Sunday's Message: The Parables in the Gospel of Luke - The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)

During the months of October and November, we'll discuss the following parables unique to the Gospel of Luke:

• October 16 – The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37)
• October 23 – The Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32)
• October 30 – The Unrighteous Manager (Luke 16:1-9)
• November 6 – The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)
• November 13 – The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)

In our fourth service in this series, we looked at the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Below is the sermon and a recording of the sermon:

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Well, we’ve entered the month of November. Halloween 2022 is in the books. And in about two and a half weeks we’ll be getting ready for Thanksgiving. And then, well, I don’t need to tell you what’s next: Epiphany, right? Lord, give us strength.

And since it’s now the first Sunday in November, we only have two more messages in the series we started a few weeks ago, one that focused on those parables found only in the Gospel of Luke. And over that time we’ve looked at the Parable of the Good Samaritan and at how, if we’re serious about loving others, we really need to put ourselves in the position of our neighbors, particularly those who need our help. And then we talked about the Parable of the Lost or the Prodigal Son, a story that challenges us to ask ourselves if we’re willing to put aside our assumptions and to understand that God rejoices over the lost being found and to join the party. And last week, we looked at the Parable of the Unrighteous Manager, an odd little story that may encourage us to use what we have as effectively as the crooked manager, but unlike him, to do it with honesty and with faith. Now this is what we’ve already covered. And remember, if you want to read or hear any of these messages again, you can find them under “videos” on our Facebook page, but also in our blog and on our YouTube channel.

And that takes us to parable number four, the one about Lazarus and the rich man. And it seems appropriate that we’re looking at this on the Sunday right before the election, because they both really involve economics. I mean, if you can kind of see past all the mud that’s being slug, it sure seems as though economic issues like inflation and taxes and jobs are big deals as we move toward Tuesday. In fact, based on what I’ve been reading, this kind of stuff may be far more important to who wins and loses than questions about morals and experience and abilities. At least, that’s what the polls say.

And I’ll tell you, I think you could say the same thing about the parable we’re looking at this morning. Although personal morality and fundamental values and Godly principles may be important, I believe the focus of this particular story is really about money and property and possessions. In other words, it’s about economics.

And so this morning, we’re going to talk about the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. And as we’ve done over these last three weeks, we’re going to approach it by looking at three things. First, we’ll consider the context, you know, what surrounds the parable. And second, we’ll talk about the story itself. And then, third, we’ll try to apply it to our own lives. Now that’s going to be our plan for the next ten minutes or so.

And it all starts with context. And I’ll tell you, since it follows almost immediately after the parable of the unrighteous manager, I think the context for both are pretty much the same. I mean, just like it was in the story we looked at last week, Jesus offered this riddle to his disciples; therefore, it was and I believe still is directed to believers. And it’s also true that the disciples weren’t alone when Jesus told it. As Luke wrote, “The Pharisees really loved money. So when they heard what Jesus said, they made fun of him.” [Luke 16:14, CEV] And so, although the parable was directed to those who’d decided to follow Jesus, you know, folks like most of us here this morning, based on its context, the point of the story would seem to involve money and property and possessions, something that was certainly the case in the story we looked at last week.

And I’ll tell you, I think that becomes pretty obvious when we look at the parable itself. I mean, from the get go, we have two characters. And I’ll tell you, during their lives, man, they couldn’t have been more economically different. For example, on one hand, we have this:

There was once a rich man who wore expensive clothes and every day ate the best food. [Luke 16:19, CEV]

Now, I want y’all to notice that there was no mention of his spiritual condition, you know, of his faith or his relationship with God. Instead, the focus was on how he used his wealth, in other words, his life-style. I mean, not only did he wear the very best clothes, given the fact that Jesus used the same Greek word in his parable of the prodigal son, every day this rich man would enjoy the same kind of meal the loving father prepared for his lost son when he returned home. This would be like hiring Gordon Ramsey as your personal chef. I’m telling you, this was off the hook extravagance, and this guy focused it all on himself without a thought about anyone else, even those at his gate. And so, on one hand, we’ve got an unnamed rich man.

On the other hand, there was Lazarus. And this was how Jesus described him:

But a poor beggar named Lazarus was brought to the gate of the rich man’s house. He was happy just to eat the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. His body was covered with sores, and dogs kept coming up to lick them. [Luke 16:20-21, CEV]

Now, again, I want y’all to notice that there was no mention of what Lazarus believed or who he worshiped. In other words, Lazarus wasn’t presented as a paragon of virtue much less of faith. Rather, he was poor, and I’m talking about intensely poor. Good night nurse, not only was he satisfied eating the garbage that the rich man tossed into his dumpster, like Job, he was covered with sores that dogs would try to lick. And so, during their lives, on one hand we’ve got a man who had it all and on the other, a guy who had absolutely nothing. 

