and puts them to
practice and the foolish builder is one who hears his words and does
not put them into practice in their life. Jesus defines the builders
and, consequently, the houses, but leaves us to wonder about the
storms.
Each
of the commentaries consulted for this paper drew conclusions from
the mention of storms, floods, and torrents and what they might mean.
Some considered the storms as clearly referring to the Day of
Judgment2
others considered the reference more applicable to daily life.3
The Intervarsity Press Commentary drew interesting evidence from
scripture for both interpretations, “The imagery of storms is
often used metaphorically to indicate testing in Jewish traditions
(Ps 6:10-12; 107:28-29), and in the new testament for the testing and
ordeals of the last days (Rev 8:5; 11:19; 16:18)” (Hultgren) In
either case, it is clear “He is saying: “It is a question
of my way, which is God’s way – or disaster. [Jesus]
stands before men and tells them that he has laid down principles of
action which they will neglect at their peril.” (Hunter 86)
This parable might be one of the most applicable to our
lives on earth- for this parable is a clear illustration of how we
are to live on earth. Shall we “build beach houses” and
ignore Jesus’ teachings in favor of worldly pleasures and
comfort or shall we have strong foundations in hearing and living the
gospel of Christ in humble submission and dedication to imitating
Him. “If we decide to make the wise choice – to build on
the house of your life on rock and not of sand – Christ gives
you no guarantee that the floods and storms will abate.”
(Hunter 87) “According to Jesus’ own explanation (v 24),
building a house on the rock involved not just hearing his words but
also doing them” (Wierzbicka 221)
The placement of a parable with such a strong,
exclusivist claim at the end of the Sermon on the Mount makes
powerfully clear the consequences of hearing these teachings and
ignoring them. This parable “is about hearing and doing [Jesus’
teaching]….Jesus the builder (for that’s what tekton
meant, rather than specifically “carpenter”) tells people
how to build the house of their life.” (Wierzbicka 221)
Works Cited
Barclay, William. And Jesus Said: a handbook on the
parables of Jesus. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. 1970.
Bloomberg, Craig. Interpreting the Parables.
Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1990.
Hultgren, Arland. The Parables of Jesus: A
Commentary. Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
2000
Hunter, Archibald. The Parables Then and Now.
Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971.
Osborne, Ed, Grant, D. Stuart Briscoe, and Haddon
Robinson “Obeying Jesus' Words (7:24-27)” The
InterVarsity Press New Testament Commentary Series.
http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/webcommentary?language=english&version=
niv-ibs&book=matt&chapter=7
Stein, Robert H. A Basic Guide to Interpreting the
Bible:Playing by the Rules. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994.
Stein, Robert. An Introduction to the Parables of
Jesus. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. 1981
Thayer and Smith. "Greek Lexicon entry for Oikia".
"The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon".
<http://www.biblestudytools.net/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi
?number=3614&version=kjv>.
Wierzbicka, Anna. What Did Jesus Mean? Oxford:
Oxford University Press. 2001
.
1
The Lord is my rock and my
fortress and my deliverer - Psalm 18:2
For you are
my rock and my fortress - Psalm 31:3
But the Lord
has been my defense, and my God the rock of my refuge. - Psalm 94:22
2
“The storm… surely represents especially the final
test, the day of judgment” (IVP)
3
“The storm is any time of severe testing in the life of man or
nation. In such a crisis the secret of security will be a life built
on the teaching and person of Christ.” (Hunter, 85)
