“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do what I tell you?
“Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them into practice —I will show you what he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep, and laid the foundation on bedrock. When a flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the person who hears and does not put my words into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against that house, it collapsed immediately, and was utterly destroyed!”
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Maybe you live in a culture where outward expression is important, I do. How things appear is so important where I live that I once borrowed a clerical collar to aid my entry into a hospital (in the end I didn’t end up actually going). How things appear, how things look, is so important here that looking like I am what I am is very helpful.
Taking the truths of vv.43-45 and adding to it the notion that we cannot simply produce empty words to convince people we’re producing good fruit, Jesus here says “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do what I tell you?”. It’s not enough to have the appearance of fruit in our lives, it’s not enough to simply say the right things or look the part (as I thought I might need to at the hospital).
Jesus makes the point that those who hear and do are like those who build houses on sure foundations (vv.47-48) but those who hear and don’t do are like those who build houses without foundations (v.49).
The point is clear: hearing and appearing are not enough. Hearing the Word and not doing anything with it is not enough (James 1.22-24). Hearing the Word and appearing to believe it is not enough.
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do what I tell you?”
If we are claiming to be a believer, we ought to behave like a believer. I read recently that a believer ought to do what he says and be what they claim to be. The help and the empowerment is there for you (John 16.7) but the commitment and response needs to come from you.
Today, think about whether your words match your ways.
If they don’t, where is there a disconnect?
Why do you think that is?
What do you plan to do about it?
James Travis 