Foolish Labour

Kαὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀκούων μου τοὺς λόγους τούτους καὶ μὴ ποιῶν αὐτοὺς ὁμοιωθήσεται ἀνδρὶ μωρῷ, ὅστις ᾠκοδόμησεν αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον. Καλῶς δὲ μωρὸν ἐκάλεσε τοῦτον. Τί γὰρ ἂν γένοιτο ἀνοητότερον τοῦ οἰκίαν οἰκοδομοῦντος ἐπὶ ψάμμου, καὶ τὸν μὲν πόνον ὑπομένοντος, τοῦ δὲ καρποῦ καὶ τῆς ἀναπαύσεως ἀποστερουμένου, καὶ ἀντι τούτου κόλασιν ὑπομένοντος; ὅτι γὰρ καὶ οἱ κακίαν μετιόντες κάμνουσι, παντί που δῆλόν ἐστιν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τῶν πόνων τούτων καρποῦνται κέρδος, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὴν ὑπομένουσι τὴν ζημίαν· ὡς γάρ φησιν ὁ Παῦλος, Ὁ σπείρων ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ, ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς θερίσει φθοράν. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ματθαιον Εὐάγγελιον Source: Migne PG 72.388c

But whoever hears these commandments of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand... 1 And rightly is he called a fool. For what can be more mad than to build a house on sand, which labour having undergone one gains no reward or rest, but rather one suffers punishment? For to everyone it is clear that even those who partake of wickedness grow weary, yet they profit not at all by their toil, but suffer much harm. As Paul says, 'Those who sow in the flesh, shall reap the corruption of the flesh.' 2 Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Fragment 1 Mt 7.26 2 Galat 6.8