Mt 7 - Building a Solid Foundation


Matthew 7:24, 28 (ESV)
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,

Jesus did not teach like the Pharisees and Scribes. He taught with authority. Their teaching was always based on what some previous Rabbi had said about the text. Jesus put his own words at the forefront. He taught them, and then he told them that what he had taught them needed to be the foundation of their lives. This whole section of Matthew five, six, and seven is really an explanation of what Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

What does it mean to fulfill the law? That is a whole theological discussion in itself, but it certainly means that God calls us to a higher level of ethics and morality than the Law. The teachers of his day assumed that the Law was the highest level of ethics and morality. Keeping the Law was what made one holy. Keeping the Law is what set one apart as especially dedicated to God. Jesus taught them that their thinking was wrong. His teaching called them to something higher. The very next things that Jesus taught was the need for faith, and his own power. Following God is not about being good enough. It is about recognizing the power of Jesus and trusting him, which leads to a higher level of ethical and moral behavior than the Law could ever prescribe. Jesus’ fulfillment of the Law, then, is based on faith in the power of Jesus whom we trust. Hearing his words and doing them starts with faith.

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