Matthew 7:26 (ASV)

Passage

And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand:

Nearby Context

Matthew 7:24 Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock:

Matthew 7:25 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and if fell not: for it was founded upon the rock.

Matthew 7:26 And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand:

Matthew 7:27 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof.

Matthew 7:28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heareth", "words", "mine", "doeth", "shall", "likened", "foolish", and "built". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heareth" and "words", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "and the rain descended and the floods..." into verse 27's "and the rain descended and the floods...", so "heareth" and "words" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

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