I love this parable from Luke 16: 19-31. I had the opportunity to preach on this text yesterday at Pointe of Grace in Mukilteo. A number of folks asked for a copy of the sermon, so I am posting it here. Blessings to you all.
Coe
Today we heard what is called the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. There is an old gospel hymn connected to this parable. Can anyone guess what that hymn is? If you know it, sing along with me.
Rock-a-my soul in the bosom of Abraham
Rock-a-my soul in the bosom of Abraham
Rock-a-my soul in the bosom of Abraham
Oh, rock-a-my soul.
That hymn is a prayer of oppressed and downtrodden people, hoping that though they suffer in this world, they might find comfort in the next and it grows out of today’s parable.
In the last two weeks, we have heard two parables from Luke 16, both with a common theme. Last week we heard the parable of the dishonest manager ending with the line, “You cannot serve God and wealth.” Pastor Jade reminded us that, “The children of light are rooted in God’s generosity.” “We have been given all things in sacred trust as stewards.” Today’s parable continues and builds on those same themes.
We’re going to go through this parable carefully because there is so much in here that is interesting and meaningful. Let me remind you that this is a parable and it is told to make a point, it is not necessarily a literally true story. Let’s begin by looking at the parable overall, the big picture. An American theologian named Reinhold Niebuhr said, “The Word of God comforts the afflicted—and afflicts the comfortable.” I believe that is exactly the purpose of this parable. You can each decide whether, in Niebuhr’s words, you are the comfortable or the afflicted. I’m pretty sure I am the comfortable.
This parable includes key themes of Luke’s gospel. There is the theme of what I would call Luke and lucre—Luke’s relentless concern for the stewardship of wealth. There is the theme of “seeing.” Are we seeing what Jesus is seeing? Are we seeing those around us in need or are we hiding our eyes. There is the theme of a reversal of fortunes reflecting God’s upside-down kingdom. This reversal theme started way back in Chapter 1 with Mary singing of the poor being “lifted up” and the rich being “sent away empty.” All these themes are repeated in this parable. Jesus’ point is not to describe heaven or hell or what lands people there. Rather, Jesus is using the idea of heaven and hell to make a point about our current lives, how we are living right now. Okay, that’s the big picture, let’s look at the detail.
We start with verses 19-21. These lay out a series of contrasts between the Rich Man and Lazarus. The Rich Man has no name, the poor man is named Lazarus. This is the only parable in the Bible with a named person so that highlights Lazarus and heightens the contrast with the Rich Man. The name Lazarus means, “God helps.” And if you were wondering this is not the same Lazarus that Jesus raised from the dead. The contrasts continue in the characters’ clothing. The Rich Man is dressed in purple and linen, signs of royalty and wealth. Lazarus is dressed in sores, licked by the street dogs. The Rich Man feasts sumptuously; Lazarus longs to satisfy his hunger with crumbs. The Rich Man was inside a gate of abundance, Lazarus was outside.
Then in verses 22-23, the contrasts continue when the Rich Man is buried and the poor man carried away by angels to—in the King James Version—the bosom of Abraham. Here, Lazarus finally receives the comfort he has missed all his life. And the Rich Man—comfortable during his earthly life—is now in torment. Why is he in torment? Not because he is wealthy. Not because he is privileged. But because he didn’t care. He didn’t offer hospitality, he didn’t even see Lazarus. The Rich Man treated Lazarus as though he didn’t even exist. Now, from his torment, the Rich Man looks up and what happens? He finally sees! The Gospel says he “saw” Abraham with Lazarus at his bosom. This is the first time that the word “saw” or “see” appears in the parable.
Verse 24—okay this is really interesting. Finally, seeing Lazarus, the Rich Man still doesn’t speak directly to him. Still acting like Lazarus exists to serve him, the Rich Man asks Abraham, “Oh, Abraham send Lazarus to comfort me.” Something the Rich Man never did for Lazarus during his life. Abraham explains “that ain’t happening”. The afflicted are comforted and the comfortable are afflicted.
