The Wise And Foolish Builders

Feature 3 – February 2020 – Grace & Truth Magazine

The Wise And Foolish Builders

God is the greatest Builder ever! This is true about things on earth and in the heavens, whether infinitely small or very large – even the elements in the universe. Those things are beyond our human understanding despite much progress in knowledge and research.

It may surprise you that the first biblical reference to building is in relation to Eve. God had asked Adam to give names to all the animals, male and female, and the man realized there was no companion for himself (Gen. 2:19-20). That is when God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam. He performed surgery on him, taking one of his ribs and then closing its place with flesh (v.21). Amazingly, God built this rib into a woman. When finished, He brought her to Adam, who immediately recognized what God had done, saying, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (v.23 NKJV).

This is a picture of the Church, which is God’s masterpiece or building in the new creation, His special “workmanship” (Eph. 2:10), “work” or “poem” (poèma) – just as Eve was of the first creation. According to His eternal purpose from before the world’s foundation, God is the designer and builder of the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem, and she is the Lamb’s wife. She will always be as a bride prepared for her Husband. Besides this aspect of a collective association with Him, God will forever maintain a personal relationship with each individual believer (see Heb. 11:10-16; Rev. 21:1-8). How great He is!

What a contrast with the false church, the bride who will be the great city, Babylon, designed and produced by the counterfeit builder!

God’s Building Seen In Messiah’s Genealogy
The genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew is like a building that shows God’s amazing design1 and control, despite human failures. It proves that Jesus is:

• Son of Abraham (see Jn. 8:33-58) – and therefore a true Jew.
• Son of David, the king (see 7:42) – and therefore the true King.

Luke completed the picture, showing that Jesus is son of Adam and therefore true Man – with a perfect human spirit, soul and body – as well as the Son of God, because He is God (Lk. 3:21-38).2 This blessed person will forever remain a great mystery (1 Tim. 3:16) – perfectly Man and perfectly God in one person (Jn. 1:14), although distinct from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

Matthew showed that Jesus fulfilled many prophecies written about Him in the Old Testament. This evangelist described many miracles, signs and wonders Jesus performed which confirmed that He was the promised Messiah. The Jewish leaders could not deny these things, but they preferred a different kind of messiah, according to their own views and thinking. Sadly, they identified with the counterfeit builder, even though they denied it. They will do so in the future by following the Antichrist3 (Jn. 5:43).

In what is often called “the Sermon on the Mount” Jesus challenged their convictions and interpretations of the law (Mt. 5:17-48). Jesus introduced Himself as the true Master Builder (16:16-18) and confirmed that no one can annul His plans, not even Satan or death. This He said about the Church, which He started building in Acts 2 and will complete at the rapture (1 Th. 4:14-17; 1 Cor. 15:51-52). After God’s judgments of Israel and this world, Jesus the Messiah will rebuild Jerusalem and its temple in the world to come (the fourth temple, Ezek. 40–48; Hag. 2). He will also be the Master Builder of the new, heavenly, New Jerusalem in the eternal state (Rev. 21:1-3).

Some Background Information
After their return from the Babylonian captivity, the leaders of the Jewish remnant were zealous to keep the law, to make sure that they would not be guilty as their forefathers had been. The successive generations after Ezra’s return from Babel to Jerusalem gradually developed a legal system to, in their view, protect the Mosaic law. They wanted their descendants never to be guilty of idolatry and face God’s judgment as the earlier generations had.

The best human thinking, however, is not good enough. In their zeal, perhaps without realizing it, they replaced the instructions God had given with their own views and added to them things that became more important than the law itself. They reinterpreted God’s law (see Jesus’ comments in Mark 7:1-23). Nevertheless, they claimed to perfectly keep the law.

One way they did this was by claiming that God had put into Moses’ mouth the interpretation of the law when He gave him the written law on the mount (Ex.19–24). This interpretation is called “the oral law” which was memorized and transmitted from generation to generation, and much later committed to writing. However, in their interpretations of this oral law they added instructions4 and changed some basic instructions or priorities of the written law, as for instance taking proper care of aging parents. They did so by making a rule that a Jewish person who said “‘Corban’ (that is, a gift to God)” (Mk. 7:11) could not use something he owned to help his father or mother, but he was allowed to use that gift for himself as long as he lived.

They added many regulations to the laws God had given for blessing, making about 1,500 rules for the one Sabbath command – a tremendous burden for the people. Even there, they found ways to go around their own laws. Thus they became counterfeit builders, taking things God had given for His people to serve Him but using them for their own profit. This process will climax in the third temple, still to be built, in which the Antichrist will sit claiming to be God (2 Th. 2:3-4).

The Two Builders
After He had spoken many words of instruction and encouragement to the multitudes (Mt. 5–7) the Lord 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: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall” (7:24-27).

In this context “a wise man” represents each individual believer – whether man, woman, boy or girl – who hears and obeys Jesus’ words because of love and the respect due to Him. Such a person becomes a builder because he learns from the Great Builder, who is the real wise Man, and thus becomes His disciple or follower. This shows the link between hearing, faith and obedience, which leads to security – the house founded on the Rock – because the Lord Jesus is the only One worthy of trust and obedience.

