Matthew 7:24-27

William was a contractor. He built houses. For many years, he built houses for other people. Nice houses. He used the best material they could afford. His workers had been with him for years, so he trusted them to do good work. The time finally came when he could afford to build his own house.

First, he had to find a good location for his house. Close to good schools for his children.

His son spent hours shooting hoops in the back yard. “Dad, Central High School has the best basketball team. If I play there, I’ll be sure to get a scholarship for college.”

His daughter had taught herself to play the flute. “Dad, Central Junior High has the best band director. Every year they march in the Rose Parade.”

And the youngest was into math. “Dad, they have a great math program. They always score the highest in the city.”

A good neighborhood with people he could relate to. Central Presbyterian Church was known for volunteers who served the community in many ways.

His wife had always wanted a place with a nice view of the mountains. He wanted to be close to the ocean. The suburb around the Central School District and the church was between the ocean and the mountains.

“Honey,” his wife suggested. “It would be nice to have a place with a real yard. I’m tired of pretending that three tomato plants in pots makes a garden. Maybe an acre or two?”

After some searching, they found a two-acre lot near the church in the Central School District. It nestled on a little hill that gave them a view of both the ocean and the mountains. It was an area where he had built several homes.

They began to build. As a contractor, he knew where to find the best materials. His crew took pride in building for him. Everything was going well until his foreman caught COVID and was hospitalized.

William spoke to him on the phone. The doctors expected him to be out of work for at least a month.

“Don’t worry, Tony,” William told him. “The health insurance we have will cover most of the bills. And I’ll keep paying you until you’re back on your feet.”

They discussed who would take Tony’s place temporarily. Henry, who had worked for William the longest, was the logical choice. The work would continue with Henry in charge.

It did.

William and his family moved into their new home a week after Tony was released from the hospital. They celebrated both events with a big party in the back yard.

The day after the party, the drought broke and it began to rain.

# # #

Fred was a contractor. He built houses. For many years, he built houses for other people. Nice houses. He used good enough materials, but he charged his customers for the best. He had trouble keeping a crew, because he did not pay his workers well.

One day a wealthy bachelor brought him some plans. “I’d like you to build this house for me. I have a lot already. It’s in a nice neighborhood, between the ocean and the mountains.”

Fred promised Mr. Morgan a nice, safe, comfortable home, one he would be pleased to own. He would only use the best materials, and his crew had many years of experience.

But what he said was not the way he worked. While he bought good construction material, it was not the best, the quality that he would charge for. He pocketed the difference.

I’ll make a bundle on this house, he told himself.

It took longer than he expected to hire a crew. Word had spread about his pay being lower with no benefits. Those he was able to hire had little experience. “Well, I can train them. At least, they know what a hammer is.”

Unfortunately, some of his new crew knew what a hammer was, but they had little practice using one. Since Fred had little patience for teaching, he often found himself needing to hire replacements for those who quit.

Fortunately, Mr. Morgan had more patience. “I was hoping to be moved in by the end of the month, but I can see it’s going to take longer than that. I know it’s hard to find good workers. COVID has caused a lot of trouble.”

Instead of being grateful, Fred chewed out his workers for being so slow. That caused two more to quit, slowing down the process even more. His new workers were even less reliable.

Finally, the house was built. He called the bachelor, and they agreed to meet the next morning.

The next morning, Fred waited and waited. The man did not appear. Fred called his number. No answer. He waited and called again. The morning wore on. Finally, he called someone he knew who knew the bachelor.

“Oh, didn’t you hear? It was all over the news,” his friend told him. “Mr. Morgan had a heart attack last night and died.”

“What! How did that happen?”

“Well, it seemed all his money was tied up in the wrong markets, and he was broke. When he found out, he collapsed. That was the end. He won’t even have enough for a decent funeral.”

“But … but I built his house!”

“Looks like it’ll be your house now.”

Fred sat down hard as he hung up the phone. “My house?”

His wife was pleased that they would no longer be renting, so Fred, his wife, and their three children moved into the house Fred built. The children were happy at their new schools in the Central Public School District, and the Presbyterian Church welcomed the new family.

The day after they finished unpacking, the drought broke and it began to rain.

It rained and it rained. It did not stop raining for a week.

# # #

Inside William’s new house, the family played games in the family room in the finished basement. They read books and listened to music in their warm, dry rooms. The dog stretched out in front of the fireplace.

William put on his raincoat to check on the older neighbors. Everyone in homes he had built greeted him with coffee and cookies, grateful to have such secure homes.

# # #

Inside Fred’s new house, pots and pans covered the floor, catching the rain that leaked through the roof. Towels and rags wedged around the windows sopped up the water leaking around the glass. The water rose in the basement. The family gathered in the one dry place, the downstairs bathroom.

Fred called the insurance company. They told him his limited coverage did not include water leaks from the roof and windows.

For consideration:

General Questions

1) How does this story follow its Scripture?

2) How does this story expand its Scripture for you?

3) What is the message of this story?

4) How does the message apply to us today?

Specific Questions:

5) Not all foundations are concrete or stone. What other kinds of foundations do we build?

6) What are the consequences of our priorities?

7) Matthew 7:21 says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” How does this compare to Romans 3:28?

8) What other verses in the New Testament tell us how we are saved? (Online concordances will let you look up words or phrases.)