Foundations: The Wise Man and the Foolish Man

Another old journal entry:

I find it interesting that I have never heard a lesson taught using the version of the parable of the wise and foolish men from Luke, because it emphasizes a point that isn't so clear in the other accounts.

Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them,... he is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.   Luke 6:47-48

The key here is that the wise man dug deep until he hit the rock, then laid a firm foundation upon it, while the foolish man built right on top of the earth. I had always envisioned one house being build up on a mountain and the other down on the sandy beach, but not so by this account: both hear the word, and were standing on Gospel soil, but only one dug down and rooted his house so that it stood firm upon the rock of our redeemer, Jesus Christ. Digging deep into the Gospel requires DOING the Father's will--that is what brings that testimony that makes us unshakable against the adversary.

There is a cheesy video of children's songs that my MIL bought and that Ethan loves. It includes the song "The Wise Man and the Foolish Man," and is illustrated by kids building a house with Lincold Logs on a rock, then on the sand. At the end, to illustrate the lyrics "the house on the sand went smash," a bucket of water was dumped to knock down the house. During one viewing (there have been many!) John remarked that it was funny that they had to use a bucket of water on the house in the sand, because in reality the house on the big slippery rock would have fallen more easily. That's where the teaching in Luke makes things clear; it's the foundation on the rock that holds the house fast. The rock won't move, but we must be affixed to it. The sand, on the other hand, will shift, so you can't lay a good foundation upon it--the foundation is worthless if it's not on the rock.

*Also note: the great & spacious building in Lehi/Nephi's dream was in the air--it had no FOUNDATION. And great was the fall of it.