Live in Obedience
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?”
Our passage today begins with a sobering principle: our hearts are revealed by our lives. In verses 43-45, Jesus presents only two sorts: a good heart producing good fruit, and an evil heart producing evil fruit. We will all find ourselves in one of these groups.
As believers, we might assume that we belong to the first group. We may attend church, read our Bibles, and talk eloquently about spiritual matters. Yet, is this all it means to bear good fruit from a good heart? Jesus’s rhetorical question in verse 46 makes it clear: profession alone is not proof of a heart devoted to God. Rather, Jesus seeks obedience. Those with a truly faithful heart will practice what he teaches.
Jesus develops this with a parable comparing two builders. One builder begins by laying a strong foundation. This foundation is likened to practicing the words of Jesus. The other builder does not lay such a foundation. Again, there are just two options: to build with a foundation or without, or more plainly, to practice Christ’s teachings or not.2 Those who build their lives on obedience to Christ are stable amid the floods of life, which prove devastating to those who do not. The question then lingers: which are we?
Today, and throughout this season of Lent, may you hear Christ’s call to live in obedience. May we remember, follow, and rejoice in Jesus Christ, who was himself obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8).
Lord Jesus, help me today to not simply hear your words but to put them into practice, for your glory. Amen.
ISLA HENDERSON
Master of Theological Studies Student
Inverness, Scotland
2 James R Edwards, The Gospel According to Luke (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2015), 310.