Lazarus & The Rich Man–Luke 16:19-31 (NLT)

Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’ “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

With a text like this, it’d be easy enough to get up in the pulpit and rail against corrupt billionaires who have no concern for the poor— because unless your congregation looks very different than mine, there aren’t too many billionaires in your pews. But what’s less comfortable is considering where this passage challenges the rest of us. Because this story isn’t just about wealth, it’s about unrestrained demand. 

The rich man lives an entire life of receiving whatever he asks for, and he does it at the expense of the poor man who is dying at his gate. But then he reaches eternity, and suddenly things are different. The rich man has nothing as he languishes in the place of the dead. And suddenly he sees poor Lazarus standing in a far away place next to Abraham, in a place of honor. 

And you would think that in this moment, the rich man might repent of a life that demanded everything from everyone without giving back even the scraps from his table. That with the roles reversed, he might beg Lazarus for forgiveness or recognize the error of his ways. But that doesn’t happen. He asks for mercy, but the man still doesn’t address Lazarus! The only time he mentions the poor man’s name, is with another demand on his lips. And even then, he’s talking to Abraham, someone of status and power, someone on his level. And he’s asking Abraham to command Lazarus like a slave. 

He sees the poor man lifted to Abraham’s side, and he assumes he must be there as a servant and nothing more. Because even in Hades, stripped of his money and power, the rich man still doesn’t get it. He still doesn’t see the upside down nature of God’s Kingdom. And he still can’t accept poor Lazarus as his equal. And in the end, I think that’s what keeps him stuck where he is. I imagine the rich man in this story could still be saved, if he could only accept that he is not above his neighbors. But even here, in the fires of hell, he’s still making demands. 

And we may not be stepping over the poor to get into our houses or having feasts in front of the hungry while refusing to share our scraps. But we can just as easily live lives of demand. We can live lives that push our will on others and forget our call to serve, as if other people were only created to provide what we desire. And we can live lives that separate us from our brothers and sisters, because we strive to be above them. 

So whether or not we have billions stashed away, this week’s text is still a reminder to us all, that if we cannot accept the least among us as our equals, then we cannot pray for the Kingdom of God. And perhaps that’s what your congregation needs to hear this Sunday.

Blessings as you preach this week,

Alex

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