"A WISE MAN ... A FOOLISH MAN"
MATTHEW 7:24-27

Daniel Parks

In the preceding passage (vv.21-23), Jesus Christ taught concerning "he who does the will of My Father in heaven." In this passage (vv.24-27), He teaches that God's will is performed by "whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them." He illustrates this truth with "a wise man" and "a foolish man."

I. THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE "WISE" AND THE "FOOLISH" MAN

Jesus identified the wise man as "whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them" (v.24a); foolish men as "everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them" (v.26a).

The contrast between whoever is "wise" and everyone who is "foolish" would indicate that there are more foolish than wise. This would correspond to the "few" who enter the narrow gate which leads to life, and the "many" who enter the wide gate which leads to destruction (vv.13f).

The "foolish" merely call Jesus "Lord"; the "wise" obey Him as "Lord" (Luke 6:46f). To the foolish He says, "Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not the things which I say?" But He identifies the wise as "Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them."

The "foolish" are "hearers only, deceiving yourselves"; the "wise" are "doers of the word," and each is "blessed in what he does" (James 1:22-27). The wise, but not the foolish, realize that "to obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22), and that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20). The "wise man," in contrast to the "foolish," both hears and does what Jesus calls "these sayings of Mine." He refers foremost to this Sermon on the Mount. Re this "wise man":

1. He will practice what is required in the beatitudes (5:3-12): counting it a blessing to experience i) poverty of spirit (5:3); ii) sorrow over sin (5:4), iii) meekness before God (5:5), iv) pursuit of righteousness (5:6), v) mercy toward the pitiful (5:7), vi) purification of the heart (5:8), vii) persecution for doing so (5:9-12).

2. He will endeavor to be the influence Christ requires (5:13-16): as the i) "salt of the earth" (5:13); ii) "light of the world" (5:14-16).

3. He will endeavor to obey every aspect of the law of God by practicing a righteousness which exceeds that of even the most self-righteous (5:17-48): i) keeping his heart pure of murderous thoughts (5:21-26); ii) keeping his heart pure of adulterous thoughts (5:27-30); iii) honoring the sanctity of marriage (5:31f); iv) making his word his bond (5:33-37); v) showing mercy to the wicked (5:38-42); vi) loving even his enemies (5:43-48).

4. He will perform his good deeds toward God, not man (6:1-18): as in i) alms-giving (6:1-4); ii) praying (6:5-15); iii) fasting (6:16-18).

5. He will prove his love for God (6:19-34): by i) storing his treasures in heaven rather than on earth (6:19-21); ii) keeping his mind clear (6:22f); iii) serving God alone (6:24); iv) trusting God to provide his physical needs (6:25-34).

6. He will prove his love for fellow-men (7:1-12): by i) exercising restraint in judging (7:1-6); ii) giving good things to the needy (7:7-12).

7. He will manifest his discipleship to Jesus Christ (7:13-23): i) gaining access to eternal life by entering the narrow gate and walking the difficult way (7:13f); ii) rejecting heretical ministers (7:15-20); iii) doing the will of God (7:21-23)

II. THE SIMILES OF THE "WISE" AND "FOOLISH" MAN

A house built on the sand may fare as well as one built on a rock in fair weather. Looks can be deceiving -- and even self-deceiving!

But in the trials of life and at the final judgment, the house on the rock will stand while the house on the sand will fall. These trials come from every direction: falling from above like the "rain," rising from below like the "floods," and beating on every side like the "winds."

Therefore, build the house of your life on Jesus Christ and His doctrine. The foundation of the true religion is Christ, not self; objective truth, not subjective feelings; obedience to Christ, not satisfaction of self.

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