Jesus continued to engaged the crowd that had gathered to hear his teachings. “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who dug down deep and laid the foundation, building his house on solid bedrock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was unmovable. 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 the sand, without a solid foundation. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed with a great crash and its destruction was complete.”
After the crowd had dispersed, the disciples entered into a hushed conversation. Eventually one of them sheepishly expressed what was on all of their minds, “Rabbi, most of us have been following you for almost two years now, and you speak of the importance of putting your teachings into practice, but we still don’t know how to do that.”
After talking long into the night it was clear that the disciples actually knew how to put Jesus’s teachings into practice. There were just two things that were holding them back from doing so despite everything they had learned and witnessed:
- They couldn’t see how repeated heartfelt prayer to the Father was going to accomplish anything of significance.
- They just couldn’t believe that it was that simple.
Secrets of the Story
The beginning of this story is an adapted combination of the two versions of the parable of the wise and foolish builders from Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:46–49 (NIV) along with an imagined conversation afterward.
The only way the story of the two builders makes any sense is if Jesus actually believed he had provided a workable blueprint for living that anyone could follow. A plan to build one’s life upon is not a smattering of helpful hints or tips. It’s not about catchy phrases, mathematical formulas, or nice stories. I hear Jesus saying, “Practice repeatedly what I have taught, and you will really, really live – even when you are facing your greatest trials.”
For me, the story of the two builders begs the question:
“What Is Jesus’s Blueprint for Living?”
Throughout the four gospels In the New Testament it is clear that Jesus taught people how to develop a relationship with the Creator through prayer. But what if prayer is the main thing that Jesus taught? What if Jesus’s way of prayer gives us everything we need to truly live – even when disaster is pounding on the door?
Here’s an attempt to encapsulate my current understanding of Jesus’s Blueprint for Living:
We are to repeatedly allow the deepest longings of our souls to reach out to our Heavenly Parent and to do our best to live in harmony with what we receive in response.
If this statement is anywhere in the ballpark of Jesus’s actual blueprint for living, I can see how people could be challenged to accept it for a variety of reasons. Like the disciples in the story, there could be huge doubts that such an approach could generate any significant results. Also, this blueprint could appear to be way too simple. I can imagine people saying, “Prayer?! There has to be way more to it than that!”
Regardless of what blueprints we are using now or may use in the future, Jesus has given us a way to test any blueprint for living. We can ask ourselves how we are responding to the challenges we are facing in any given moment. Do we feel peaceful, joyful, loved, guided, and protected; or are we feeling restless, upset, fearful, lost, and unsafe? If we are experiencing any of the latter feelings, we can either:
- Make sure that we are fully-implementing the blueprint we have to decide if the problem is our lack if follow-through or the blueprint itself, or
- Find an altogether different blueprint, fully-implement it, and test its effectiveness in the crucible of our lives.
Challenges are guaranteed. How well we face them depends upon the source of our strength. Regardless of what the details of Jesus’s actual blueprint for living may be, this story confronts us with the question,
Does our strength come from God or not?
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New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
