Luke 16 The Rich Man and Lazarus (John 5:39-47)
Luke 16:13-15, 19-31 “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all of this and were scoffing at Jesus. So He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God.”
“Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.
So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’
But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are left to suffer. And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’
Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them so they will not also end up in this place of torment.’
But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’
‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’
Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
If you have ever wondered why the religious authorities despise Jesus, just examine these statements. Jesus has finished telling the story of the crooked manager and has ended with the emphatic statement “You cannot serve both God and money.” The Pharisees are insulted and horrified. How can Jesus possibly say such things? Obviously this man is an idealistic fool who is simply trying to mock them. This man has no grip on reality and is depending on donations from foolish deluded women and ignorant villagers. Besides, this man has little formal education, so why should anybody listen to him?
Jesus immediately confronts these men. “So He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God.” Now the Pharisees are truly infuriated! What does this upstart carpenter mean by calling them detestable? And then Jesus caps it all by telling the story of the rich man and a beggar named Lazarus.
The rich man Jesus describes can easily be any of the Pharisees, “dressed in purple and fine linen and living each day in joyous splendor.” Purple dye comes from the shells of a particular kind of snail and is extremely expensive. Only royalty and the very wealthy can afford purple material, and fine linen is equally expensive. While the homes of the Pharisees might be austere, even that austerity speaks of luxury and exquisite good taste. And of course, there will be at least one beggar outside the doorway. Beggars are common, and many of them have sores due to untended injuries and poor nutrition. By now, the Pharisees are becoming even more indignant. What does Jesus expect them to do anyway? It’s impossible to feed all the beggars that show up. And besides, they are only beggars, scarcely even human, although useful for the occasional errand. So where is Jesus going with this ridiculous tale?
The story gets progressively worse. This starving scabrous beggar dies-no surprise there- but he is carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. WHAT??? What has this beggar ever done to deserve something so wonderful? And then the rich man dies and he winds up in Hades? Certainly not! If the rich man in the story winds up in Hades, that means that even the Pharisees who are listening might also go there after they die, even if they have been scrupulously observant.
Even though the rich man is in Hades, he still considers Lazarus as an errand boy and begs Father Abraham to send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool the rich man’s tongue, something that no Pharisee will ever do for anyone else. But Lazarus has been delivered from ever being at the bidding of the rich man again. There is an uncrossable gulf between heaven and Hades. Next, the rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus back to warn his five brothers so they won’t end up in Hades. But this rich man has never paid attention to Lazarus in the past, so why does he think his brothers will be any different? Abraham answers sadly, “They have Moses and the prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’
‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’
Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
As the crowd listens, entranced, the Pharisees stalk off in a high dudgeon. How can this unspeakable individual dare to make such statements? They certainly have memorized the entire Law of Moses and are sure that they know every bit of the prophecies as well. No, this man is a charlatan and the sooner he is dealt with, the better. What the Pharisees fail to realize is that Jesus is predicting his own death, a death at the hands of the very religious leaders who are scoffing at him.
While the Pharisees have memorized the Law and can quote it readily, they have failed to grasp the spirit of the Law. Throughout the Law, God consistently demands that His people care for the poor, for widows, for orphans, and for strangers. Repeatedly, the Jews are warned to leave gleanings behind, to leave some olives on the trees, and to make provision for the needy around them. The Pharisees have substituted form for substance.
We may look down our noses at the actions of the rich man, but how compassionate are we? Do we really see all those around us as human beings created in God’s image, or do we unwittingly judge some classes of people as being worth more than others? Are we in danger of “living in joyous splendor” while those around us are suffering? While it is true that we cannot fill every need of those around us, we can ask God to guide us to those whom He wants us to help. Let us always have hearts softened by love and mercy, so that we may be God’s hands to help!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, please give us hearts of compassion. Let our hearts break with the things that break Your heart. And show us those whom You want us to help. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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