Sand to me can be so deceptive. “Brandon,” you ask, “How can an inanimate thing like sand ever be deceptive?” Well let me take a moment and explain. I have been fortunate enough to travel to many beaches in my life. I love the beach and in fact it is one of my favorite places to travel. However, I have learned a one major thing through all my experiences at the beach. Sand shifts. It gets stuck in everything from your shoes, to your swimsuit, to your beach chair, to your towel. Sand travels. More than that, sand is so unstable. Have you ever tried to run in sand or stand in the sand when it is blitzed by a wave? It is nearly impossible to remain sure-footed. This is what I mean when I say that sand is deceptive. Upon first glance sand promises to be a stable foundation, and yet when an outside force such as your foot, or wind or rain hit it, it fails to deliver in its stability.
On the other hand I have also been fortunate enough to travel to many mountains. Although sand has proven repeatedly to be an unstable foundation, a mountain or rock yields a very different experience. I am not talking about a fragment of rock that has fallen off a cliff but the very mountain or cliff itself. Unlike the sand, the rock remains firm. When I stand upon the rock or when wind or rain comes, the rock remains. The rock has never once failed to support me and provide a sure foundation to stand upon.
I am sure that many of you have experienced this very same result and with that frame of mind let’s now transition into a very similar illustration that Jesus uses in Matthew 7:24-27. In this story, Jesus provides us with two scenarios. The first is of a wise man who builds his house on a rock. The second is a foolish man who builds his house on the sand. Looking back to our earlier discussion on the sand and the rock, we can begin to fully understand why building a house on the rock would be wise and why building a house on the sand would be foolish. So in the physical alone this makes sense in our minds. But let’s dive a little deeper and look at it from a spiritual perspective.
The “rock” that Jesus is referring to in these passages is Himself and His Word. Whereas the sand that Jesus is referring to is anything else outside of Him and His Word. Notice that I said ANYTHING? Yes, anything! This is such an important truth to constantly bring to the forefront of our minds because it is one that will save us from experiencing these great “falls” that Jesus references. Jesus is beautifully painting a picture in our minds and hearts that a life (house) built on and founded on anything else other than Him and His Word will fall, especially in the event of a storm of life. If our foundation and hope for security is in the sands of this life, like our monies, our popularity, our possessions, our relationships, anything apart from Jesus and His Word, it will end in a great fall which is an eternity spent separated from the very Giver of Life. This is what Jesus means when He says He is the rock. His plea to build your life on the rock is not written in condemnation but in His love and passion to save you. Jesus and His Word give us new life, full life and eternal life. The sands of life are deceptive because they give the false promise of a true and stable life but ultimately fail to deliver. Jesus the rock remains firm and never fails. Stand and build upon the rock.
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