²¹ "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
²² Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?'
²³ Then I will declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'
²⁴ "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
²⁵ The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
²⁶ And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
²⁷ The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."

• The Gospel reading of this week links two teachings of Jesus: one on false prophet (vv. 21-23) and the other on true foundation of Christian life (vv. 24-27) to emphasize living the Word of God.
• (vv. 21-23) Israel has a tradition of distinguishing the true prophet of God from the false one. It is not what the person proclaims but the effect of that proclamation and whether the prophet's lifestyle matches his words.
• "False prophet" is not a code name for Pharisees, or Zealots, or other opponents of the Christian communities, but refers to Christian teachers who are "wolves in sheep's clothing" (see Mt 7:15).
• (v. 21) What Matthew objects is not the message but the false messenger who does not bring about a conversion of heart. Only those who do the will of God, not simply talk about it can inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
• (v. 22) The ability of prophesizing, or exorcising, or performing miracles in itself will not count for anything if it is not motivated by love from God (see 1 Cor 13:1-3).
• (v. 24) "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine" is the conclusion of the whole Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5-7).
• The parable of the two builders appears both in Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:47-49, but Matthew's version reflects the custom of building house in Palestine, which usually was done during the dry season when the soil seems solid. If the house is not secured properly, the seasonal storm will come and sweep it away.
• To illustrate the two kinds of hearers of the Word, Matthew uses contrasting images: "wise/foolish," "rock/sand," "doing/not doing," "not fall/fall."
• The label "wise" or "foolish" does not apply to the intellect of a person but his or her spiritual insight (that is, what is really count in tough time).

The Word of God will not be fruitful unless it is put into practice.

1. What are my actions (and inactions)?
2. What is the foundation of my actions? What do I "put into practice"?
3. What can I do to more firmly establish my house upon the "rock"?

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A synthesis by the Vietnamese Christian Life (Dong Hanh) Community