Once, after one of His sermons, Jesus addressed His disciples, asking why they kept calling Him ‘Lord’ yet did not put into practice what He had taught them. The disciples had given up their jobs, left their families, and were diligently following their Rabbi, so they were committed — but they lacked the perception to understand what He truly wanted from them.
Because of this, they were not able to put into practice all that they were hearing. So Jesus proceeded to teach them a parable of two contrasting builders: one who built his house on sandy shores, and another who built his house upon a solid rock foundation.
Hollow Worship
As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.
Luke 6:47-48 (NIV)
Why do we call Jesus our Lord and Saviour yet fail to follow what He says? We call Him our King and proclaim our love for Him, but so often we make little effort to understand what He truly desires from us.
A popular custom in South India is that a baby girl’s ears can be pierced only after her head is shaved. When I once asked why this must be so, no one could explain it. There was no logic behind it — only the reply, “This is how it has been done since our parents’ time.” When I researched as to the origns of this custom, I found out that it had Vedic roots both are considered significant purification rites of passage (samskaras).
Our world is filled with hundreds of such pagan customs that Christians follow without question and with absolute diligence. Yet, when it comes to following Jesus, the One whom we call our King, it somehow feels like a burden. We proclaim that He is King and we even sing songs declaring it. But when it comes to actually doing what we read in Scripture or what we sing in our worship, we stop short. There is no purpose in going to church or taking part in outreach if we do not follow Jesus in our personal, daily lives. Without Jesus as our foundation , everything we have built — or are building — rests on weak soil, and in time, it will fall.
The Wise and Foolish
In Jesus’s example, the foolish man built his house on loose soil while the wise man built on a solid foundation. But what does the world call wise, and what does it call foolish? In the parable of the shrewd manager, the master commended a dishonest servant because he had acted cleverly.
The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
Luke 16:3-4 (NIV)
This is the type of person the world values — resourceful, calculating, and able to find a way out even through questionable means. We may also have people in our lives whom we try to emulate: a role model, or perhaps a colleague who is articulate and works smartly. Yet few strive to emulate Jesus or shape their lives to be like Him. Instead, we find ourselves pursuing the traits of the shrewd manager, valuing worldly cleverness above obedience to our Creator.
For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.
Luke 16:8 (NIV).
Jesus says that the people of the world are more shrewd than the people of the light. But the shrewdness of the dishonest people can only get them so far as the rewards of their manipulations would die on this earth along with them. The benefactors of the manager’s dishonesty would have realised that he could not be trusted with his master’s possessions and would have not been ready to put him in charge of their own assets. Jesus is asking us to choose between the riches of this world or God as there can be no middle ground.
The Ways of the World are Detestable in God’s Sight
What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
Luke 16:15 (NIV)
What does God want for our lives? In our relationship with God we also sometimes feel that there is no way back. Hoping to secure our future without him we turn to the people we know and try to gain their support. In trying to make the people of this world happy we betray God even more blatantly. The things that we were previously afraid to do now seem like nothing and we go on sinning and going further down the rabbit hole. During this period satan supports us till the time our connection with God is completely broken. Once his objective is achieved he leaves us with the friends we have gathered and with our superficial life. When his master realized what the manager had been doing during his notice period, he commended him for his shrewdness.
What do we prioritise in our life? We often prioritise the things that will bring us financial success, because money—or simply having money—seems to be the answer for everything. Marriage, respect in church, the love of people, all of this we thing becomes easier by having money and thus it is what we choose to prioritise. We can choose to be wise and shrewd in the ways of this world or choose to be humble and obedient to the ways of God, but if we think there can be a compromise between the two, then we are not as shrewd as we think.
Our Failure in Applying the Word
But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.
Luke 6:49 (NIV)
Why do we find it so difficult to follow and apply the teachings of Jesus? We often struggle to apply the words of Jesus in our lives because there are deeper issues within us that resist His call. Our ego and pride stand in the way, convincing us that change is unnecessary or too difficult. Our long-standing habits hold us back, shaping patterns of behaviour that we find hard to surrender. At times, we simply do not want to change, preferring the comfort of familiar ways rather than the challenge of obedience.
Added to this, we tend to follow the example of those who themselves walk in the wrong direction, and we begin to emulate what we see in them, becoming influenced by their choices rather than by Christ’s. And beneath it all, we feel as though we lack the strength or ability to walk according to His words.
A similar warning was given in Ezekiel’s time. The people were misled by voices that promised peace where there was none, covering fragile foundations with whitewash that could not endure. God exposed both the weak wall and the false assurance placed upon it:
“‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth. When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the whitewash you covered it with?”
Ezekiel 13:10-12 (NIV)
So the parable that Jesus told His disciples is not radical but the repetitive message from God that mankind has been ignoring God’s since creation. We must understand that anything in us that resists His truth will eventually be exposed, because only faith built on His words can stand. So every moment is precious, lets not waste anymore time chasing after what the world values and try to fit into this world.
God has set us apart for His purpose, we must understand that and break away from our family traditions, religious practices, our career goals or anything else that makes us feel secure in this world. Let us not build our house on the sinking sand that is this world, rather build our house on Jesus who is the only unshakable foundation in our life.
The Jordan Valley 
Reply