The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)
Introduction
Some of you might have received a popular circulated internet article called “Count your blessings”. It reads: “If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 70% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the millions who will not survive this week. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world. If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world. If your parents are still alive and still married, you are very rare, even in [Australia]. If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because although the majority can, most do not. If you can hold someone’s hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer healing touch. If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed that over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all. Have a good day, and count your blessings.”
What can we say then? Obviously we all are some of the richest people in the world!
Throughout the bible, God constantly reminds us to be generous and charitable to the poor, the widows and orphans. In the OT, God is always being described as the God of the widow and fatherless. For instance Deut 10:18 -- He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. Psalm 68: 5 -- A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.
The people of God is also warned to do good to the alien, the fatherless and the widow, for instance, by leaving some sheafs for them when they gather their harvests. Deut 14:29 - so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Deut 24:19 - When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
In the NT, we are reminded to be generous in giving. Rom 12:13 - Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 2 Cor 9:6 - Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
The Gospel reading today is the story of the rich man and Lazarus. It describes the contrasting lifestyles of the two both in this world and in the next.
1. Some observations
19"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
a. These 2 versus show the contrast lifestyle of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man (not named) was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. He lived luxuriously every day, not once in a while. We are not told how he gained such wealth and should not think that his richness came from dishonest business practices or by exploiting the poor. The beggar by the name of Lazarus, on the other hand, lived in poverty struck by hunger and physical diseases even dogs came and licked his sores. It seems the rich man did not border Lazarus who begged for food at his gate.
b. The second contrast lies in
22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
Both the rich man and Lazarus died, but when Lazarus died, the angels carried him to Abraham’s side while the rich man was buried in hell. In hell, the rich man was tormented while Lazarus was rested peacefully in Abraham’s bosom. The rich man was in severe agony, burning by hell fire, pleaded to have Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool his tongue. Yet this simplest request was not granted due to the eternal separation in between him and Lazarus. c. The third contrast was about their eternal destinations.
25"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
The worse scar the rich man had was the memory of his luxurious and sinful lifestyle that cost him his eternal fellowship with God. In between Abraham and the rich man is a great chasm fixed. No one can cross to the other side. One is eternal blessing in Abraham’s bosom. The other is eternal damnation in the fire of hell.
d. The contrast between faith and reason
27"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' 29"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' 30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' 31"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "
The rich man realised his eternal destination was horrible and wish that his 5 still alive brothers will not come to the same place. He pleaded Abraham to send Lazarus to warn them. Marvellously Abraham replied him by saying that they have Moses and the Prophets. To Abraham, only if the people listen and believed in the Law and Prophets, they will be saved. That is all about faith. But to the rich man, he tried to reason out by saying “a person rose from the death might be able to convince them not to sin.” What an ambiguous reasoning and rational attempt. The answer from Abraham was clear: “If they don’t believe in the Law and the Prophets, nothing will help, not even a miracle such as a man rose from the dead.” Only a little simple faith is needed for our salvation through Christ.
2. What are the lessons?
a. Blessing is not counted by in terms of what you possessed but by how your possessions could be a blessing to others. The rich man here was described as a person dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. Purple fine linen was very costly in those days as the purple dye was obtained from a kind of shell-fish, a little drop from each. Woollen garments dyed with it were worn by kings and nobles. This kind of purple robe formed the outer, and the linen the inner garment. Accordingly, fine linen was produced from flax, which grew on the banks of the Nile. It was dazzlingly white, and worth twice its weight in gold. No hinge for us to conclude that his richness came in by fraud business practices or by oppressing others. But here we see how a man who might have a great deal of the wealth, pomp, and pleasure of this world, yet perish for ever under God's wrath and curse. The sin of this rich man was his providing for himself only. He had no concern of people surrounding him. Probably he did not border the prompting of the Spirit of God urging him to do good to others.
2. There is no grey area in between eternal death and blessing. The rich man was buried and sent to hell while Lazarus was taken by the angel to the bosom of Abraham. In between them there was a gap which no one could cross from one side to the other. The separation was clear cut. There is no place for in between.
The rich man was sent to hell not because of his richness but because of his lack of God’s grace. The evidence was clear: he did not experience the grace of God so much so that he had no grace to show to Lazarus. On the other hand, Lazarus was taken to the bosom of Abraham not because he was poor but God sent his angel to pick him up. It was not the merits of Lazarus that made God show his mercy. It was the nature of God to show his grace.
3. Faith in Christ supersedes all worldly evidences. The rich man pleaded Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers not to follow his footsteps which were evil in God’s eyes. Abraham replied that if they don’t believe in Moses, even someone rose from the dead would not be able to convince them to repent. Obviously, unbelief is due, not to a lack of evidence, but to a faithless heart. The greatest miracle will have no effect on those who are determined not to believe. The seat of scepticism is in the moral nature.
Conclusion
It is not a sin to be rich or seeking wealth in the right manner. It is sinful only if we are self-centred and care for nobody else. Similarly to be poor does not make us righteous before God. Righteousness before God is based on our dependency upon Him. At the grave, money, fame and our whole self, rich or poor, strong or weak, all but become helpless and worthless while only the grace of God counts. As Matthew 5:3 says – Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Be on guard on how you use your richness and possessions. Everything comes from God and so we need to learn how to make the best out from our possessions for God’s glory and honour. Remember, you are the top 8% of the richest people of the world. Please stress out your arm to help and welcome people who are in need of food, shelter, clean water and medicines. Let me end with these words from Paul in 2 Cor 9:7-9: Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." Amen.
