Image: LEGO® Ideas 21335 Motorized Lighthouse set submitted to LEGO Ideas by Sandro Quattrini (aka Roses Must Build on LEGO Ideas) in 2020.

Matt 7:24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

In my quest to build a bigger Lego scene, my research led me to the topic of terrains.  The surface of the terrain should be adjusted to portray either beach scene, mountain scene, woods scene, city scene etc.  Perhaps the most accurate beach scene would involve loose pieces or at least uneven areas, to represent the eroding effect of ocean waves.  A lighthouse wouldn’t last long if not placed atop the firm foundation of a rock.  Choosing a base for any large build, I would prefer a single solid baseplate or a table over a random assortment of smaller pieces.  

Jesus says that everyone who “hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”  Jesus did not just throw out some helpful suggestions for a good first-century society.  In Matthew 5, Jesus raised a very high standard that crescendoed with the command to “be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  So Jesus is pointing us to a moral standard that rests on the unchanging holiness of God himself.  This is significant for the Christian who claims to hold to an absolute system of morality.  The argument against Christian morals usually points to a supposed Christian or member of the church who either committed an atrocity or compromised their morals.  It is true that some in positions of worldly power committed horrible actions in the name of Christ, and it is true that church rules such as “dress code” have changed over time, but it is also true that God’s holiness has not changed over time.  

It isn’t hard for a true Christian to see that going back to Jesus’ red-letter words sheds light on morality.  For this reason, history’s enlightenment surrounding morality is linked with access to the Bible.  Study the impact of John Wycliffe, a man who made God’s Word louder than the state’s word.  For instance, the Bible translation from Latin to the commoner’s tongue made clear the saying of Jesus, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword”  (Matt. 26:52)  This was Jesus’ reaction to physical violence; and as if to stress His contrasting nature, He proceeded to heal the ear of the injured servant (Luke 22:51). Then there’s the “turn the other cheek” and “my kingdom is not of this world” sayings.  In John 18:36, in response to Pilate, Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”  Rather, most of the apostles were willing to die, and none to kill, for the cause. Try to take this Jesus and claim to murder in His name.  That would be like someone claiming to be a fan of Legos and throwing brand new Lego sets in the garbage.  Their actions speak louder than their label.  And that action, unimaginable as it may be, certainly doesn’t nullify all the true Lego fans. Jesus often describes those who hear His message, those who claim to follow His message, and those who actually live out His message.  To those who neglect the latter Jesus will declare, “I never knew you.”  

The Christian church is a collection of members across global history whose calling is to make Christ the foundation.  But it’s also a collection of imperfect people living in a world of opposing goals and values.  At times, worldly values seem to sway the Christian away from Christ.  The Christian can be thought of as a lighthouse keeper, whose lighthouse is built on solid rock.  This person sends out a message critical to survival, a warning of impending shipwreck.  The world can be thought of as a wandering ship full of passengers, some unaware and some ignorant of the lighthouse’s warning.  The compassionate lighthouse keeper may need to go out into the waters for a rescue mission.  The faithful lightkeeper may wander from the lighthouse, but not far.  And each rescue mission should consist of bringing the survivors to the safety of solid ground.  In this scenario, everything moves except the rock.  The true lighthouse keeper makes his home in the lighthouse built on the rock.  Any doubts are dismissed by pointing to the standing lighthouse.  Likewise, anyone wanting to see an absolute standard of morality need only go back to the teachings of Jesus himself. 

Furthermore, Jesus points to the ultimate standard of God’s holiness.  Truly, the Christian is at a loss without the saving grace of Christ and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.  I suppose the Lego trasher could repent and be converted into a true Lego fan.  Unlike karma and feelings of well-being, God’s holiness is a consistent source.  Regardless of others’ behaviors and regardless of environment, true Christian behavior is a set of actions and not reactions to these.  God “makes the sun rise” and “sends rain” on both good and bad people, where sun and rain are both beneficial to life (Matt. 5:45).  Looking above and beyond the horizontal plane of vacillating karma, we see the relentless author of breath, sunshine, healing, intellect, conscience, and forgiveness. The barrier to these good gifts is a fallen world plagued by sin, but the silver lining gives good reason for the Christian to “pass it on”.  Physical laws of nature, the law of gravity for example, are shown to be consistent in our everyday life. Attributing these laws to God, we have a clear picture for a source of absolute morals.

There are various ways to arrive at morality, but only one way towards absolute morality.  A society that depends on good feelings, rewards, and karma can only hold together for so long before corruption takes advantage of it.  As it has been said, “Everyone has a price”. Even Supreme Court Justices and pastors and sweet grandmothers are not beyond crossing a line if the price is right.  Except for at least one man, one who has been called carpenter, teacher, prophet, even God.  He considered the entire wealth and resources of this world, and assessed a single soul as having more value (Mark 8:36). And to demonstrate this value, He resisted temptations of wealth and power, He lived as a homeless vagabond, and He died for the priceless souls of the world.  His price was not millions or billions or trillions of dollars; His price was your soul, for all its potential and its eternal prosperity.  

One day, we who have accepted the perfect righteousness of Jesus will enter Heaven, the finish line of this life and the beginning of absolute holiness.  We will have new bodies and new desires that make it impossible to sin.  And I believe we will have an infinite supply of colorful bricks with which to reflect the glory of the ultimate Master Builder.  Sin – lack of morality – will forever lose its flavor.  Instead, we will have the clearest picture of the immeasurable value of God’s bright holiness.  It begins here and now, by building upon a solid foundation.  If you’ve never “built on the rock” before, you don’t need to be a perfect person.  Just pray to accept Jesus as your foundation – here.