Göttinger Predigten
Göttinger Predigten im Internet hg. von U. Nembach
The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 09/25/2016
Sermon on Luke 16:19-31, by Andrew Smith
Luke 16:19-31 [English Standard Version, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.]
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text for the sermon this morning is the Gospel for today.
The parable Jesus tells is really one of contrasting the huge differences between the rich man and Lazarus. This is the final parable in Chapter 16. We started out with Jesus sparring with the Pharisees about seeking the lost, and so the parables of the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin and Lost (Prodigal) Son. Then last week’s parable when Jesus told the parable of the unrighteous steward suggesting that to the Pharisees money is more important than people. This parable falls on the heels of that one and is even introduced by Luke back in verse 14, “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, ‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.’” Jesus then launches into this story about a rich man and Lazarus. It should not be too much a stretch for our imagination to see the rich man standing in for all the Pharisees and Lazarus standing for all the outcasts of Jewish society whom Jesus has made the special focus of His ministry.
Jesus described the man as rich, dressed in purple and feasting sumptuously every day. That doesn’t sound all that bad to our ears but especially the last one, feasting every day, should be the clue for us. Remember, it’s not wrong to feast, but to feast every day is an improper use of possessions. The rich man was out of control and his use of possessions showed a blatant disregard for the poor at his doorstep. We can imagine that when he died, it was the first century equivalent of Michael Jackson’s funeral. But Jesus recorded it like this: “The rich man died and was buried.” Or rather, he who dies with the most toys, still dies.
The contrast to all this was to Lazarus, the poor man. His life was pathetic and pitiable yet at least Jesus knew his name. Lazarus was not a leper; if he was he wouldn’t be near the doorstep of the rich man. He sat at the gate of the house of the rich man hoping that with all the comings and goings at the house, some might spare some pity on him. But the rich man completely ignored him even though, we learn later, the rich man even knew Lazarus’ name. And so the dogs came to lick his sores. In some ways, first century Palestinian life was not all that much different from today but there were no such things as fur babies then. Dogs were not seen as clean animals and would not have lived in houses with people. Lazarus was so helpless he couldn’t keep the dogs away.
This is the state of things, isn’t it? The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Those of us who used to be considered middle class not long ago, we are now the working poor. Now, the top limit for being middle class is a household of $250 thousand. That’s what the debate is about when they consider raising taxes but not on the middle class. And so it goes. Except that this time, the rich do not get richer and the poor do not get poorer. No. The prophecy is coming true. “For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.” “And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.” “He has brought down the mighty from their throne and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Lk 1:48ff) Lazarus dies and is carried by angels to Abraham’s side. This is extraordinary for someone like Lazarus. He may never have feasted at the rich man’s table but now he feasts forever at the side of Abraham. The great reversal, God’s kingdom, has come. Alleluia.
But the scene shifts from heaven to hell. Looking up from his torment, the rich man can see Lazarus at the side of Abraham. Not only is the man in torment in hell, but it’s made worse by being able to see the bliss of those in heaven. We make the connection between the rich man and Pharisees because, like them, he claims Abraham as his father, but it doesn’t keep him out of hell. Even more interesting for us, the rich man does not utter a single word of repentance. His cry for mercy is not a cry of repentance but rather a plea for help in a terrible situation. He does not seem to realize the great reversal has happened. He still thinks Lazarus is a servant who can be sent to do his bidding, whether to cool his tongue or warn his brothers.
Abraham calls him child, but then commands him to remember his life. “You in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. But that’s not the way it is anymore; the Great Reversal has taken place. Now Lazarus receives his comfort and the rich man is tormented, not by dogs but demons. Anyone listening closely to Luke’s Gospel will remember these lines from Jesus’ sermon on the plain, “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.” (Lk 6:21) “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.” (Lk 6:24, 25) Both the Pharisees and the disciples of Jesus who were following him could see that these words of father Abraham apply to the Pharisees who were lovers of money. Wealth is not a sign of righteousness or blessedness. God looks at the heart and he who is proud will be laid low. The rich man did not use his wealth as he had been given it and so his wealth became a curse to his eternal torment. The warning is clear: stop scoffing at the preaching of Jesus and use your possessions to help God’s people in need, or you too will suffer the same fate as this rich man. Remember the unrighteous steward from last week. He got it right. He used his position shrewdly by forgiving some of the debt of his master’s debtors because he trusted in his master’s mercy thus gaining a place for himself among friends. Lazarus is the kind of friend a disciple could make for himself by means of mammon, and Lazarus would be the kind of friend who would then welcome you as a fellow guest at the messianic banquet table.
