What did Jesus mean: "Build your house on a rock?"

By Don Bunting

Jesus said: "...I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock..." (Matthew 7:24).  The metaphor is not hard to understand.  Build your house on a rock, a solid foundation that cannot move, and your house will stand over time and through storms.  

Who does Jesus say is like a wise man who builds on a rock?  "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man..." (Matthew 7:24).  We can build a spiritual house that will stand strong and overcome all storms if we hear and do the sayings of Christ! That sounds simple enough.  Isn't that what all Christians do?  Let us look at some warnings that surround this simple statement.  

In Matthew 7:21 Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven."  Clearly confessing Christ is not sufficient.  One must obey God in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Another area of concern and correction is found in Matthew 7:22-23.  In these verses Jesus warns that "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in Your name?  And Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew  you;  depart from Me,  you who practice lawlessness!' "  Note, these are people calling Jesus Lord, doing good works in His name, and doing wonders in His name.  

However, Jesus rejects them for practicing lawlessness.  In their zeal to honor the Lord they are doing many good things, but fail because they are not obedient to the Lord they are not honoring His law.  Lawlessness is disregard for the law.  This mistake is so serious Jesus rejects them! If we want to be in the kingdom and to be fully received by Jesus Christ it is not enough to believe and confess His as Lord.  We must obey God.  It is not enough to do good deeds, even great things in His name.  We must do what Jesus said.  "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" (Matthew7:24).