In Gordon MacDonald’s book Building Below the Waterline, he cites David McCullough’s book The Great Bridge in which the author tells a fascinating story about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, which spans the East River, connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn. In June of 1872, the chief engineer of the project wrote,
“To such of the general public as might imagine that no work has been done on the New York tower, because they see no evidence of it above the water, I should simply remark that the amount of the masonry and concrete laid on that foundation during the past winter, under water, is equal in quantity to the entire masonry of the Brooklyn tower visible today above the waterline.” †
The Brooklyn Bridge remains a major transportation artery in New York City today because 144 years ago the chief engineer and his construction team did their most patient and daring work where no one could see it: on the foundations of the towers below the waterline.
At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his listeners “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matthew 7.24-27)
The Lord creatively challenges us to think about the foundation on which our lives are based.
- If someone were to ask you what the foundation of your life is, how would you respond?
- Every Sunday in the Sanctuary we sing, “Christ is made the sure foundation . . . and our confidence alone.” Are those mere words, or can you say with confidence and integrity that you have confidence in Christ?
- What are the similarities and differences between these houses and their builder-owners?
- What does this passage suggest about the kinds of people who face storms?
- At this point in your life, do you need to learn more, or practice what you have learned?
† Gordon MacDonald, Building Below the Waterline (Peabody, Massachusetts, 2011), 1.