Finally, the rich man thinks of someone other than himself, his brothers. He wants Abraham to send Lazarus to warn them so they don’t end up where he is. Abraham says, “No can do.” And he gives some great reasons but really when Marley’s ghost shows up and warns Scrooge, there is no change of heart. If they will change it will not be because someone came back from the dead it will be because of Moses and the prophets. From Moses, Exodus chapter 22, “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 22 You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, 24 and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.” And from Leviticus chapter 19: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.”
For a word from the prophets we don’t have to go any further than the OT lesson for today, “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory
and stretch themselves out on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock
and calves from the midst of the stall,
5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp
and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,
6 who drink wine in bowls
and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
7 Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,
and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”
Jesus is thusly calling the Pharisees to listen to Moses and prophets for they testify of not only how to treat the poor but they also testify to the messiah’s coming and mission. Jesus is the living, breathing proof of the testimony of Moses and the prophets.
Jesus’ last warning to them is subtle because it hasn’t happened yet but “they will not even listen if someone were to rise from the dead.” They did not believe even when Jesus raised another Lazarus from the dead. They only hated him more. And yet, I think that Jesus may even be referring to his own resurrection from the dead and this whole story points forward to Easter evening with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Like the Pharisees, they don’t understand, even after an angel has told them that Jesus was raised, not until Jesus opens up Moses and the prophets showing them the center, Jesus the messiah. Hearing Jesus teach them, their hearts burned but they did not see until they were welcomed at the table and Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened. They receive a foretaste of the great messianic feast, the fruition of the promise given to Father Abraham. The Pharisees too need to become hearers of the word and repentant guests at Jesus’ table. To be hearers of the Word and repentant guests is to be drawn into the great reversal in Jesus Christ. Only through radical repentance and a break with our past do we enter the kingdom where one shows mercy as the Father in heaven has shown mercy unto us.
And so it is that last week, we lifted up 3 of our young girls and asked God to bless their hearing of His Word as they learn of the radical repentance required to join the guests at the Lord’s table. And so it is that this week we are privileged to witness God’s making low and His lifting up of Clara Belle though the waters of Holy Baptism. She too will one day, become a hearer of God’s word and a guest at the Lord’s table.
And so it is with us. For the rich man is in many ways like us. We want the world to be the way we want it. The “poor people” all around us—we suspect they live better than we do. “After all, we have to work for everything we have.” That’s another one I hear. Really? Tell me what the greater sin is, helping someone trying to scam the system, or not helping someone in need because you fear they may be a scammer? People come by here all the time. We even have some frequent fliers here. I don’t help them all. I simply can’t. But there have been several folks who have received genuine needed help here and I feel good about that. I sometimes get the feeling that God sent them here to me because he knew I would help them. I feel good about that too. Still, I suspect more than one has scammed me. A few I’ve helped have even failed to say thank you. After I get mad, I think about how many times God has helped me and I have not bothered to thank him. But in all, I feel good about the help we provide. I feel good about the money we send to help people all over the world through LCMS World Relief and Human Care. I hope that in the future, as a congregation we make a decision to send even more as the Lord blesses us for we can in no way think we have somehow earned it.
There will always be Pharisees—those who will not see God’s mercy through his servanthood in Christ on the cross. They will never find God as He wants to reveal himself, in the Word, in water in wine and bread, and in the places where he calls us to be merciful even as we have received mercy. “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” That is the ultimate word of this parable. Hearing the Word brings with it new life. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus. Amen.