In this parable the Lord Jesus is the Great Teacher who shows the right way – and He is the Right Way as well. He demonstrated how His way provides security even in the midst of rains, floods and winds of adversity. The Lord warned of great dangers and harm in disobedience, by following human thinking instead of God’s Word. Jesus compared this last point with building one’s house on sand – without proper security or stability – as was the case with the various law systems designed by Jewish leaders. Instead of obeying God’s Word and going back to what God said, as Ezra had done (Ezra 7–8), they were building on the sand of human reasoning, traditions, man’s ideas, or popular thinking and sweet talk. They will certainly perish, despite their good intentions.

The necessity of obedience and faith can be traced throughout the Scriptures, from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation. We must apply this to ourselves today because the more light one has, the more responsibility!

Initial Conclusion
“So it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mt. 7:28-29). In God’s ways, obedience leads to blessing and protection, even in great adversity, and ultimately to the blessing of entering eternal life.5 This does not mean that salvation can be obtained through good works; not at all! Instead, it brings good results because of God’s just government, for “whatever a man sows, he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). The people who listened to the Lord Jesus recognized that His teaching had real authority because they saw that He did what He said and said what He did (consider Jn. 8:25).

Two Builders And Two Options
The two options the apostle Paul mentioned in Galatians 6 parallel the two possibilities the Lord summarized and illustrated in various ways. Everyone faces solemn and sometimes urgent matters which require a choice to obey or not. Disobedience brings havoc: “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah” (Jude 1:11). Cain was a religious man but killed his own brother because of jealousy (Gen. 4:3-8), as the Jewish leaders later did with the Lord Jesus, their own Messiah.6 Balaam knew the right way but taught error because of the love of money (Num. 22–24, 31:16; Dt. 23:4). Worse yet, Korah openly rebelled and rejected God-given authority (Num. 16:1-33). These three associated with “the counsel of the ungodly,” “the path of sinners” and “the seat of scorners” (Ps. 1:1). “The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish” (v.6).

The road of obedience leads to life, whereas disobedience leads to eternal perdition, or damnation. That is why the Lord Jesus spoke solemn words to Nicodemus, who knew God’s Word just as Korah did, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” and, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:3,5). Nicodemus had been building based on man’s theology and thinking, as the Jewish leaders did. Now he met the Lord and realized that he needed to make a choice. “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (v.36). Nicodemus made the right choice (read 7:50, 19:38-42) and became a good builder. What about you?

Two Ways
Many follow man’s thinking and teaching, traveling on the broad way. They are attracted by false prophets who mislead and wear sheep’s clothing but are really ravenous wolves (Mt. 7:15). Two gates, narrow and wide, connect with the two different roads and their ultimate results: good or bad (vv.13-14). However, many people believe that there are at least three roads: God’s way, the Devil’s way and their own way. Even though it is true that each person is responsible and accountable to God, this does not mean that man’s way is independent of the Devil’s way. No, there are really only two ways, just as we saw with the two builders.

Furthermore, the Lord linked all of this with fruit bearing. He simply stated that among the many varieties and types of trees, there are only two kinds of trees and of fruit: good or bad (vv.17-18). The wise or prudent man represents a person, male or female, who hears and obeys. That is to say, the wise or prudent is one who listens to the words that the Lord speaks and for this reason is a good builder (v.24). The foolish man, on the contrary, represents someone who hears those words but refuses to do them, refuses to obey. Instead of obeying God’s Word he builds on the sand of human reasoning and his own ideas or preferences. The results are catastrophic: total destruction (v.27).

The doctrine Jesus taught is linked to His authority (vv.28-29), to doing and obeying instead of human reasoning, religious traditions or excuses. In the parallel passage of Luke 6:47-49 we read that the one who listens to the Lord’s words and puts them into practice is said to have “dug deep” (v.47). This point, not mentioned directly in Matthew 7, emphasizes the need to go deep, judge oneself in God’s presence and firmly build on the right foundation. Such a person who hears and obeys is called “blessed” (Lk. 11:28). May we all be encouraged to study God’s Word and learn how it often refers to two options of which only one is right. I leave these examples with you: Sarah or Hagar, Isaac or Ishmael, law or grace, bondage or freedom, life or death, the flesh or the Spirit, earthly or heavenly (Gal. 4:21-31).

Praise the Lord for His grace and truth (Jn. 1:14-18).

ENDNOTES
1. Matthew lists 42 (6x7) generations from Abraham to Messiah. The center is David the king, whose name means “beloved” and in Hebrew has the numerical value of 14, which is emphasized by the three times fourteen generations (Mt. 1:17).
2. Luke records 77 generations from God, via Adam and Mary, to Jesus, who is the 77th (Lk. 3:23-38).
3. Antichrist means “against” the true Christ, but it also means “instead of” Christ.
4. Before the Lord called him, Saul of Tarsus was trained by a famous rabbi, Gamaliel, and later became involved in this process of discussing, interpreting and adding laws (see Gal. 1:14), something that continues in orthodox Judaism of our days.
5. Entering the realm of eternal life, a scene of blessing in the future, is distinct from receiving eternal life the moment one believes. Yet an intimate connection exists between them, for the one does not exist without the other.
6. Isaiah 53 describes how Israel as a nation will repent (Mt. 23:39), after the great tribulation which will come, once the Church has been raptured. Then they will see Him whom they have pierced (Zech. 12:10).

By Alfred Bouter