TWO LOOK-ALIKE HOUSES
He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood arose, the river burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. Luke 6:48, N.A.S.B.
Now, if I had been telling this parable, I would have given it an entirely different treatment. Instead of telling about two houses built near each other on the river's edge, as Jesus told it, I would have pictured only one house. I would have told about one man building a magnificent edifice with the finest craftsmanship, and about the other man refusing even to lift a hammer. After all, when it comes to religion, you either have the real item or you have nothing at all, right?
But it's a good thing that Jesus didn't leave it to me to compose His parable, because--as usual--He had something much deeper and more pointed in mind. Jesus told of two look-alike houses, each claiming to be fit for human habitation. In each case, as His hearers painted mental pictures to match His words, they saw people moving into these homes, settling down, and feeling secure from the threatening elements. And then, with consternation, they imagined the human casualties as the foundationless home crumbled under the press of the flood.
Tragically, the people didn't know the secure home from the fragile home until the time of testing came. The edifice looked safe enough--if one didn't inspect the foundation!
From the point of view of outward actions, many religious people look strikingly similar. They speak the same words, go to the same church, and sing the same hymns. Each would seem to have a religious experience of adequate security, for each has settled down in its apparent comfort. Listening to Jesus' parable, however, warns us that unless one's religious experience is rooted on the right base, it will crumble under pressure. And someone will get hurt.
When Jesus says that He is the foundation stone (1 Peter 2:6), He is not speaking a cliche. Those whose religion is a personal adoration of, and fascination with, Jesus Christ have a foundation, a root motivation, for their whole spiritual life that is powerful and unchanging. They are not depending on fellow Christians (who may prove to be false); they are not resting on a creed (which they may find to be inadequate); they are not building on feelings (which often change). They are grounded on the Changeless One. And they will not fall.
He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood arose, the river burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. Luke 6:48, N.A.S.B.
Now, if I had been telling this parable, I would have given it an entirely different treatment. Instead of telling about two houses built near each other on the river's edge, as Jesus told it, I would have pictured only one house. I would have told about one man building a magnificent edifice with the finest craftsmanship, and about the other man refusing even to lift a hammer. After all, when it comes to religion, you either have the real item or you have nothing at all, right?
But it's a good thing that Jesus didn't leave it to me to compose His parable, because--as usual--He had something much deeper and more pointed in mind. Jesus told of two look-alike houses, each claiming to be fit for human habitation. In each case, as His hearers painted mental pictures to match His words, they saw people moving into these homes, settling down, and feeling secure from the threatening elements. And then, with consternation, they imagined the human casualties as the foundationless home crumbled under the press of the flood.
Tragically, the people didn't know the secure home from the fragile home until the time of testing came. The edifice looked safe enough--if one didn't inspect the foundation!
From the point of view of outward actions, many religious people look strikingly similar. They speak the same words, go to the same church, and sing the same hymns. Each would seem to have a religious experience of adequate security, for each has settled down in its apparent comfort. Listening to Jesus' parable, however, warns us that unless one's religious experience is rooted on the right base, it will crumble under pressure. And someone will get hurt.
When Jesus says that He is the foundation stone (1 Peter 2:6), He is not speaking a cliche. Those whose religion is a personal adoration of, and fascination with, Jesus Christ have a foundation, a root motivation, for their whole spiritual life that is powerful and unchanging. They are not depending on fellow Christians (who may prove to be false); they are not resting on a creed (which they may find to be inadequate); they are not building on feelings (which often change). They are grounded on the Changeless One. And they will not fall.
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