9TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.

MT 7: 21-27

v. 21 - Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of hea-ven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

v. 22 - Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?'

v. 23 - Then I will declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'

Verses 21-23 is further explanation of the preceding verses (16-20) where it talks about “by their fruits you shall know them.” Fruit is not what a man says but what he does. Therefore, to distinguish the two kinds of prophets is by their deeds. The prophets in verse 22 are identified as a false prophets because their deeds were evil (v. 23).

Jesus as judge on the last day will also judge by deeds and not by words (Mt 3:12).

“I never knew you” is used here in the sense of “to not acknowledge” or “to not recognize”. Jesus declares that although they claimed his authority for the mighty deeds they performed, he has not commissioned them.

“Depart from me, you evildoers” is a quotation from Ps 6:8.

v. 24 - "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.

v. 25 - The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.

v. 26 - And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.

v. 27 - The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."

As in the case of the false prophet so also those who hear the teaching of Jesus will also be judged by what they have done.

The one who acts of the words of Jesus is the one who obeys his teachings. He is considered a wise man. The one who disobeys his teachings is a foolish man.

Contrasting the wise and the foolish is also found in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Mt 25:1-13). There the foolish virgins addressed the bridegroom with “Lord, Lord” (Mt 25:11) as here in Mt 5:21. And as in v. 23 the foolish virgins also received the response of “I do not know you” (Mt 25:12).