When Jesus had Ended These Sayings

And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: (Mat 7:28)

How does one respond when Jesus is finished speaking? Does one relegate his words to a place of optional suggestions? Does one regard his speech as we regard so many others: hear but don't hear, into one ear and out the other? Or are His words properly regarded as the only foundation on which a worthwhile life may be build?

A man tends to live in a house that is comparable to his career - to his life's work. A house says something about a man; its size, its location, its composition, its content, all of this speaks volumes about the man who calls this place his abode. Yet what good is it if a man builds his house out of the most expensive wood, gold, silver, and precious stone; however, all his time, efforts, and expense is placed upon an untrustworthy foundation.

Befittingly so, Jesus ends the last three chapters which comprise the Sermon on the Mount with a warning encapsulated in a parable of two men, two houses, and two foundations. No doubt, the wise man looked at the foolish man and wondered how he could finish so quickly; the foolish man looked at the wise man and wondered what was taking him so long. Wisdom informed the former, while foolishness left the latter ill-informed, ill-equipped, and ill-prepared. It seems that the wise man understood the inevitability of the storm; and that the place wherein he would live was worthy of some diligent response to that consideration.

I've heard a popular song rooted in word-faith theology saying, "I told the storm to pass; storm you can't last." The failure in this thinking is that it is God that sent the storm. The storm will pass; because, every storm passes anyway. The challenge is what the storm does while passing, thus the issue is preparation. So the important thing is not speaking to the storm, but speaking to yourself about what Jesus said before the storm comes.

The fact is that there are only two choices in life; one is to live according to the words of Christ and the other is not to live according to the words of Christ. The former is a life that is built sturdy, stable, and strong; the other is a life that is weak, wavering, and destined to certainly come crashing in on its resident when he is most dependant on it to stand. What a lesson! As the storm came to both houses, judgment is certain. Thus the great issue of any person's life is preparation. And adherence to Jesus' words are the only proper preparation for the coming judgment.