I have lived in four houses as an adult. Bobby and I built the middle two. And we LOVE building a home together! For us, planning and then seeing our plans take shape is thrilling! Jesus talked about building houses too! No wonder, while He was here on earth he was a builder.
I love the idea that Jesus was an earthly builder! The Bible says He was a carpenter (Mark 6:2-3).
The word “carpenter” is really the word tekton in Greek which carries the idea of being a builder or a craftsman using any type of material.
We think of Jesus using wood primarily because of our Western thinking.
If you have been to Israel there were far more rocks and boulders than wood!
I studied the book of Mark this summer and I came across a couple beautiful verses as I was cross-referencing a passage…
“WHY DO YOU CALL ME ‘LORD, LORD,’ AND NOT DO WHAT I TELL YOU? EVERYONE WHO COME TO ME AND HEARS MY WORDS AND DOES THEM, I WILL SHOW YOU WHAT HE IS LIKE:
HE IS LIKE A MAN BUILDING A HOUSE, WHO DUG DEEP AND LAID THE FOUNDATION ON A ROCK. AND WHEN A FLOOD AROSE, THE STREAM BROKE AGAINST THE HOUSE AND COULD NOT SHAKE IT, BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN WELL BUILT.
BUT THE ONE HOW HEARS AND DOES NOT DO THEM IS LIKE A MAN WHO BUILT A HOUSE ON THE GROUND WITHOUT A FOUNDATION. WHEN THE STREAM BROKE AGAINST IT, IMMEDIATELY IT FELL AND THE RUIN OF THE HOUSE WAS GREAT.” Luke 6:46-49
Jesus used what was around Him to help the people of ancient Israel understand what He was saying.
I love the thought of Him using the rocks and boulders that are so commonplace in this holy land. And even though Jesus was Emmanuel, God in the flesh, He most probably knew from earthly experience what He was talking about!
I wonder how many solid foundations He had built?
These verses above make up a parable.
Parables taught by Jesus are earthy stories with deep spiritual meaning.
In this parable, Jesus compares Himself to a ROCK!
We can see so many examples throughout the whole Bible that talk about Jesus as a rock! Why a rock? Because the ancients understood the lessons from the landscape around them.
Rocks are solid and unshakable and immobile.
Jesus is the same. The same yesterday, today and will be tomorrow! In a world where everything changes, Jesus does not!
He is the one true and steadfast thing and the only thing worth building our lives upon.
Jesus says in this parable,
“WHY DO YOU CALL ME ‘LORD, LORD,’ AND NOT DO WHAT I TELL YOU?”
The word for Lord is kurios. It means master or owner. It’s the idea of someone having complete authority and absolute ownership rights.
Jesus’ disciples recognized Him as the Messiah. They called Him Lord. But Jesus asks them if they believe that He was Lord why they didn’t obey Him?
Jesus then describes the unshaken, sure life of a true believer!
He said…
EVERYONE WHO COME TO ME AND HEARS MY WORDS AND DOES THEM, I WILL SHOW YOU WHAT HE IS LIKE Luke 6:47
Jesus gives His disciples three things they need to do to have a life and belief that is unshakable…
Come, hear and do!
How can we “do” or obey God if we do not hear Him? And how can we hear Him if we do not come to Him willing to get to know Him?
When my children were little I would say, “how can you serve a God you do not know”. Knowing God became an important daily discipline in their lives!
To come to Jesus is to know Him. And how can you know Him if you don’t spend time with Him.
We need to “COME TO JESUS” daily. We need to be studying His word and understanding it!
What does it mean to hear Jesus’ word? The Greek word hear has a far deeper and richer meaning than the word hear in English.
Hear carries the idea of not only taking in information but understanding it and also being obedient to it.
The word hear is actually a doing word!
Another way to think about this parable is to abide and obey.
To abide is to have a deep and intimate relationship with someone and be quick to do what they say. So obedience follows abiding!
Obedience is the only right reply if we know Jesus and hear His word! Obedience comes out of knowing and understanding
As believers, we have two clear choices.
We can live our lives with unshaken belief or we can be worried and anxious and uncertain.
It’s all about your foundation, my friend!
You are building your house every day! Where have you decided to build it?
A challenging and well timed teaching Yvonne . I have been building my house upon the Rock of my Salvation for nearly 40 years . Those foundations are certainly being put to the test in these times . Without Him , I know the storms we are all facing now would have overwhelmed and swamped me . Praise God , that Jesus is my strength and solid foundation who cannot be shaken .
Amen, Angie! It is most comforting to know Truth
I just love your blog. I love this Sunday blog especially. I am reading the Bible through—up to Chap. 28 in Isaiah. I really need to know how to study the Bible. Any tips will be appreciated. Thanks.
If you want to learn how to study the bible I highly suggest this book:https://amzn.to/3sZkEmS
Amen.
Beautiful! I always look
Forward to your Sunday message. May God richly bless you!
Thank you Stella, you too!
Yvonne, I look so forward to your Sunday posts where you show me so much! I don’t know how to look up the original meanings like you do. That makes everything so much deeper and richer in meaning! Could you do a future post that you show us what tools we can use to find these original meanings to help deepen our home Bible studies?
Looking forward to meeting you one day in Heaven,
Glenda
I use biblehub.com and when I find a verse I’m looking up I click the Greek or Hebrew button. I’ve used a Greek and Hebrew concordance and word study for decades. Thank goodness for technology!
Good word, Yvonne! Appreciate your commitment to speak truth!