But then something happened to them both that changed everything, and I think some of y’all already know what it was. Just listen to what Luke wrote:

The poor man died, and angels took him to the place of honor next to Abraham. 

The rich man also died and was buried. He went to hell and was suffering terribly. [Luke 16:22-23a, CEV]

You see, they both died. And how would you compare their lives before and after death? There was a complete reversal, wasn’t there? For as bad as his life had been, Lazarus now had it made. As a matter of fact, his death was even mentioned first. And the rich man, well, for as good as his life had been, now it was horrible. In other words, everything was now the opposite of what it had been. And remember, things like faith and dedication weren’t involved, because none of that was mentioned. Of course, this reversal was really no surprise, not to anyone who’d been listening to Jesus. I mean, this had already happened:

Jesus looked at his disciples and said:

God will bless you people

who are poor.

    His kingdom belongs to you!

God will bless

    you hungry people.

You will have plenty

    to eat!

God will bless you people

who are now crying.

    You will laugh!

But you rich people

    are in for trouble.

You have already had

    an easy life!

You well-fed people

are in for trouble.

    You will go hungry!

You people

who are laughing now

    are in for trouble.

You are going to cry

    and weep! [Luke 6:20-21, 24-25, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus had already said; and this was exactly what had happened. And even though I don’t believe that Jesus was teaching about the nature of death in this story, in my opinion, he was certainly addressing how a person might choose to live. You see, one had lived rich and died poor while the other had lived poor and died rich. Now that’s what Jesus said. 

And it was at this point where the parable shifted its focus. I mean, instead of continuing to contrast the lives and the fate of Lazarus and the rich man, we now have a conversation between the rich man and Abraham, with the guy in the air fryer approaching his ethnic father three times with a request and Abraham giving three responses. And in each exchange, there was a specific focus. 

For example, in the first engagement, there was a focus on the nature of accountability and consequences. This is what Jesus said about the rich man:

When he looked up and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side, he said to Abraham, “Have pity on me! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and touch my tongue. I’m suffering terribly in this fire.”

Abraham answered, “My friend, remember that while you lived, you had everything good, and Lazarus had everything bad. Now he is happy, and you are in pain. And besides, there is a deep ditch between us, and no one from either side can cross over.” [Luke 16:23b-26, CEV]

You see, although there was nothing wrong with the request, the rich man had missed something pretty important. In every life, there must be a balance between good and bad, between pleasure and pain. It’s like winning the toss at the beginning of a football game and deciding whether to receive the ball now or deferring to the second half. Both teams are going to get a kickoff, the only question is when. Of course, as it relates to living, that just makes sense. I mean, how can we say God is just if some folks have everything right now and some have nothing, but that both can also have everything later. That wouldn’t be fair, right? And so, in the story, it was God’s job to balance the scales, something that had happened to Lazarus and the rich man. In fact, doing this kind of thing, man, it was one of the reasons Jesus came. I mean, right before his birth, this was part of the song Mary sang to her cousin Elizabeth:

The Lord has used

    his powerful arm

to scatter those

    who are proud.

God drags strong rulers

    from their thrones

and puts humble people

    in places of power.

God gives the hungry

    good things to eat,

and sends the rich away

    with nothing. [Luke 1:51-53, CEV]

And so, according to Abraham, if we indulge ourselves right now, we can expect to pass those suffering people that we may simply have ignored or judged or blamed as they go up to Abraham and we go down to some place else. Now that was the first exchange, one focused on accountability and consequences. 

And then, with the first request addressed, the focus shifted, this time to what might be done to avoid this future pain.

But the rich man said, “Abraham, then please send Lazarus to my father's home. Let him warn my five brothers, so they won't come to this horrible place.”

Abraham answered, “Your brothers can read what Moses and the prophets wrote. They should pay attention to that.” [Luke 16:27-29, CEV]

Now, between you and me, I think this actually speaks well of the rich man. You see, I believe he knew that he’d used all his “Get out of jail free” cards during his life on earth, and so his concern shifted to his brothers and on how they might avoid his fate. In a sense, he wanted Lazarus to be kind of like Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol, warning Scrooge to change his life or else. But again, the response from Abraham was no, but not because he couldn’t or didn’t want to do it. Instead, he told the suffering rich man that it had already been done. You see, there were all kinds of passages in the Old Testament telling people exactly how they should use some of their resources to help the poor, you know, to balance the scales a little bit right now. For example, Moses said,

After the Lord your God gives land to each of you, there may be poor Israelites in the town where you live. If there are, then don't be mean and selfish with your money. Instead, be kind and lend them what they need. ....You should be happy to give the poor what they need, because then the Lord will make you successful in everything you do.

