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The Wise and Foolish Builders

Jesus told a parable about two builders to show that people must do what he says, not only hear it.

Matthew 7:24–27; Luke 6:46–49About 1 minute

Let’s begin

Jesus asked why people called him Lord but did not do what he said. Then he taught with a parable. He said that someone who comes to him, hears his words, and does them is like a wise man building a house on rock. Luke adds that the builder dug deep and laid the foundation there.

What happened next

When rain fell, floodwaters rose, winds blew, and the stream crashed against the house, it did not fall or even shake, because it was well founded. But the person who hears Jesus’ words and does not do them is like a foolish builder. Matthew says he built on sand. Luke says he built on the ground without a foundation.

The end

When the flood and storm struck, that house fell at once, and its ruin was great.

A children’s retelling of Matthew 7:24–27; Luke 6:46–49. You can read the Bible passage together too.

Matthew describes the weak house as built on sand. Luke describes it as built on the ground without a foundation, and adds that the strong builder dug deep.

Read the Bible passages

Source: World English Bible Classic, a public domain translation. This page is a retelling, rather than a word-for-word Bible text.

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