Sermon 26 March
"Division"
Unlike other parables, this one does not stay in the realm of firstcentury village life. It spans this life and the next. It is realistic in its
portrayal of the vast gap between rich and poor. The phenomenon of
the poor waiting for crumbs at the doors of the rich is however a
detail taken straight from first-century life. It is strange in that the
reversal of fortunes it depicts contradicts the widespread belief that
wealth was a sign of God's favour and poverty a sign of sin. The story
also reflects the ancient belief that the righteous and the wicked can
see each other after death.
The background of this parable is a tale from Egyptian folklore about
the reversal of fates after death. It also has connections to rabbinic
stories. In Greek the name Lazaros has the same root consonants as
the name Eliezer who, Genesis 15:2 tells us, was a servant of
Abraham. Some rabbinic tales feature Eliezer (Greek Lazaros) walking
in disguise on the earth and reporting back to Abraham on how his
children are observing the Torah's prescriptions regarding the
treatment of the widow, the orphan, and the poor. Lazarus is a poor
beggar (16:20); he returns to Abraham's bosom, and the rich man
requests that Abraham send him as an emissary to his brothers (Lk
16:28).
Once again, this parable is found only in Luke. It underscores a
theme expressed earlier in the Gospel (Lk 1:52). God has "put down
the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree." The
story is a three-act play. The first act portrays the earthly contrast
between the wealthy man and Lazarus. The second act describes the
reversal of their conditions in the afterlife. The third act depicts the
rich man's request to Father Abraham for a sign so that those still
living can avoid his torment, a request that Abraham refuses.
First-century hearers of this parable would not have assumed that
the rich man was evil and that the poor man was righteous. On the
contrary, wealth in the ancient world was often viewed as a sign of
divine favour, while poverty was viewed as evidence of sin. The rich
man's sin was not that he was rich, but that, during his earthly life,
he did not "see" Lazarus, despite his daily presence at the entrance
to his home. The first time he ever sees Lazarus is when, from Hades
"he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side"
(v. 23).
As for Lazarus, we aren't told he was pious but his name means "God
helps," which implies righteousness. Lazarus's hunger and willingness
to eat whatever was at hand are reminiscent of the younger son's
famished, desperate condition in Luke 15:16 that we heard last week.
The rich man calls Abraham his "Father." Earlier in Luke (3:8) we get
the message that claiming a religious heritage cannot by itself gain us
salvation. Living a life characterized by active compassion to others is
a sign that we are responding to God's covenant. John the Baptist
tells the crowds, "Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to
say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you,
God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham" .
What is it that causes some people to have something or someone in
their line of vision and yet not really see them? And what causes
others to both have someone or something in their line of vision and
to really see them? What makes the difference between not really
seeing and seeing? This parable is one of several in Luke that shows
us that the kingdom of God shows up when and where we least
expect it. We don't expect it to show up in the gap between the
bearable, even pleasant, or luxurious living conditions of some and
the unbearable, inhumane living conditions of others. We don't
expect it to show up in the offer of the ability to see that gap and
move from seeing to active compassion before it is too late. But we
ought to have learned by now that the kingdom of God is not a
prisoner to our expectations.
I mentioned earlier that the story of the Rich man and Lazarus
reflects the ancient belief that the righteous and the wicked can see
each other after death. If they are attentive to the presence of the
kingdom of God, they can also see each other before death!
And to those of you who don’t believe that you are rich, I suggest
that you take a little trip on the Internet and go to a site
called,www.globalrichlist.com When you get there type in your
annual income and the computer will calculate your standing in the
world. Don't be surprised when you find that you are most likely in
the top point 25% of the richest people on the planet. We are rich:
rich beyond the wildest dreams of most of the people on this planet.
And just like the rich man in Jesus’ story if we ignore the poor people
on this planet we too will end up in Hades.
There are millions of Lazaruses out there, at our gates, right now and
most of them are longing to eat the crumbs from our tables. The rich
man in Jesus’ story is not what we would call evil.
There is no evidence that he ever did anything we would call cruel to
the poor man. He simply ignored him. The rich man had become so
accustomed to seeing the poor man at his gate, that the rich man no
longer noticed him. The rich man was not intentionally mean. He was
just a man who was so absorbed in himself and his family that he
was insensitive to the needs of others—even others right at his front
door. The primary message of this parable is all too clear—painfully,
even frighteningly clear. Ignore the needs of others and we end up in
a hell of a mess—if not in hell itself. There are destructive and
painful consequences that come—not just from doing the bad deeds
we ought not to have done, but also from failing to do the good
deeds we should have done. The rich man found himself trapped in
hell not because of the evil he had intentionally done but because of
the good he had failed to do because of his insensitivity that grew
out of his self-centeredness.
If our lives are to avoid being a living hell, then we need to open our
eyes so that we can see the needs that are at our gates. For there to
be anything approaching lasting peace in the world, we as individuals
and as nations must be concerned with more than just, “me” and
“mine” and “us” and “ours". The world has become a dangerous
place, but it seems to me that we who are rich have to take some
responsibility for the creation of those dangers. We have ignored the
poor for far too long. We have turned our heads away and insisted
that it is not our responsibility or we have become so numb by the
sheer numbers of people living in poverty that we have turned away
in desperation. But unlike Lazarus who waited for the next life to
escape his torment, the poor of this world are growing tired of our
neglect and they are ready to lash out.
Is it any wonder that those who would inflict terror on the world do
their recruiting among the poorest of the poor? Poverty has become
a breeding ground for terrorists. When we ignore people who are in
need, we end up in hell. In the midst of so many starving people is it
any wonder that so many poor unfortunate creatures are turning to
violence to feed their hunger.
I believe that Jesus was deeply concerned for our salvation. Jesus
told this story not to condemn us but to save us; to restore us to
heath by healing our relationships. In the story that Jesus told,
Abraham explains to the rich man that there is nothing that can be
done to help his brothers because there is such a wide chasm
between the rich man and poor Lazarus and that chasm is so wide
that no one can cross it.
In Christ, who embodies the Love that is God, the chasm that exists
between rich and poor and you and I can be bridged. Christ is our
bridge. We do not have to be as insensitive as the rich man in the
parable. We have the ability to see the needs of others and we have
the ability to act. We really can be the people God intends us to be.
But it will not happen if we allow ourselves to be overcome with guilt
or numbed by the sheer magnitude of the needy. Our guilt will not
feed the poor. And if we are numb to the pain of those at our gates
we will be incapable of reaching out in love to feed those who long
to eat even the crumbs that fall from our table.
The world is in a mess. But all is not lost. In Christ who embodies the
Love that is God, we can bridge the gap between rich and poor. We
can, and many of us do, go out to our gates and see who is there,
and what they need and out of the abundance of gifts that God has
showered upon us we can supply the needs of those who are longing
for us to extend our arms across that chasm.
Look around and you will discover that Love has put in your hands
the means to cross that chasm that divides us from the poor. We
need to stop setting our hopes on the uncertainty of riches, and let
our hope rest in the Love that is God, embody that Love so that we
might become whole. Be generous and ready to share and store up
for ourselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so
that together rich and poor, you and I, can take hold of the life that
really is life and all may know the joys of Heaven here on earth.