There will always be some Israelites who are poor and needy. That’s why I am commanding you to be generous with them. [Deuteronomy 15:7-8, 10-11, CEV]

Or, as it says in Leviticus,

When you harvest your grain, always leave some of it standing around the edges of your fields and don't pick up what falls on the ground. Leave it for the poor and for those foreigners who live among you. I am the Lord your God! [Leviticus 23:22, CEV]

No, Moses and the prophets were pretty clear. What we have we’re called to share with those who don’t have. And that was the second exchange, focused on how to avoid future pain.

But the rich man wasn’t done with Abraham and the focus shifted again, this time to repentance itself.

Then the rich man said, “No, that’s not enough! If only someone from the dead would go to them, they would listen and turn to God.”

So Abraham said, “If they won’t pay attention to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even to someone who comes back from the dead.” [Luke 16:30-31, CEV]

You see, the rich man was starting to get it. For example, I think he recognized that, because he’d used what had on himself while ignoring the needs of others, well, he recognized that he was actually facing the consequences of his behavior. And I think he also understood that he could have avoided the suffering by simply reading what had already been  written by Moses and the prophets. This he got. But if God just sent a special teacher, one that could show his authority by actually rising from the grave, man, that would do the trick, that would attract his brothers’ attention and that would cause them to repent, you know, to turn to God. Now that was what the rich man believed, but Abraham, well, he wasn’t that sure. In fact, according to what he said, since they weren’t listening to Moses and the prophets, they probably wouldn’t listen to a resurrected whomever, even if he said something really clear and unambiguous, you know, like, “There is one thing you still need to do. Go and sell everything you own! Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and be my follower.” [Luke 18:22b, CEV] You see, even if the fellow who said something like this rose from the dead, man, they probably still wouldn’t pay attention and they certainly wouldn’t repent. Now that’s what Abraham said. And right here, the parable ends, with no explanation or interpretation or application at all.

And I’ll tell you why I think that’s the case. You see, the application, well, I think that’s really up to us. I mean, we have to decide if we’re going to accept that our behavior has consequences, you know, to accept that, since God doesn’t play favorites, we probably shouldn’t assume that we have what we have because we really deserve it and to accept that Jesus meant it when he said, “If God has been generous with you, he will expect you to serve him well. But if he has been more than generous, he will expect you to serve him even better,” [Luke 12:48b, CEV] and to accept that we should probably use what we have to help balance the scales and to turn some of our earthly wealth into a heavenly treasure. Now we have to decide if we’re going to accept this, and that may be the first decision we’ll need to make. 

And then we’ll also have to decide if we’re going to listen to Moses and the prophets, you know, that we’re going to listen when the prophet Isaiah says, 

I’ll tell you

what it really means

    to worship the Lord.

Remove the chains of prisoners

    who are bound unjustly.

Free those who are abused!

Share your food with everyone

    who is hungry;

share your home

    with the poor and homeless.

Give clothes to those in need;

don't turn away your relatives. [Isaiah 58:6-7, CEV]

and that we’re going to listen when the writer of the Proverbs tells us this:

But you must defend

those who are helpless

    and have no hope.

Be fair and give justice

    to the poor and homeless. [Proverbs 31:8-9, CEV]

I’ll tell you, we have to decide if we’re going to listen, and that may be the second decision we’ll need to make. 

And finally we’ll have to decide if we’re going to repent, you know, to turn from a focus on ourselves and to turn toward an intentional and active concern for others, remembering that Jesus said, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, don’t invite your friends and family and relatives and rich neighbors. If you do, they will invite you in return, and you will be paid back. When you give a feast, invite the poor, the paralyzed, the lame, and the blind. They cannot pay you back. But God will bless you and reward you when his people rise from death.” [Luke 14:12b-14, CEV] You see, we have to decide if we’re going to repent, and that may be the third decision we’ll need to make. 

And I’ll tell you, these are three things we really need to decide, because, for Jesus, Christian living isn’t only about morals and values and principles; it’s also about something as basic and mundane as economics, you know, how we handle our money and our property and our possessions. I mean, since it was important to Jesus, it probably should also be important to us. And it will be, when we decide to accept that we’ll face consequences based on how we use our resources and when we decide to listen to the guidance and the direction we can find in Scripture and when we decide to repent, to turn from concern only for self and to turn with compassion to others, especially those who need it most. You see, these are really the decisions we need to make, thanks to the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man.