Luke 6:49 (DRB)

Passage

But he that heareth and doth not is like to a man building his house upon the earth without a foundation: against which the stream beat vehemently. And immediately it fell: and the ruin of that house was great.

Nearby Context

Luke 6:47 Every one that cometh to me and heareth my words and doth them, I will shew you to whom he is like.

Luke 6:48 He is like to a man building a house, who digged deep and laid the foundation upon a rock. And when a flood came, the stream beat vehemently upon that house: and it could not shake it: for it was founded on a rock.

Luke 6:49 But he that heareth and doth not is like to a man building his house upon the earth without a foundation: against which the stream beat vehemently. And immediately it fell: and the ruin of that house was great.

Study Lenses

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

The prior verse says "He is like to a man building...", giving immediate footing for "heareth" and "doth". 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 "doth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.