Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 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." — Luke 6:49 (ASV)

If Jesus’ audience was relaxing in the assumption that the preceding teachings were directed only at the Pharisees and their followers, they could not dodge the direct force of this challenge. It is specifically directed to those who profess to follow Jesus as “Lord.” It is not mere words, nor even generally ethical behavior or religious practice, that mark true believers, but whether they “do” what Jesus says (cf. James 1:22–25).