The Wise and Foolish Builders
Read the parable
- Matthew 7:24-27 Primary account
- Luke 6:46-49 Parallel account
Context
This parable concludes the Sermon on the Mount. In Palestine's dry season a sandy wadi bed looks like ideal, easy ground to build on; the winter rains then turn the same wadi into a torrent. A builder who dug down to bedrock (as Luke describes) worked harder for an identical-looking house — until the storm tested both foundations.
Meaning
The two builders are two hearers of the same sermon: "whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them" builds on rock; whoever hears and does not act builds on sand. The houses look alike in fair weather — the difference between real and nominal discipleship is invisible until the storm of testing and, finally, of judgment. Luke sharpens the point with Jesus' question, "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" Obedience to Christ's words is the only foundation that holds.
Go deeper
Two free lessons walk through the parables as a whole: The Parables of Jesus and Interpreting the Parables.