In verse 26, Abraham explains that there is a great chasm between the Rich Man and Lazarus and no one can cross it. I think of the chasm not so much as something that was created in the afterlife, as something that was created on earth and carried into the afterlife. That chasm was created every time the Rich Man walked past Lazarus as he went into his home. That chasm got bigger each time the Rich Man did not see Lazarus. And so, I have to wonder. Do we create a chasm each time we avert our eyes from the person asking for handouts. Couldn’t we at least meet their eyes and say hello? Do we widen that chasm every time we choose to ignore those around us in pain, even those in our own families, because it hurts too much to think about it? I know that sometimes there is so much pain, so much violence, so much hunger, so much poverty in the world that we just can’t take it all in. We rationalize that we are turning away for our own protection, our own peace of mind. I know we do this—because I do this. We often think that if we actually paid attention to all those in need, if we entered into others’ pain, we would be overwhelmed. We may be making a mistake when we think that way. I know people who do see all those around them, who do pay attention, who do enter into others’ pain. Those are the times our faith grows. Those are the times we actually live the closest to Jesus—because we desperately NEED him! Those are the times that instead of widening a chasm, we build a bridge.
So the Rich Man is now stuck—separated from Lazarus and Abraham by the chasm he built in his earthly life. And in verses 27-29, for the first time in the entire parable, the Rich Man thinks of someone other than himself. He has five brothers and he asks Abraham to send Lazarus to them. Abraham refuses, they have Moses and the Prophets to teach them to love their neighbors and care for the outcast and oppressed.
Now the Rich Man actually argues with Abraham, “but surely they will listen if someone goes to them from the dead.” Here I need to pause for a moment. This story, about a rich man and a poor man who die and whose fortunes are reversed in the afterlife is a common story in many cultures. The story always has someone returning from the dead to give a message to the living in order to change their lives. Usually the people listen and do make changes. Think Charles Dicken’s Christmas Carol and Jacob Marley coming back from the dead with a message for Scrooge. Scrooge hears the message and amends his life. It’s an old story. But Jesus changes it. A parable always has a twist. Here the twist is that Abraham refuses to send someone back from the dead, because even that wouldn’t change the brothers’ minds. Now of course, Luke’s audience would know that Luke was referring to Jesus rising from the dead. We know that as well. Because, you see, we are the five brothers. We are the ones still on earth that should know what God expects of us. We have Moses and the Prophets! We have the New Testament! We have Jesus’ teaching and example. We have someone who HAS risen from the dead. But will we change our lives? Will we live in God’s generosity? Will we use the abundant gifts we have been given to relieve the scarcity of others? Will the testimony of the one who has risen from the dead and called us to follow make any difference?
This is an awesome parable. It both raises hard questions and offers an invitation. Questions about how we respond to those we see on the freeway on-ramps, in the Safeway parking lot, in our schools and community. Will they remain invisible to us or will we see them and respond? And this parable is a glorious invitation to live fuller and more meaningful lives by sharing with those around us. Sharing our lives, our time, talents, and wealth. Jesus and Luke are not saying this will determine whether we go to heaven. Our place in heaven is already guaranteed by our trust in Jesus’ love and sacrifice on the cross. This is not about the afterlife, it is about our present life. It is about how we respond to the amazing gift of love and salvation that Jesus has already given us. For when we follow in his footsteps of ministry to the hungry, the homeless, the poor, the prisoner, the immigrant, we will then experience moments of resurrection here on earth, moments of bringing the dead to life—not for those we are helping, but for ourselves. When we do this, we will be living in the bosom of Abraham. Rock-a-my soul in the bosom of Abraham.
Sorry it took me so long to read the whole message. This is a tough lesson. I do want to protect myself. I do not want to enable pan handlers to take advantage of me. Lots to think about in your message.
Thank you DeeDee for your straight-forward and honest comments. I think many of us react the same way. I do think we need to maintain our safety. And I think it is very common to not want to be taken advantage of by pan-handlers. But that makes me think of another challenging question. If we have truly recognized that all we have is a gift from God and it really all belongs to God and not to us, then it is not we who are being taken advantage of, because it is not “our” money or gifts or resources. It all belongs to God. And somehow, I think God never worries about being taken advantage of. You are right, “lots to think about.”
wonderful sermon.