Time for a little pop-culture trivia:
Q. “I pity the fool” is a catchphrase spoken by which famous actor?
A. If you answered Mt. T, you are correct.
Q. Which Mr. T character said those words?
A. If you said B.A. Baracus from “The A-Team”—wrong!
Contrary to popular belief, B.A. never said, “I pity the fool.” It was another Mr. T character—Clubber Lang from the 1982 film “Rocky III.”
Why does it matter? Well, it doesn’t unless you are a purist like me who needs quotes to be said correctly and from the right source.
Some of Jesus’ most famous quotes come from the Sermon on the Mount (SOTM). As you have been reading these devotions during our SOTM series, I’m sure you have come across some very familiar and recognizable lines.
Today’s reading is a conclusion to all that Jesus spoke in the SOTM. He closes with a comparison of two people who have heard the same thing but respond in two different ways.
Some heard the words Jesus spoke on the SOTM and it changed them. It moved them in a way that evoked a change in their lives; a decision to not just hear the words of Jesus but to apply them to their lives each day. Jesus said they were like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Others heard them and then decided to go on living the lives they were leading without any modification of thought or behavior. In contrast, they were like those who built their house on sand.
What these two groups of people shared was that a storm did indeed come. One wasn’t protected from the storm over the other, but one had a foundation that could weather the storm because of what was laid as a foundation. The SOTM is the blueprint for a strong foundation—one that lasts, but only if you apply it to your life. That will make you like the wise man.
Don’t ignore or neglect the truths Jesus spoke in the SOTM. I’d hate to have the words of Clubber Lang echoing in your head: “I pity the fool” who hears these words and doesn’t put them into practice.
Reflection:
- How have you taken the words and lessons from the Sermon on the Mount and applied them in your life for positive change?
- Where are you most challenged in not just hearing but doing the things in the SOTM? What is the most challenging application?
- What’s one thing you can do today to add another “stone to your foundation”?