Reference Passage:
Luke 6:49 (NKJV)
"He who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.
And the ruin of that house was great."
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"I am the power that lifts the world's head proudly skywards, surpassing limits and expectations. I am Burj Khalifa."
So runs a proclamation on the walls of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, located in Dubai. Towering over Dubai's landscape at a height of 828m, built at a cost of USD 1.5 billion and shattering several world records in one go, we would be compelled to think likewise. However, the Burj's completion co-occured with the financial crisis, that took the wind out of the sails of Dubai's sky-high dreams. As lavishly ornate office and residence spaces remain unoccupied, I wonder which - an inward look or a skyward one - would be more appropriate. My thoughts turn to the construction of an edifice that the Lord Christ envisioned in the parable of the two builders.
The wise man's wisdom may not have been obvious when he commenced his task. His engineering design focussed on reaching deep into the earth for a solid foundation. The cons of such an approach aren't too difficult to spot. If time is money, going deep would cost a fortune. This is why the pursuit of spirituality fails to appear in our time-tables. Why should one waste time reading God's Word, when the mall's winter sale ends tomorrow? Although preparing for the exams hardly bothered us when the schedule was announced, there's always the eleventh hour, even if this means missing Church meetings to study.
At times, our protagonist finds himself lonely because digging deep into matters of faith is now culturally unpopular. Others fail to understand why he's so hyped up about following an unseen Nobody, whose role seems to have been successfully substituted by the twenty first century technologist. His questions on life after death, are comically plastered on advertisements for life insurance – "What would they do if you died tonight?" All of this, still can't shake his core belief that God has much more to do with the foundations of the human civilisation, than any other manmade substitute.
Nature has its unique quality control mechanisms to test how well we build ourselves. The floods came crashing and screaming, its hands pushing the house with great strength. Those were dark days for the wise man, as pain and doubt attempted to crush his labour of faith in a moment. However, with every passing minute, the strength of his Rock foundation was shining ever brighter. Ultimately, the torrent gave up; in the dawn of peace, the house was still standing for the Rock of Ages had once again proved He was simply unbeatable.
Another man began his own construction project, although in different taste and spirit. Not that he didn't want to build, but he had a peculiar habit of hearing God's advise, yet doing nothing about it. In this context, most of us aren't very different in our approach to God's Word. It barely takes moments for the latest sermon to vanish from memory, more so because we feel there's no accountability involved – pastors dont conduct surprise tests anyway. The consequence is a shallow spiritual experience that appears like a better structure, at a lower price. Its a shame that we delude ourselves in the sunshine, that those days of darkness would never visit our soul, in spite of the certainity that our Teacher has pointed out.
The unforgiving floods came knocking one day, and the knees of the foolish man followed suit. His design was clearly unready for such difficulty levels. This house could not match the assault, and soon began to crumble under the crushing blows of the tempest. The hidden weaknesses of the structure gradually emerged. Worse still, the storm was taking away even the little that remained, and leaving behind a desolate ruin – completely exposed and vulnerable. The material loss was only a part of the toll; the ensuing shame and dishonour was a far greater casualty. Take an example - over and over again, Christian grandstanding on love has been rich in expression, while practical meaning in the fundamentals of human relationships go unheeded. The strain is already showing in our family lives and Church associations. Does it ever bother us that our sacrifices in the name of religion, might actually come to nothing if our 'house' fails to stand up to the tests of life?
Both builders had something in common – the desire to live progressively. Both of them had major losses at different stages in life, the distinctive difference being the nature of loss – one lost the temporary to gain the Eternal, while the other grabbed the temporary, and missed the Eternal. Furthermore, their fiery trials revealed vastly different results – the unapparent strength of the wise, and the hidden weakness of the foolish.
Each day, our faults prompt us to dig even deeper into the Rock for potency to conquer all. When the silence of loneliness bothers us in the depths, may the thoughts of the Cross soothe our soul – for there, lay the rejected Saviour who saved many, yet the One whom none would save. Indeed, He is the Rock of Ages, cleft to hide sinners from the violent storm of Divine judgement and the sure foundation of His Church, their eternal hope of glory in a world tottering on the brink of self-destruction.
