Luke 6:49 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."

NIV: But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

NASB: But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; and the river burst against it and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.'

CSB: But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great."

NLT: But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.'

KJV: But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

NKJV: But 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.”

Luke ends Jesus' Sermon on the Plain with a warning to those who call Him "Lord" but don't obey Him (Luke 6:46). In short, those two descriptions are mutually exclusive. Saying you follow Jesus while refusing to obey His commands is a contradiction in terms (John 14:15). Following Jesus requires faith in Him. The natural and inevitable result of having faith is obedience. Anything else is dead, foolish deception, not saving faith (Romans 6:14–20).

Jesus has broached this topic before with the Pharisees. He said, "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old" (Luke 5:36). In that context, He was saying that it is impossible to persist under the Mosaic covenant by adding a bit of what Jesus teaches. Here, He's saying that you can't label your lifestyle "Jesus-follower" if you never change your lifestyle.

Someone who obeys Christ has proven their faith is deep: they will remain steadfast even when confronted with hardships. Those who do not obey prove their faith is weak: sitting on the surface of unstable ground. The unrelenting deluge of troubles will erode the ground out from under their lives, and they will crumble.

In the next section, Luke introduces a handful of people outside privileged society who have or need that firm foundation. The Gentile centurion, the sinful woman, and the women who support Jesus financially prove their faith with acts of obedience and trust. John the Baptist's disciples show how difficult it can be to maintain obedient faith and not succumb to fear. Even so, Jesus praises John's ministry and his call to obedience (Luke 7:1—8:3).

Luke 6:46–49 records Jesus' call for general discipleship. He has chosen the Twelve out of His enormous number of followers (Luke 6:12–16). He revealed some difficult things that He expects of His people, including forgiving their enemies (Luke 6:17–42). To do so requires a good heart (Luke 6:43–45). Now He extends an invitation to the crowd to build their lives on the sure foundation of His words. This concludes the Sermon on the Plain. Next is a series of stories about Jesus' relationships with the other, including a Gentile and several women (Luke 7:1—8:3).

Luke 6 contains two main sections of teaching and calls to discipleship. Luke 6:1–16 continues the pattern of Luke 5. The two ways in which Jesus sets aside tradition—this time by taking authority over the Sabbath—are paired with His call for the Twelve disciples. Luke 6:17–49 records Jesus' teaching on the ''level place,'' or His ''Sermon on the Plain,'' and a call to a crowd for general discipleship. Much of this material has parallels in Matthew 5 through 7, but it's not clear if the two accounts are of the same event. As a travelling teacher, Christ likely gave the same general message multiple times.

Luke 6 completes Jesus' call for disciples and followers that started in Luke 5. Luke 5:1—6:16 consists of three calls for disciples, each paired with two revolutionary teachings about Jesus' authority that increasingly infuriate the religious leaders. Luke 6:17–49 continues the theme with a general call for followers and a description of their responsibilities. In Luke 7:1—8:3, Jesus interacts with the other: Gentiles, women, and even the dead. This is followed by another general call (Luke 8:4–21), a series of miracles (Luke 8:22—9:17), and a final call for the Twelve to follow Him even more deeply (Luke 9:18–50).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.