Kids Story: The Wise and Foolish Builders (Matthew 7:24-27)

Performed at Lilydale Adventist Church - May 3, 2025

To prepare for this children’s story I had a chat with Gemini Deep Research about wisdom in the Bible for Children. Then, when considering a way to illustrate the point, an illustration of Tom Wright’s came to mind.

Angled Mirrors

Tom Wright’s mirror illustration can be found here:

Gemini Deep Research

Context: This well-known parable serves as the powerful conclusion to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7), His most extensive recorded teaching. Having laid out the principles of life in God's kingdom, Jesus uses this story to emphasize the critical importance of not just hearing His words, but actively putting them into practice.

Wisdom Demonstrated: Obedience to God's Word: The core of wisdom, as taught here, is active obedience. It's not enough to simply hear or agree with Jesus; true wisdom is demonstrated by doing what He says.


Building on a Solid Foundation: Wisdom involves choosing the right basis for one's life. Building on the "rock" of Christ's teachings provides enduring stability and security against life's inevitable challenges.


Foresight/Long-Term Perspective: The wise builder anticipates future difficulties (storms) and prepares by choosing a solid foundation, demonstrating prudence. The foolish builder likely chooses the easier, quicker path (sand) without considering the potential consequences.


Suitability for Children: The house-building analogy is simple, visual, and easily understood by children. It creates a clear distinction between the wise choice (hearing and doing) and the foolish choice (hearing but not doing). It practically illustrates the importance of obedience and grounding one's life in Jesus' teachings for strength and stability. The existence of a popular children's song based on this parable also aids familiarity and recall.


Further Considerations: The crucial difference between the two builders lies in their actions – doing versus not doing what they heard. This emphasizes that biblical wisdom is fundamentally active, requiring participation and application, not just passive reception of information. This has direct implications for teaching, suggesting that lessons should always aim for practical life application. Furthermore, the consequence for the foolish builder is severe – a "great fall," signifying complete destruction. Within the context of Matthew's Gospel, this points strongly towards the irreversible consequences of the final judgment. This highlights that the choice between the wisdom of obedience and the folly of disobedience is not trivial but carries ultimate, eternal weight.