“ravening wolves”, who lead others to commit grievous sins, and are the cause of their eternal loss.
Application. Avoid all companions who are either irreligious or immoral. Do not read any bad or un-Christian books. To read such books is dangerous to both faith and morals, and for this reason it is forbidden by the Church.
10. Conclusion.
“Every one, therefore, that heareth these my words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock. And the rain fell, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these my words, and doth them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall thereof.”
Now it came to pass that, when Jesus had fully ended these words, the people were in admiration at His doctrine. For He taught them as one having power[1], and not as their Scribes and Pharisees[2].
COMMENTARY.
The rock of faith. The magnificent concluding words of the Sermon on the Mount mean this: He who has a Jiving faith in Jesus Christ stands firmly on a rock. He does not totter in time of danger, being assured that, by reason of his aim in life and his good works, his soul is safe. The rock, therefore, which resists all trials and temptations, even the terrors of death and the judgment, is a living faith in Jesus Christ.
Only living faith assures salvation. Once more our Lord reiterates that, in order to be saved, a man must not only heart but also do what He says. He who hears and believes our Lord’s words, and does not to them, is like the foolish man who built his house on the sand. Faith alone — faith without works — cannot save.
Jesus, the Great Prophet. In Him was fulfilled Moses’ prophecy (Old Test. XLIV): “The Lord thy God will raise up to thee a Prophet of thy nation, and of thy brethren, like unto me. Him thou shalt hear.” He promulgates by His own authority the Law of the New Testament,
