Parables

Thursday 1 December 2011 Holy Communion at St Giles

Gospel Matthew 7

Alleluia, alleluia.
Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
All Alleluia.

When the Gospel is announced the reader says

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to N.
All Glory to you, O Lord.

²¹ Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

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.

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.

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.

²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
All Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

Another great story. Children sing “Wise man built his house upon the rock”

Simple. Graphic. Right and wrong. Wise and foolish. Storms, destruction. Clear message.

What is the message? What is true meaning of parable? Not about health & safety.

Jesus gives us a clue. Wise builder is the one who hears these word of mine and puts them into practice. Foolish builder also hears his words, but does not put them into practice.

What words are we talking about? This little parable comes at end of Sermon on Mount. Jesus could be referring to whole sermon. Most of his teaching is summarized in SM.

Or maybe he is talking about the last section. How to treat one’s neighbour. Here we find judging others – seek and ye shall find – the narrow and wide gates – a tree and its fruit .

This last refers to false prophets. So he might be telling us to listen to his words of truth, and not be diverted by wrong and misleading interpretations.

Why should he restrict his counsels to just one particular section? Surely he is warning us to be wise to everything he has taught?

I suppose we all learn something different when we hear this parable. For some, it’s about permanence and hard work. Studying Jesus’ words and striving to apply them with vigour to our lives. Not taking the easy way out, but struggling to understand when things are unclear.

Of course it’s harder to carry building materials up from a sandy flood plain than unload them from a river and build nearby. The rock is found on higher ground. You have to climb in the hot sun, then labour to dig down to the bedrock. That way your foundations are safe and secure.

What then are the storms? Perhaps Jesus is talking about false teaching that might lead us astray? Perhaps it’s easier to believe that the Christian life is more straightforward than it is? That’s to follow the wide path. Or maybe our faith, if not well grounded, sustains us when times are easy, but come the crisis in our lives, we can easily fail. That’s the message of the sower. Only those seeds than put down strong roots can survive the hot sun and drought. Then they will produce fruit.

Like all parables, first impressions can be misleading. Sometimes what we get out of a parable depends on the state of our hearts. That’s why we tell children in Godly Play what a precious gift lies hidden inside our parable box. Ready to be opened and unwrapped. A pearl of great price, the key to understanding.

After the great crash comes the last words of the entire sermon. They are not included in today’s lectionary reading. But they give the reaction of his hearers.

²⁸When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,

²⁹ because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

May we, like them, not take these words for granted, but be amazed at his teaching. May we build our lives on solid foundations, ones that last and remain standing whatever life may chuck at us. Amen