"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great was its fall!"  Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes."

Let us give the context of this beautiful summary of the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus has just finished telling us how to get to heaven and what the journey will be like.  First, "do unto others as you would have them do to you."  This will be hard and in fact is the narrow and difficult way which few people find.  (So why do we grow despondent at the lack of charity in the world or are critical of others?  Incidentally we are told to act this way and are given no promise that others will reciprocate).  Along the way will be people who appear holy to deceive us.  We will know them - we will know ourselves - by the fruits our lives produce.  Finally, it is not sufficient to cry out to the Lord with our mouths.  Our hearts must be transformed and given to him.

Once we have heard these words how great is our responsibility to live them!  Ours is not a one time transformation: Jesus likens the journey of the spiritual life to the construction of a house.  A house is our abode while on this earth.  The life of listening and acting on the Word is our abode; it is the life of self-possession, of sitting at the feet of Christ and obeying him in our acts.  He does not tell us we won't be tried, and sometimes tried dearly through storms, trials and tribulations.  He does promise us perseverance if we have built our lives on him.  He also guarantees the complete and utter collapse of the soul who has heard him but has not acted on what he has heard.  A great collapse, a tragic collapse that we are told about in the prior verse, perhaps only witnessed in the next life or at the end of the world when these souls are told by the Judge "yes you cried 'Lord, Lord' but you never did my will.  Go away from me evil doers."

Spectacular will be the fall of the souls who did not act on the Word.  Let us make changes in our lives today to ensure we are not among that number.