If there is no storm

Sermon on Matthew 7:24-27

This week, we continue our sermon series on parables and imageries from Matthew. Faithful followers of our sermons will know that there is a prominent imagery running through Matthew. This imagery is that of Jesus as King. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus the King has given his laws for his kingdom. Since he is the King, all the people who belong to this kingdom must be subjected to his laws. This imagery is easy to understand. If you are in Singapore, you live under Singaporean laws. Be careful with your chewing gums. Don’t drive on the bus lanes during peak hours. Also, we declare that the PAP is a kind and loving government. (joking) Well, stuff like that. Similarly, if you come to my house, then you come under my house rules. In my house, I am the king and I have the final say. However, my situation is not unlike the game of chess. The king lives only because the queen is powerful.

Now, under the usual circumstances, after the king has given his laws, the proper response as citizens of the kingdom is obedience. That seems pretty straight forward. We obey the laws because we have submitted ourselves to the King’s authority. His wish is our command. The will of the King is a directive for us to follow. However, this is precisely the point where the imagery of Jesus as King starts to fail. Unlike a king, Jesus has no soldiers to maintain his rule. Nobody will be punished or imprisoned for breaking his laws. It seems to us that these laws are in fact unenforceable. Unlike a king, Jesus has no physical presence. We do not feel that Jesus is around us to nag about our obedience to his laws. As the saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind”. Unlike a king, Jesus has no earthly favors to bestow. The best Christian cannot earn any title of nobility or be conferred rights to any land. In short, though the law has been given, but does obedience actually matter?

To help us see the situation clearly, Jesus uses an imagery. He talks about two kinds of house builders. One builds his house on the rock, while the other builds his house on the sand. However, herein lies the danger of using an imagery. Without a proper understanding of Jesus’ context, we might easily miss the main point of Jesus’ message. We might think that the house on the rock is like a house on top of a cliff with a great sea view. The waves can splash against the rocks, but they will never affect the house on top. The house on the sand is like a sandcastle on the beach. Come high tide, the waves easily bury the house. (In fact, I took these pictures from a website with precisely such a misconception. [i] ) If this is the image, then of course the choice is plain and simple. Of course, the one building a sand castle is a crazy, foolish man. Of course, the one on the rocks is a normal sensible person. So, we might therefore conclude that Jesus is telling us not to be stupid. Obeying Jesus’ law is a matter “of course”. After all, who in the right mind would build a house in the path of constant onrushing waves? Of course, we would choose to obey Jesus, wouldn’t we?

But that is not Jesus’ context. When Jesus was referring to the rock and the sand, he was referring to a unique phenomenon in the Israelite wilderness. Jesus was talking about floods in the desert. Floods in the desert! That’s something that his direct listeners know from experience, but something I guess we modern readers can only imagine. In Israel, floods in the desert are a surprisingly frequent occurrence because of the topography of the land. The mountains to the north of the Negev and to the west of the Judea Wilderness get significant amounts of rainfall during the extremely short rainy season. These are limestone mountains. The soil of these mountains cannot absorb this amount of water, so it runs off into the arid wilderness. They become sudden floods of rushing rivers. These “floods and rivers” disappear in the dry land as fast as they appear. And soon, all that is left are dry riverbeds. The wilderness has many of these dry riverbeds, which become larger as they get nearer to the Dead Sea. These dry riverbeds are known as wadis [ii] (translator may just say “wadi” throughout sermon). There is a sudden decrease in speed when the floodwaters drops from the mountains to the plains. Floodwaters therefore leave behind sand and gravel. Jesus’ imagery of the wise man who built his house on the rock and the foolish man who built his house on the sand is probably based on this unique phenomenon. The man who built his house on the sand is in a flood zone. The rains fell, the floods came, and the house was destroyed. Another man who build on the rock is out of the flood area, and the rains, though severe, had no impact on his house. It’s hard for us to imagine a flood in the desert. Yet, when a flood does occur in the desert, it is amazing to behold. The sky is clear, the sun is shining, and suddenly a wall of water roars through the narrow canyon. Anyone and anything unfortunate enough to be in the wadi is washed away. It is an all-too-frequent occurrence for shepherds and sheep in this region. Though the wadis remain dry for most of the year, sudden floods sometimes rush through these riverbeds because of rain in the nearby mountains. The most frequent cause of death in the wilderness is not starvation, thirst, or heat exhaustion. Surprisingly, most wilderness deaths happen through floods. [iii] Floods in the desert! Unimaginable.

