N ot everyone who calls me, ‘Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he in whose heart is the will of my Father. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘You may have done these things but your hearts were far from me. I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers! You have no part with me.’

He paused for a moment. He seemed at an end of his discourse. His arms hung limply at his side. It occurred to me that he might be reflecting on these last thoughts when he said,

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a man of wisdom who built his house on 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 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.”

With that, he sat down on the rock and folded his arms. No one moved. They seemed awestruck. They were accustomed to the nasal droning of the synagogue rabbis but this man had spoken to them with animation, self-assurance, force and most of all, believability. Even the dog looked at him in wonder.

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