A (Concluding) Word to the Wise

In Nomine Iesu
St. Matthew 7:15-29
June 1, 2008
Pentecost 3A-Proper 4

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. . . . But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus~

These words of Jesus about the wise and foolish builders are really only last words—famous last words—the final few sentences of one of the most famous sermons Jesus ever preached. Today’s Holy Gospel is really just the conclusion—the finale—of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount.”

Of course, when all you hear is the ending of a sermon, you’ve got a bit of a problem. You’re missing out. You’re somewhat clueless. For instance, if all you heard of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech was “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last!” you wouldn’t really understand the sense in which those words were intended. You wouldn’t know that King was advocating for a world where a man isn’t judged by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character.

So it is with the Sermon on the Mount. You can’t fully understand the conclusion without knowing what was said before. When Jesus says that those who hear His words and put them into practice are like the wise builder who built his house on the rock, it’s easy to say, “I can do that, no problem.” Sounds simple enough: hear the word and do the word—talk the talk and walk the walk. When all you’re hearing are the final sentences of the sermon it’s easy to shout out “amen.” It’s easy to see yourself as the wise guy who builds on the rock—who hears the words of Jesus and does them—to say to yourself, “I can do that!”

Something similar happens when you install new software on your computer, and that little window pops up with all the terms and conditions. If you’re like me, you get about three lines into those terms and conditions before your eyes glaze over, you scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the box that says you “agree” with these terms and conditions—not really knowing at all what you have just agreed to.

Brothers and sisters, if we’re going to be like the wise builder who built his house on the rock, then we ought to know the terms and conditions to which we are saying, “amen, I agree, I can do that.” We need to know what came before—what words preceded the conclusion.

There’s not enough time to cover the entire Sermon on the Mount, but here are some of the highlights. Last Sunday, you may recall, we heard Jesus’ invitation not to worry—to consider the birds of the air and the lilies of the field—to trust that our Father in heaven will provide us with everything we need. Many of you told me these words were just what you needed to hear. So how well did you do with putting those words of Jesus into practice during the past week? Was it a worry-free week? Was your anxiety absent? Or was it your trust in the Father’s care that was absent? After hearing those words about worry last week, how well did you put them into practice?

Another highlight of the Sermon on the Mount was when Jesus re-stated the fifth commandment: You shall not murder. Sounds easy enough. I can do that. But Jesus also said that anyone who harbors hatred or anger against another stands under the same condemnation as a murderer (5:21-22). In other words, it’s not just enough to refrain from actually murdering someone. You need to go and be reconciled to the one from whom you’re separated by anger or hatred. Can you do that?

Another highlight of the Sermon on the Mount was when Jesus re-stated the sixth commandment: You shall not commit adultery. Sounds easy enough. I can do that. But then Jesus went on to say that anyone who looks at another lustfully has already committed adultery in his heart. In other words, it’s not just about living a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, but also living a sexually pure and decent life in what we think. Sound easy to you? Can you do that?

Another highlight of the Sermon on the Mount is that part where Jesus tells us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. Sounds easy enough. I can do that. But what about that “enemy” who’s a member of your own family? What about that enemy who’s stolen from you or lied about you? What about that enemy—the lazy one—who makes you do all the work and then blames you when things go wrong? Jesus says, “Love them. Pray for them.” Can you do that?

After hearing some of what Jesus preached before His conclusion, it kind of takes the wind out of my sails. I’m not feeling quite so wise anymore. Because if putting these teachings of Jesus into practice is what it will take to weather the storms of life, then maybe I should start praying for fair skies and storm-free weather.

In one sense, hearing the sermon on the mount reminds us of what St. Paul wrote in Romans chapter three: “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” All have sinned. All of us rightly deserve to be condemned by God as murderers and adulterers who create far more enemies than we reconcile with. If the truly wise man builds his house on the rock by doing and keeping all of Jesus’ teachings, then we’re in trouble. We’re more foolish than wise—living in a trailer park and the storm sirens are sounding. We simply cannot weather the storm of God’s wrath against our sin.

But one man looked at our hopeless condition and our need for rescue and He said, “I can do that.” One man looked ahead and saw the sacrifice that would be needed to reconcile you to God—to atone for your sin—and He said, “I can do that.” That man was the God-man, Jesus Christ. He weathered the storm of God’s wrath for you and in your place. On Good Friday it was shouts and sneers and sarcasm that rained down upon Jesus. It was nails and thorns and spear that blasted His body in the stormy darkness of a Friday afternoon. It wasn’t just the wrath of soldiers and centurions that pounded and pummeled the body of Jesus that day. It wasn’t just a Roman tool of torture that took the Savior’s life. It was the wrath of God the Father poured out against your sin-bearing substitute.

What we deserve for our murder, our adultery, our hate, our worry and so much more—that’s what was doled out against Jesus, as Jesus faithfully followed His Father’s will. Jesus put the Words of His Father into practice. Jesus talked the talk and walked the walk and died the death we deserve. He gets what we deserve. You get what He deserves. His innocence, His righteousness, His holiness goes to you though faith. By His death and resurrection Jesus has become your sure and solid foundation. “On Christ, the solid rock, [we] stand; all other ground is sinking sand.”

Now, here’s a concluding word to the wise: Building by faith on Jesus, you can live securely. Through faith in Jesus, you have an eternal house in heaven—a home unaffected by surging winds or flooding rains. In this earthly life—make no mistake—the winds will blow and the rains will fall. The flood will rage all around you. You will be no stranger to storms and struggles. But in the end you will stand—you will stand on the one foundation that will never give way. You will stand secure in Jesus. Amen.