download - Sekolah Tinggi Theologia Aletheia Lawang

39
actually leading people to misunderstand and disobey it. In their
own perverse way, they were on a course to destroy the law. 31
The final and clinching illustration may be referred to as
―The Two Builders.‖ Simple and straightforward, it depicts a wise
and a foolish builder (Matt. 7:24-27). The wise one builds his
house on a rock while the foolish one builds on sand. When the
storm comes, the house of the wise builder stands while that of the
foolish builder is swept away. The results speak for themselves.
However, the key to this illustration is found in the behavior of the
two. The wise builder hears the words of Jesus and practices or
obeys them while the foolish builder listens but does not practice or
obey what he hears. The message is repetitive and clear: God
expects obedience from his family by faith. The absence of willing
obedience expresses an absence of genuine faith. Speaking the
truth while living a lie earns a resounding rejection from God.
The parable of ―The Two Sons‖ reinforces the Sermon on
the Mount (Matt. 21:28-32). The intriguing aspect of this parable
is the juxtaposition of talk and behavior. One son is very
agreeable, promising to do what their father asks, yet fails to
deliver on his promise. It is not that he initially disobeys or
explicitly disobeys; rather, he fails to obey. Meanwhile, the other
brother who said he would not do what their father requested had a
change of heart and did what the father asked. Only one son
obeyed. Jesus asks: ―Which of the two did what the father
wanted?‖ (Matt. 21:31). By singling out taxpayers and prostitutes
as examples of those who repented in contrast to religious leaders
who gave every outward indication of desiring to do God‘s will but
disobeyed, Jesus underscored the difference between true
obedience and the sham of hypocrisy.
The demonstrable intent seems unassailable. Those who
would be united to God and become beloved children do so by
faith, and that faith will automatically express itself in obedience,
31 Luder Whitlock, The Spiritual Quest, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998,
pp. 80-81.