Jesus’ parable of the house on the rock (Mt 7:24-27) has almost become folklore:
"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be likened to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it did not fall, because it was founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be likened to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was its fall."
The "words" Jesus speaks of are his finely balanced, yet demanding teaching. The "house" is the human consciousness. The "downpour" is the deluge of horrific images, fears, and visions of doom, which are disseminated uncontrollably, not only by the media. As the evangelist Mark (Mark 7:21–23) knows:
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts: adultery, fornication, murder, theft, covetousness, malice, deceit, sensuality, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; all these evil things proceed from within and defile a man.”
Thus, the poor person who hasn't learned to defend himself against the double-tongued whisperings that stream in from outside and possibly also from within is exposed to a constant stream of mental impressions. Constant stress is the result. Jesus' strategy, on the other hand, seems incredibly simple at first glance: Be courageous and reposition yourself:
- Build yourself a house not made with hands.
- The Sermon on the Mount is your blueprint.
- Its structure is your foundation.
- Their contents convey to you the spirit that protects you.
- Their rules are your weapons against negative influences of any kind.
It's a fascinating thought to me that every human being is fundamentally capable of building a "strong fortress" (Luther). However, to do so, they must take the Sermon on the Mount seriously as the unshakable paradigm of the spirit. It demands understanding and courageous action. It's not enough to simply know its rules. Disciplined training, as well as the sustained and experimental implementation of its 24 rules in everyday life, is the key to spiritual success and – to so much more joy in life. But here, too, the following applies: All beginnings are difficult, but practice makes perfect.
