Readings
Amos 6:1a,4-7
Psalm 146
1 Timothy 6:6-19
Luke 16:19-31
Today’s Gospel lesson is a challenging one. In it Jesus describes something of a desperate situation marked by the stark differences between the rich and the poor. But not only that, he describes the consequences of that situation, and implicitly gives us a warning as well.
In this parable we start with a rich man who we are told “dressed in fine linen and feasted sumptuously every day.” In other words, this is someone who is part of the elite. If he were alive today we might say something to the effect of “there was a rich man who wore Armani suits and dined nightly on gourmet food such as lobster and well-aged steaks.”
Now in contrast, there’s another character in this story who is the polar opposite of the rich man. His name is Lazarus and we’re told that he “longs to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table.” But there’s more, he is so weak lying at the rich man’s gate that he has developed sores and he can’t even fend off the dogs who come to lick the salty pus. If he were alive today we would recognize him as someone reduced to dumpster diving, living off the trash of others and suffering from all sorts of illnesses. He would be dirty, smelly, and unkempt.
What is striking is that these men are not far apart. Lazarus is at the rich man’s gate and still he has no relief. The rich man is only yards away and seems to be uncaring or worse, unaware, of Lazarus and his plight.
Next we hear that they both die and while Lazarus goes to heaven; to, as the scripture says, “be with Abraham,” the rich man ends up in Hades, the place of the dead, in torment. Moreover, they can see one another. Lazarus can see the rich man in his torment and the rich man likewise can see Lazarus in paradise.
Now is when things get interesting, because we see that the rich man was aware of Lazarus. He recognizes him and knows his name. But rather than petitioning Lazarus directly to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool his tongue, he instead asks Abraham to instruct Lazarus to do so. Further when Abraham tells him it can’t be done and why, then the rich man again asks Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers that they may escape his fate. He never once asks Lazarus to do these things. He treats Lazarus like a slave and Abraham as if he is Lazarus’ master.
This betrays the thinking of the rich man. From his perspective, both before he died and even after he is in torment, the rich man presumes to be in a superior place to Lazarus. He presumes that Lazarus is not his peer, but his inferior. We now can see that he likely presumed this to be true during his earthly life, and he continues to believe it is true in eternity.
The kicker is that he is hoping that his brothers can be saved from the same torment. But Abraham is clear that a miracle alone just won’t work. He says that if they do not listen to the witness of scripture, then they won’t even be convinced by someone being raised from the dead.
I don’t know about you, but all of this leaves me more than a little bit uncomfortable. Even if we are cash poor, most of us sitting in this room live relatively comfortable lives compared to the poorest in our community. I know I do.
Now, it would be easy for me to take comfort in the charitable acts I do towards the poor. It would be easy for me to rely on the ways I help to feed the hungry, clothe those who cannot afford to shop for clothes, and provide other forms of assistance to those in need.
But today’s parable isn’t just about charity to the poor. Yes, it’s possible that the rich man might have escaped torment had he been more generous towards Lazarus. But I’m not sure.
You see, the real sticking point in the story we hear today isn’t just about the rich man’s indifference to Lazarus’ situation. No underneath that is the way the rich man thought about Lazarus. He saw himself as superior to Lazarus. He saw Lazarus as inferior to him and to everyone else. He considered Lazarus to be like a slave or even less. This was even true when their situations were reversed in eternity.
This brings into sharp contrast the question of not only what we do in relation to those in need, but what we think about them. Do we see those in need as inferior to us and in need of our charity, or do we recognize our common humanity and reach out in compassion seeking the transformation of their situation.
That’s the fundamental problem with charity. When we are charitable we presume our superiority. We seek to offer some relief, but we don’t necessarily seek to transform. We may be moved to charity out of pity or genuine care, but not necessarily recognize ourselves in the person we are caring for.
But this goes even farther. In Matthew 25 Jesus tells a different parable about separating the sheep from the goats. He says that whenever we feed the hungry, invite in the stranger, or clothe the naked we not only serve the person before us, but we serve God.
In other words, our call isn’t just to simply see ourselves in the person before us, but to see God in that person. We are being called to not simply offer a handout or a temporary fix. No, we are being called to recognize ourselves and God in the other and seek to help them achieve a life as good if not better than our own. We are called to be agents on behalf of God of reconciliation and transformation.
But there is a warning, and it comes in the form of the rich man and his brothers. If we ignore this vital teaching then we will block ourselves off from the joy, peace, and well-being promised to us. We will find ourselves unable, and perhaps incapable, or accepting and receiving the grace and transformation God is perpetually offering us.
To do this work, to change our thinking and behaving, isn’t just for the wellbeing of the poor and the dispossessed. It’s for our wellbeing also.
Imagine a world where those in need are being perpetually raised up to a new and transformed life. Imagine a world where we do not need to hold ourselves in a superior position in order to feel safe and valued. Imagine a world where the values contained within our scripture are affirmed and normative for all.
This would not only transform those in need. It would transform us. We would have the living experience of God on a daily basis. We would have the assurance of eternity. We would have peace, love, and joy. We would have nothing less than the kingdom that Jesus proclaimed.