Luke 6:49 (ASV)

Passage

But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that built a house upon the earth without a foundation; against which the stream brake, and straightway it fell in; and the ruin of that house was great.

Nearby Context

Luke 6:47 Every one that cometh unto me, and heareth my words, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like:

Luke 6:48 he is like a man building a house, who digged and went deep, and laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a flood arose, the stream brake against that house, and could not shake it: because it had been well builded.

Luke 6:49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that built a house upon the earth without a foundation; against which the stream brake, and straightway it fell in; and the ruin of that house was great.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heareth", "doeth", "like", "built", "house", "upon", "earth", and "without". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heareth" and "doeth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "he is like a man building a...", giving immediate footing for "heareth" and "doeth". In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "heareth" and "doeth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.