This is the proper context of Jesus’ imagery. You have heard the laws of Jesus the King. And now, you have two choices to respond. You can choose to obey or to disobey. Obedience is not a matter “of course”. Knowing the proper context, we see now that obedience is a matter of deliberately choosing the difficult way. It is tougher, it is against our natural inclination, but it is safer. The one who listens and obeys, builds his house on the rock. These are limestone mountains. They are hard, dry and difficult. But the house is safe from the flood that may come. The one who listens and does not obey builds his house on the sandy ground. But they are sandy because they are actually wadis, dry riverbeds of the desert. If ever the rain comes, these wadis become rivers. And everything in its path will be swept away. Slowly but surely, you can see now that the storm and rain in Jesus’ imagery, is actually an analogy of the coming judgment. All of us have heard his laws on the Sermon on the Mount. You can choose to obey or to disobey. So, we have asked the question earlier: Does obedience actually matter? In the concluding words of Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives his answer: Yes, it matters. You can build your house on the rock, you can build your house on the sand. But I’m telling you there will come a day of storm, and you know which is the one that will stand.

If there is no storm (若不会有暴雨), the wadi is a great place to build a house. The land is much softer than the limestone rocks. You might have shade from the steep mountains nearby. In the entire dry wilderness, these are the few places where water is more accessible. The wadi seems easier and more natural. It’s easier to plant crops, and to find food for your cattle. The wadi is a great place to build a house, if there is no storm.

If there is no storm, superficiality is good enough. I do not have to work hard on a foundation on the rock. Outwardly, I am just like any other Christian. Others call Jesus, “Lord, Lord”, I also call him “Lord, Lord”. Others engage in all kinds of spiritual activities, I also busy myself with these things. I do not need to actually obey these laws of Jesus; an extreme and private obedience to the laws [iv] which would force me to transform my values and my character. It’s good enough to appear superficially a Christian, if there is no storm.

If there is no storm, the one slogging away on the limestone rock seems so foolish for his extra efforts. If there is no storm, I don’t need to force myself to love my enemies. If there is no storm, I don’t need to deal with my hate, deal with my lust, deal with my lies, or deal with my pride. If there is no storm, I can just be myself. I don’t have to be salt and light of this world. I don’t have to listen and actually practice. I can enjoy my sermons, and not feel compelled to change, if there is no storm.

But the storm will surely come. The one who has given the laws is also the one who have spoken with authority. The storm will surely come. The environment is a parched desert. The choice is between a soft sandy ground and a hard rock to build a house. It is tough, but choose the rock. The storm will surely come. No one knows what actually goes on in a person’s heart. Instinctively, one would feel better building his security on wealth, building his esteem on judging other, building his reputation on public displays of piety. But instead, choose to build your security on trusting fully in God, to build your esteem on being gracious to others, to build your reputation only in God’s eyes. Choose the rock instead of the sand, for the storm will surely come.

(Play video of Bill Cosby’s comedy routine: Noah: Me and You, Lord. ) [v]

This comedy routine by Bill Cosby is known as Noah: Me and You, Lord. The punchline works because it is the moment the flood came, that the relationship between Noah and the Lord suddenly became really crucial. Before the flood, it is hard to tell who is wise and who is foolish. More likely, the one that seemed to have labored for nothing is considered the fool. When I thought about Jesus’ imagery in today’s passage, I wondered: Where is my house now? When the storm comes, can it withstand the flood? I admit it is tough for me because I am often tempted to do what is easy and what look good on the surface. I hate to get out of my comfort zone. I hate the stretching of the mind, the renewing of the heart and the sacrificing of the will. But you know, I’m thinking twice about my usual practices. The tempting place is sandy and soft, with bits of grass and bushes, for a reason. It is a wadi, a dry riverbed that floods when the storm comes. I think it’s safer to actually practice the words of Jesus, and build my house on a safe place, even if it is a tough as building on a rock, for the storm will surely come.

i http://kenraggio.com/KR-Rock-Of-Truth-Vs-Sand-Of-Lies.html
ii http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi
iii http://www.followtherabbi.com/Brix?pageID=1782
iv See http://www.jubilee.org.sg/sermons/?sermon_id=45
v http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg1tTmLzAI4