Good Friday, March 27, 1964

Sunday, November 3, 2002

Friday, November 30, 2018

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If you lived in south central or interior Alaska on one of these days, today's verse is easy to identify with. Alaska has had a fair share of magnitude 7.0 plus earthquakes in its history and these three all occurred near major population centers. If you haven't experienced a 7+ earthquake, let me tell you, they are terrifying. They strike with no warning, instantly reminding you of how little control you have over your life. All you can do is ride it out. Then, when the shaking stops, comes the damage assessment. If you find little to none, you thank the builder who built you a solid home on a solid foundation. However, if you find major damage, you are forced to expend time, money, and emotional energy to deal with it. Probably the first emotionally charged question you ask yourself is if you should rebuild at all, since the foundation didn't withstand the shaking. Either way, the shaking is a major interruption to your day-to-day life. However, if your home was built on a solid foundation, you're able to resume your life relatively quickly, despite the shaking.

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The verses today are a teaching by Jesus in the form of a parable. Parables are the only way our finite understanding can fathom the workings of an infinite God. Today's parable is well known and I believe easily understood, maybe more so with my added earthquake analogy. But within these well cited versus from Matthew, there is so much more here than just a foundation that can withstand some shaking.

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The term “rock” is often used in the Bible. Moses was commanded by God to strike the rock of Horeb with his staff to produce water for the thirsting Hebrews (Ex. 17.6). The Psalms are rife with references to “the rock,” Psalm 18:2 being just one example. Isaiah directs those seeking the Lord to look to the rock from which they were cut (Isa. 51:1). Isaiah also prophesied that God would lay a cornerstone in Zion (Isa. 28:16). In John 1:42, Jesus gives the apostle Simon a new name, Peter (Greek: Petros, meaning solitary rock). Jesus would later state to Peter, “upon this rock (Greek: Petra, meaning bedrock) I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18).

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The Bible also uses many different adjectives to describe “rock.” Words like reliability, strength, love, wisdom, salvation, refuge, stability, faithfulness, presence, and cornerstone.

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If you know anything about Jesus, it's not too much of a leap to connect the dots from these biblical references to see that “rock” (Greek: Petra) refers to Jesus. But let's leave no doubt:

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“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him” (1 Peter 2:4), and

“... for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4).

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The “rock” in Matthew 7:24-27 is much more than a foundation, it is Jesus Himself. And if you have accepted Him as your Savior, you are the wise man in this parable. Though life will “shake” you at times, your foundation is Jesus. Jesus, who overcame death on a cross (John 14:19) and to whom all authority is given (Matt. 28:18). Rejoice and give thanks, for God has opened your eyes to wisdom and understanding. You are wise.

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But what if you're the fool? What if you're building your house on sand? Well, to you Jesus is your rock, as well, but be warned, this rock makes the “shaking” in your life worse.

It's often said that the definition of insanity is repeating the same thing but expecting a different result. Solomon is a little more blunt: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly” (Prov. 26:11).

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If you haven't accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are not only doomed to repeat a life of meaningless turmoil, but the cornerstone of Jesus actually becomes: “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall” (1 Pet. 2:8).

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Jesus is such a stumbling block to non-believers that even the Jews stumbled over their own Messiah; to the extreme of crucifying Him. But God used what was intended for evil to carry out His perfect plan of salvation – a plan centered on the cornerstone of Jesus (Acts 4:11).

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So, if you are non-believer, you will never find the peace, purpose, and joy you crave. You are doomed to repeat a life of strife, hopelessness, and anguish. And once you die, it gets worse, much worse (Luke 16:19-31).

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But hear the good news! Accept Jesus as your Savior and everything changes. The rock of Jesus becomes your cornerstone, your foundation. It just takes a simple change in mindset. Unlike the Jews who crucified Jesus, recognize it's your pride that is making you stumble. Jesus loves you so much He's put this stumbling block in place to save you from yourself. I urge you, switch from fighting against God's love for you to accepting His grace. It's that simple. I am praying that you do.

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Are you wise or a fool? Cornerstone or stumbling block? What kind of rock will you choose Jesus to be for you?

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“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

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“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures” (Prov. 24:3-4).

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Amen, come Lord Jesus.