Draft:The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Men

Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Builders

Summary

The Houses of the Wise, and the Foolish during the Storm

The parable of the wise and the foolish builders found in Matthew 7:24-27 provides a story about a wise man, who constructed his house on a rock, ensuring it could withstand the harsh environment. So once the rain came down, and the stream rose, and the winds blew, his house did not fall due to the strong foundation. In comparison, a foolish man constructed his house on sand, and so the rain came down, and the stream rose, and the wind blew, and the house became weak and fell with a great collapse.

Main Teaching of Parable:

The main teaching within the parable of the wise and foolish builders implies that a life built upon obedience towards Jesus' teachings of faith and wisdom will withstand adversity and life's challenges. Ultimately providing resilience when facing obstacles and personal growth to those who built their life upon a strong, Christian foundation.

In contrast, those who listen to Jesus' teachings, yet do not follow them, resemble the foolish man, who built their foundation on a weak support, and came crashing down once life’s adversity and misery struck them.

From this message, we can infer that God values the application of his teachings throughout our lives, and our individual actions speak louder than listening to His words. In addition, this parable highlights the importance of a strong relationship between humanity and the Father, and the virtues of trust and obedience to Christ teachings.

Relevance of Parable Today:

Within the unstable society we live in today, the parable of the wise and foolish men describes the importance of prioritizing long-term relationships, and routines that promote personal growth and resilience. An example of this can be found in the time management of a wise man, who follows in Jesus teachings, and prioritizes important routines, and a foolish man who shows no care for his future. In this example, the wise man carefully plans and efficiently prepares for tasks, while completing them on time, creating a balance between his own life, and work. While the foolish man procrastinates his assignments, and becomes distracted often, which eventually leads to incomplete tasks. The wise man follows in Jesus teachings, and does not waste the gifts and talents provided by God. Whereas the foolish man wastes the privilege of life by being lazy and becomes overwhelmed by life’s challenges and tasks. Within both scenarios, the workload and surroundings are similar, but the difference is within the foundation the men have based their life upon. The wise man believes and follows Jesus' teachings which allows him to embrace the assignments and complete them on time, while the foolish man provides no care for following Jesus and has only ever heard of His teachings, leading him down a path of extreme laziness and procrastination. In conclusion, building a foundation upon Jesus' teachings fosters personal growth within ourselves, and our environment.

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