Therefore whosoever
heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise
man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was
founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and
doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon
the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Matthew
7: 24 – 27)
I want us to look at this parable in a deeper manner so that
we can be able to glean some treasures. This is because we might have heard it so
often that we have lost the meaning Christ had intended.
The foolish builder was not very foolish if we looked at it
from his perspective. And it will do to explain why.
I come from the slopes of Mount Kenya and as we know most
hilly and mountainous areas place a premium on some naturally flat ground as it
saves much time, work and money on leveling before building. Our friend must
have discovered the ideal ground to build without much hassle and cost. It
might have been a flood plain that had never encountered a flood. It might have
been treated as a scare tactic to stop people from building on such an ideal
portion of land. You see anybody who mentioned a flood said ‘once upon a time’
which is the language of folk tales. Or they would say ‘my great grandmother
told me that her grandmother said…’ In any case even if it rained there was
enough drainage to handle it before it got to his house.
Fellow villagers hailed him for doing what they had all
desired to do yet had been too scared by the taboo associated with it.
Incidentally there was a friend who was also building around
the same time but he was not as bold because he decided to build on the slope.
People laughed at him because they knew that the jinx had already been broken
and the taboo had been breached. He would take months before even laying the
foundation of his house.
Our friend finished building in record time because he had
enough assistance from people who had longed to see a house on such an ideal
place. Some even volunteered materials and expertise for free because they
wanted to laugh at the stories they had heard about the flood plain. Some were
wondering how Noah’s flood still controlled people’s decisions.
The opening (house warming) ceremony was a grand affair. His
friend who had taken the fear route was invited to be laughed at for wasting his
resources on an underground nobody would see. Nothing he said could reduce the
scorn directed his way. And it was worse for him because though they had
started at the same time he was still at the foundation stage. When will he
finish? Everybody asked.
Eventually many others decided to build along the feared
ground because of the boldness of our friend. You see, apart from it being
easier and cheaper to build, life there was easier and more convenient than on
the slope. The house was more stable as it stood firmly on flat ground.
Carrying things was easier as there were no hills to climb. Fetching water was
fun since the river was not far. In fact our friend was treated as a savior of
sorts to the village as he had enabled them start living a life of ease.
Eventually a lot of the village uphill moved to the plain converting it to a
small town.
His friend finally finished his house with considerable time
and cost but his house was plain because nothing much was left after building.
His house warming was also well attended by the same team of scorners who were
demonstrating to him the consequences of his cowardice. He had spent a fortune
and taken forever to build his house even as his friend had made his the model
house with less investment.
They had enjoyed their new life of ease for some years when
an unusually heavy rain descended one rainy season that the new village became
scared. The river flooded its banks though it did not get near their small town.
But it was enough to scare a few villagers out of that comfort that they moved
up the slopes once again.
But our hero could not move even if he had wanted. He had
invested his all in that house. And of course he would have looked very foolish
moving to higher ground. And many of his friends were of that type. They had
laughed at the fool who had built on the slope for so long that moving was out
of the equation. And in any case that was the only time in their lifetime the
river had burst its banks. There was therefore another lifetime before it
occurred again. They boosted their courage in the face of the new threat to
their choice by laughing at the cowards who were running from the comfort they
had become accustomed to.
It sadly did not take a lifetime before disaster struck. One
day the sky was unusually overcast and very threatening. None could remember
seeing anything like it. As evening fell some light rain started and some
fierce winds were blowing. But it was clear the worse would come later.
The cowards up the slopes came to plead with the families on
the plain to go up or at least allow their children to move uphill. Some balked
and allowed their children to go. But others, our hero included, decided that
they will stick with their choice and sleep on the plain with their families.
At midnight a shrill scream was heard above the storm. And
everyone heard it because they had been too scared to sleep. Their bravado had
only been mouth deep. A lady had gone outside to relieve herself and seen a
mountain rushing toward them. Of course she did not know what it was because it
was some distance away. In fact it was because the moon was up that she saw its
outline.
Everybody jumped out of bed and out of the houses.
Then they heard noises from the direction of the mountain,
noises they could not place since they had never heard anything like it. It was
very clear that the mountain was heading their way and everybody’s heart
melted.
Those who had children quickly gathered them outside and
scampered in fright to the slopes before whatever was coming could reach them.
But not our hero or his henchmen! Though completely deflated by the new threat to
the extent that they wanted to literally flee to the mountains with their
families, they decided to laugh at those cowards who were scared just because
they had heard a sound they did not understand. Some relatives, especially
those who had earlier been scared enough to send their children up the slopes
literally snatched the heroes’ children and fled with them to the slopes.
By the time they were able to see what that mountain was,
there was no escaping from it though I doubt the heroes could have dared escape
it anyway. It had rained much more on the mountains and since their valley was
the place where all the water collected, (which explained why their river was
the only big and permanent river around and slow enough to even have fish), the
flood water had gone on gathering more and more water, uprooting trees and
clearing everything in its way.
