Luke 6:47-49

The parable of the two builders 6:47-49 (cf. Matthew 7:24-27)

This final parable is an appeal to the hearers, primarily Jesus’ disciples (Luke 6:20), to obey the teaching that they had heard (cf. James 1:21-25; Ezekiel 13:10-16). As such it is a conclusion to the whole sermon. Luke omitted the response of the people, which Matthew mentioned.

Jesus compared a disciple who heard His teachings and then put them into practice to a house built on a solid foundation. Luke stressed the digging of a proper foundation. Perhaps he had Hellenistic houses with basements in mind. [Note: J. Jeremias, The Parables of Jesus, p. 27, n. 9.] The floodwaters represent the forces of enemies and temptations that seek to move the disciple from these moorings, perhaps even divine testing. The disciple who does not both hear and apply Jesus’ teachings, specifically what He had just taught about commitment choices and loving conduct, could anticipate ruin. It is as foolish to hear Jesus’ teachings without obeying Him as it is to build a house without first laying a solid foundation.

". . . in Matthew the difference between the two men is that they chose different sites on which to build; here they differ in what they do on the sites." [Note: Morris, p. 134.]

Throughout this sermon Jesus was not contrasting believers and unbelievers but disciples who followed Him and people who did not. The Gospel writers were not too concerned about identifying the moment when a person placed saving faith in Jesus and passed from death to life. This became a greater concern to the writers of the New Testament epistles. However even they were not as interested in nailing down the moment of regeneration as some of us sometimes are. Jesus and the Gospel writers put more emphasis on the importance of people making decisions to follow Jesus, to learn from Him, and to become wholehearted participants with Him in His mission. That was particularly Luke’s interest in relating what Jesus taught His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount. I am not depreciating the vital importance of trusting in Jesus in a moment of saving faith. Normally learning from Jesus precedes that moment.