This text for this
sermon is Luke 16:19-31 and was presented at Resurrection on September 30,
2007, by Pastor Jim Kniseley.
Dear Friends in Christ,
The focus of this
sermon is money and lifestyle, and how we can balance them in a way that is
pleasing to God. All three of our Bible
lessons today zero in on some tenets that have always been a part of Judaism
and Christianity:
·
God’s people are expected to care for the poor
and needy of this world
·
God’s people are expected to align
their priorities with God’s priorities and not the priorities of the world
·
God’s people are expected to us their
resources (both financial and non-financial) to further the work of God’s
kingdom on earth
The prophet Amos and
Jesus today both were addressing folks who have the means to help others and
just were not doing so due to indifference – they didn’t care and didn’t wish
to even think about how to care for others.
This message takes on
added importance for us today because our confirmands are
listening intently and taking notes.
There is a change in the confirmation curriculum. The sermon now becomes the basis for what is
discussed on Sunday afternoons in both the large group and small groups. The youth will share aloud what they heard and
understood in the sermon. They will be
looking up Bible verses that talk about the subject the sermon is
addressing. Each small group will then
come back and report to the large group what they have learned, especially what
is useful for them in their lives now.
So, let’s get going with
this sermon and see what all of can
learn from Jesus’ Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. It might be useful today for you to open your
bulletin to the gospel reading and have your pen or pencil ready to underline or
make notes.
In verse 19 we meet the
“rich man.” He is often given the name
“Dives.” That is Latin for “rich man.”
In the parable Jesus will be exaggerating his actions and lifestyle,
perhaps to get our attention. Dives is
self-indulgent. He would be the one who
only eats at 4-star restaurants, drives the most expensive cars, and has the
biggest house with all the latest gadgets.
Vs. 19 tells us he was habitually dressed in purpose (in the ancient
world this was the color of royalty and the most expensive dye). His undergarments were made of fine linen.
Vs. 20 gives us the
other man, named Lazarus. Lazarus is
homeless. Actually he is a neighbor to
Dives, living at the gate of his estate, waiting for Dives to walk by and throw
him the scraps from his table. Vs. 20
tells us Lazarus is a cripple. So,
Lazarus is just a survivor, does not enjoy life as he might have.
One day, Jesus said,
both men would die. Death is the great
equalizer, isn’t it? Death does not care
about your social standing, your color, or your standing in the community. Lazarus, said Jesus, was carried away by the
angel of death to heaven and he occupied the seat of honor next to Abraham.
About Dives, the rich
man, all Jesus said was that he was buried (vs.22). He must have had a lavish funeral, one that
the community would remember for years.
That didn’t seem to impress Jesus enough for him to include. Jesus simply says that his soul was sent to
hell (Hades).
Then the parable
becomes more poignant. We see Dives down
there in torment, communicating with Father Abraham up there. “Help me!
Send Lazarus down here to help relieve my suffering!”
The answer of Abraham
is brutal. “During your life on earth
you received your good things. You could
have shared but chose not to. Lazarus’
life was harsh, but now God has chosen to bring him comfort. The chasm between heaven and hell is
wide. There is no passing between the
two, no more comfort for you ever…
More than a century
ago, a man heard this parable of Jesus in church and felt convicted. “I am Dives,” he thought. Now this man was at the top of his game in
life, according to worldly standards. He
had three doctoral degrees (one in medicine, one in theology, one in
philosophy). He made a decision to leave
the life he knew and depart for the jungles of Africa to serve Christ and the
needy. Folks around him were amazed, for
he was one of the best concern organists in all of Europe and he was going to a
place where there were no organs to play.
He was giving up a teaching position in Vienna, Austria, to go and deal
with people who were deprived and living in superstition. Then man, of course, is Dr. Albert
Schweitzer, an inspiration to us all.
Jesus’ parable has been
given a variety of titles, according to what you want to emphasize in the
parable. Usually it’s called the Rich
Man and Lazarus. It could also be called
the Parable of the Six Brothers. In
verse 27 Dives decides that someone
needs to go and warn his 5 brothers to change their priorities and lifestyles
so that they won’t have to suffer eternal punishment. The answer of Abraham is that a messenger
won’t do any good because they have been warned by Moses and the prophets. And the last part of the parable is for us
today on this side of Jesus’ resurrection.
“If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be
convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”
This parable could also
be called the Parable of Reversal. It
teaches that the first will be last and the last will be first. It teaches that God’s priorities are
different from the priorities of this world.
It teaches that the treasure of heaven is evidenced in this life in the
form of being a servant, of showing love, of acting as the hands and feet of God.
Some of us here today
are extra-blessed financially. Some here
today live in homes that are worth lots of money. Some here today have pensions and savings
that are large. You too could be called
Dives, especially if you are feeling ticked off because you think you are being
judged because of the wealth you possess or you think that the message is that
money is evil. Listen carefully.
Wealth does not prevent
us from getting into heaven. In this
parable, Abraham was designated to meet Lazarus and Abraham was a very wealthy
man at the end of his earthly life.
Dives did not end up in torment because he was rich, but because of his
indifferent and uncaring attitude toward poor Lazarus.
So, dear friend, let’s
make it personal. What absorbs most of
your time, your attention, your heart?
Yourself and your family? Is
there room for thinking about helping others?
Dives treated Lazarus
with contempt and indifference. Dives
had everything he needed and he could have provided help for Lazarus and others
in a major way.
This parable isn’t just
about money. Dives lost sight of God and
the treasure of heaven because he was preoccupied with seeking happiness in
material things. He served wealth rather
than God. In the end, this rich man
became the beggar.
Let us pray: Lord, increase our hunger for you and your
way of finding fulfillment. Make us rich
in the things of heaven and give us generous hearts that we may freely share
with others the treasure you have given us.
Thanks be to God! Amen.