In the morning there was no trace of the once thriving town
they had developed over the few years they had dared their history. None of the
heroes escaped, though I suspect they chose death instead of the shame they
could have had to endure for laughing at anyone who had appeared have more
sense than they.
That is the parable for our times. I have reenacted it for
us to get the main facts out.
The first fact is that the fool was not called a fool
because he was plain foolish. The Bible looks at folly differently. Anything
leaning away from God and His revelation is folly. Look at all the places the
Bible talks about folly and that comes out clearly. Folly is the disconnection
with God’s scheme of things. At the root of any Biblical folly is disobedience
to God.
A girl decides that her prayers for a husband are taking too
long to be answered and so lowers her expectations and standards. Then she will
spend the rest of her life rebuking and praying against this or the other demon
bringing her down instead of confronting her faulty foundation. Interestingly
these are the major funders of the foolish preachers who are also investing in
other foolish foundations.
A pastor discovers that preaching the cross and the
sacrifice it entails does not bring in the offerings he would like and decides
to settle on motivational preaching and worldly prosperity and thrives because
he is able to attract other fools to sacrificially stand with him (2 Timothy 4:
3, 4).
A businessman discovers a shortcut to get the really
profitable contracts and wonders why it took so long for him to discover. Since
when did greasing a few gears to make the business wheels run effortlessly
become sin? Since when did buying lunch and paying for a holiday become
corruption? He reasons.
A Christian wonders why he has never got a promotion even as
those he trains are getting one promotion after another. He discovers that the
HR department goes by some unwritten qualifications in giving those promotions,
explaining why he had been bypassed by at least ten people, people who came
much later than him. And worse, people he trained. What is wrong with going for
an outing to get a promotion? He discovers that it was his seriousness that
scared people from asking him to go for those outings. He therefore decides to
loosen up.
A minister has a hard time accessing support as his ministry
is not very visible and pastors literally tell their congregations not to give
to such as him. He decides to also become a pastor instead of continuing
suffering.
A parent discovers that his children are not getting the
right schools. He finds out that those schools are the preserve of people who
know how to ‘greet’ teachers properly. What better investment can I give to my
children? He reasons
A pastor handles many gifts from his flock. He is treated as
the one who knows where they should go as he knows all the needs of the church
as well as the direction of God. But he uses them to reward sycophancy and loyalty
as well as punish dissent that many times is guided by his unspiritual
leadership.
A leader realizes that his position is not secure. He
therefore decides to divert all the resources in his sight by sharing with his
campaign team instead of the legally entitled. He then ‘eats’ the rest.
We have several Biblical examples. Cain thought eliminating
his brother would leave no option for God but to accept his offering. Esau
thought an instant meal was better than a far off birthright. Lot’s daughters
thought they may never get married and raped their father for children. Saul
thought a scattering army was worse than a wrongly performed sacrifice. The
rich fool thought his labors were concluded. The rich young ruler thought that
his wealth was worth more than eternal life.
I will repeat. Anything we do that stands in the way of God,
His word and revelation is a foundation on sand. It might be very convenient
and offer very attractive and precious rewards but like the builders we have
looked up will hold on until the real challenge comes.
But a faulty foundation is doubly dangerous. It is punished
by the here and the forever. They will be demolished here and razed in
judgment. Look at this
For other foundation
can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build
upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every
man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it
shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort
it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive
a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he
himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple
of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (1Corinthians 3: 11 –
16)
Think of those quick fixes you value. Do you treat them as
foundations? What are they foundations of? Are they foundations you can go to
God confidently to ask for His help in building?
Behold, I set before
you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of
the LORD your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not
obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which
I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
(Deuteronomy 11:26 – 28)
This is the real determinant of the kind of foundation each
of us is building on – OBEDIENCE to all that God tells each of us at the
individual level as we interact with His complete revelation in His word, the
Bible.
And I am not trashing preachers since I am one, but a
species of preachers has emerged who have centralized God’s revelation in their
person and locked out everybody else, even his loyalists. He (and many are
women) is the only one who understands the Bible enough to give its
application. He is the only one who can hear God’s voice.
My purpose of preaching and teaching is to help God’s people
connect with God at their personal level as to make me irrelevant; otherwise I
am not really serving God.
And there ran a young
man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And
Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and
said, My lord Moses, forbid them. And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my
sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD
would put his spirit upon them! (Numbers 11: 27 - 29)
Again see this
And it shall come to
pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons
and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young
men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in
those days will I pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:28, 29)
Why do preachers teach this all the while trashing it in
their application? But that is also a faulty foundation on their part. I for
one want to see that passage actualized in my eyes so that everybody who comes
in contact to any teaching coming from my mouth establishing an actual
connection to the voice and direction of God.
I know that such a connection may require them to support
someone other than me which is the main problem with most preachers as they
cannot bear the thought of someone feeding from the offerings of their flock,
forgetting that they are Christ’s flock at the end of the day.
Hearing God will also mean challenging my leadership and
preaching, and not necessarily because it is wrong but to make it better. Few
leaders want to be challenged. And it is no wonder that many are spewing
damnable heresies to continue building their own Babel with those who follow
them more than they follow Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment