The Rich Man and Lazarus

Remember your Creator. Remember your Redeemer. Remember the many warnings I gave to you that you did not regard.
- A reflection by Fr. Randy 

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Luke 16:19-31
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.’”

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KEY TOPICS
Lazarus the Poor Man, Rich Man, God, Jesus, Abraham’s Bosom, Haughty Spirit, Heaven and Earth, Mercy and Judgement, Pursue Righteousness, People of God, Parables of Jesus, read, Remember to be Content, Angels and Prophets, works, world, Dressed in Purple, industrious, place

Come like to wind and cleanse, come like the fire and burn, convert and consecrate our hearts for our great good and for your greater glory. Amen.
 
Please be seated. Well, again, welcome to everyone. Last week, we had a Gospel reading that ended with, and I quote, "You cannot serve God and mammon." You remember that? Remember that, Jack? The perplexing parable? Yeah,  I noodled over it myself somehow, after that.
 
Well, what happened there was that that ended. And, you know, of course, we got to the basics of the parable, which was that the shrewd servant was shrewd and industrious, and looking out for his well being. Once well, he cheated his master while he was with him. And then when his master said, You're gonna go, he started plotting and planning on how we could set things up for him, once he gets kicked out. So it could be okay. So that he could have, you know, a place to live and to do and that sort of thing. And he was praised for that. But what about those of us who are interested in what happens when we get when we depart this world? Are we concerned with the world to come with eternity? Do we live our lives in such a way that we store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, as Jesus suggests that we do. So the Pharisees didn't like it, but it goes on. There's some other the lines following that, where they say that they derived Jesus for that sermon. And they ridiculed him and mocked him. Why? Because in their worldview, if you were rich, and fancy, and special, and important, you were favored by God. If you were poor and miserable, too bad for you. Something's going on there. Something's wrong with you. So this whole notion that I'm supposed to serve God and not wealth, What do you mean I'm not supposed to serve riches I'm not supposed to go after riches. I'm not supposed to make that my main thing. I'm not supposed to address a fancy and all that sort of stuff. But that that was the whole point. And it's easy to fall into that trap isn't it? Right, what I wear, how I look kind of car I drive all that sort of stuff. But no, that's not the point.
 
So Jesus tells them another parable to try to make more clear what he's what he's saying. What it is that we should be concerned with here in this life and in this world and it's not the things that we think they are and you know, if you look at this morning's first read of reading to Timothy you know, he he spells it out really really well here so I just want to read some of it. So that you cannot serve God and mammon. So there is great gain and godliness combined with contentment, oh contentment, what is that? For we brought nothing in the world we can take nothing out of it.
 
But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. Okay. motorhomes. motorhomes. There. They're not necessary, apparently. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmless desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And in their eagerness to be rich, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. They went after mammon, they said, I want to be rich, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to do that. And if I have to violate God's will, then I shall do that in the process. Because this is where I'm staking my happiness and my enjoyment.
 
But he says, As for you, man of God, so those who want to be godly, who are interested in that In a shuttle that pursue righteousness, the fellow from last week's sermon pursued what he pursued to clever means in order to secure his happiness after he gets fired. He was busy being, plotting and planning and making this bringing this to fruition. And he was said, hey, that's, that's really good work that you've done there. I was very industrious of you and clever of you. Well, here, Paul saying, Pursue righteousness, seek that. Upon seeking righteousness. I ask do I get up in the morning and when I pray and say, What do I do I get up in the morning, say, Okay, today I'm going to seek righteousness, and godliness, and love, and gentleness. Those are my goals today. Generally, I wake up well, now that I'm retired, not as much, but when I used to be worrying, I wake up, I had all kinds of plotting and planning going on. That didn't really include some of these things. Fight the good fight of the faith. Believe that's not always easy to do is it because the world it wants us to pursue Mammon. So we have to fight it, we have to fight the good fight. We have to take hold of the eternal life, to which we've been called by God, the eternal life. That's what's important. That's what I'm supposed to be thinking about. As for those who in his present age are rich, commend them not to be haughty. Again, it's not the money. That's the problem. It's the love of money, , Jesus in one place tells the one guy to sell all the stuff and give it to the poor, because he had a particular that guy needed to learn a lesson. Here he says, Don't be haughty. In the uncertainty of your riches, like we're gonna hear about the guy who dresses in purple. He was a little haughty commanded not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on an on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Isn't that great? He provides us everything we need for our enjoyment. If we turn to God, if we pursue God and godliness, that's what columns I'd like I said many times, you know, I'll pursue some of these worldly things like a motorhome. And because I want enjoyment, and I do get enjoyment out of them. But I also get a lot of problems and pain. I do this thing up here. I pierced myself with many pains. Because these things are, you know, have problems come with them. And as I said about boats, which I heard some guys--they went, that was the greatest thing ever. Since the two best days of boat ownership is the day you buy it and the day you sell it. That's what we're getting at here.
 
But not with God. When you find God and you rest in God, you find enjoyment that is eternal. Okay, they are what they're gonna do some other things here. There do you do good, to be rich in good works. Not just rich and mammon, but rich and good works. That's the important thing. Generous, ready to share all the things that of course, the fellow in the parable we're talking about here that Jesus told did not do. says if you're if you are rich and good works, and you're generous, and you're ready to share, you are thus storing up for yourself the treasures of a good foundation for the future in heaven. So that they may take hold of the life that really is life stored up for yourselves treasures in heaven. Jesus said, not the things on earth that rust and decay and go away. So be about good works. BJ generous. These are the things He tells us to do. Again, do I wake up in the morning and take a moment to think to myself, I want to remember to be generous today. I want to remember to do good works today. Because I've been called to do that by Jesus Himself. God Himself has set aside good work for me to do. Do I get up and I think about that. I need to because that's that's the whole point. Okay. So we go back to the guy the week or so now we go ahead to the guy in purple is rich guy. He did all kinds of things, right? He ate sumptuously every day, it says, never took a day off for being sumptuous.
 
Okay, so was it the wealth that condemned him? No.
 
It was what he didn't do as well. If you forgot, he never even considered why God gave him that wealth. I'm sure he thought I did. Look at me. So the condition of his heart was what his problem was. He didn't believe Psalm 146, which we have right here. Where it says, God who made heaven, an earth, the season, all that is in them, who keeps his promise forever, who gives justice to those who are oppressed and food to those who hunger, the Lord sets the prisoners free, the Lord opened the eyes of the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, ie Lazarus out of the gate. He did he, I don't know if he read that he may have. But if he did, he read it and he didn't do it.
 
So Abraham says in the story here, he says, John, remember that doing your your, during your lifetime, you receive your good things and Lazar, some like manna is evil things. So he did receive some good things. But again, he did not use them according to God's will. He did not use his talents to Increase God's mercy in the world. As Jesus instructs us in another in another in another parallel. He dressed in purples to show other how important and special he was, he dressed in purple and did all these fancy things to feed his worldly ego. He used fine linen for the same purpose he feasted sumptuously every day, to not only impress other people, but to impress himself with how awesome he was. I'm God. Why Lazarus, of course, hoping he could get a crumb of bread. That was his day. And you notice how there's this faith, isn't it that I'm going to come here and maybe I'll get across to bread live. And you notice how you don't hear him complaining or whining? was a pretty amazing guy. And he's there. Why is he said because he's got sores. He's got some kind of disease. He had sores. He can't do anything. He's really probably had to carry in there. He just lays there it says he so we couldn't keep the dogs from licking his wounds and wounds. And you think about the dogs, right? I wanted these dogs probably belong to this rich purple guy, right? The Purple Guy as he's known by the rich purple guy, he's probably his dogs. I'm sure he fed his dogs pretty pretty well. You know, we think about that I you know, we take care of our dogs. And sometimes I think, you know, by taking care of my dog and more than I'm taking care of the people in the world who are suffering our border and have real problems. You want you to the dogs come to rich, maybe they were nicer and then the rich guy they were they were coming to lick his wounds to try to alleviate some of the pain I don't know either that or it was just further torture for it. And we know that the rich man knew that he was there wasn't like he didn't know he was there. He even knew his name isn't hurting his call tell Lazarus to come dip his finger and cool my tongue.
 
So he knew he was there. He just didn't do anything to help him he may not like those sores Lazarus is in a bad way. We can't refer either Can we now who who God loves Richard the poor I can't wait because right here pretty obvious to God loves Lazarus so let's talk about Lazarus he's poor he's he's poor in spirit as Jesus says is a good thing to have.
 
I'm actually gonna go back to the rich guy for a minute. Because this is another thing we learned from Jesus. No, it's not enough just not to be mean to people. Were called to help them. Remember when Jesus this is really powerful message he gives to us at one point when he talks about how Have you guys over here? You didn't, I was hungry, and you didn't feed me? And they say, well, when did we what? What are you talking about here? Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for the least of these my brothers you did not do for me. And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. And that's what's happening here to the rich guy. He's going away into eternal punishment, because he'd stepped feet, Lazarus. So we're taught very specifically, very important things we're supposed to do. And that's to use the talents were given by God in the service of others. In the name of God.
 
So, there he is, and then guess what happens? They both die. I'm sure the man in purple was surprised. And let's imagine for a moment his funeral dignity dignitaries, probably came, because he's carrying, you know, some probably a, you know, a bit, maybe a fan. To carry them there. It was great pomp and circumstance around the burial of this fellow, I'm sure.
 
But what happened to Lazarus? Well, a band of angels came to get him. So the rich man has this temporary last moment of look how awesome I am. He's buried. Go straight to hell. You know, we say that sometimes at persons should go straight down. Well, that's apparently what happened. He went straight down.
 
And Lazarus went straight into the bosom of Abraham, and haven't lifted up and carry there by a band of angels, angels who look after us in this life, and who will come to meet us and take us with Him in Heaven. I remember when my father died. I think this is what was going on. He's laying in the bed there and everybody was laying around, are standing around him. And he was looking at us this is like, just before he died, and he looked up, and he goes, and he says, this person's name and that person's name and that person's name and that person's name. And then he goes, who's that? And then later, right, I can't remember who it was. One of us walked by the hall and they looked through and he was busy talking to whoever that was. So the angels come to get us. So death, it's not necessarily that scary thing is to die. The angels are there to take care of you, to lift you up and bring you to Heaven. rich man's and how suffering. He looks up, he sees Abraham. Remember, Luke's Jesus says this another time earlier and Luke He says, you know, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are thrown out. Now, this is a tremendous addition to his torment, isn't it, that not only is he in this terrible place, but he looks up and he sees Lazarus is in heaven. And he realizes, wait, there's this other place where he's been comforted by Abraham goes on. He says, people will come from east and west and north and south and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed, there are those who are last who will be first and first who will be last. And this of course, is a good example. I think of what he's saying there.
 
So he's surprised so is there no relief in hell? No. i Let's think about it. This is no relief. Now. You read through the story, this rich man is in a bad way. And there's no every time he asked for something, no, no great chasm. God ordained that this was the way it was going to be. You had your time. Now, this is the situation you're in. So that when you think about that, that's very serious. But then we think about what did God do to save us from that predicament? That's pretty intense what he did too Isn't He sent His only Son into the world, to teach us about his mercy, and, and his salvation and to suffer and die on the cross, to pay for our sins, so that we would not have to go to this terrible place. So God did a tremendous thing. And if we think about that, we can understand why now. This is a bad place that we have consigned ourselves to, by our disobedience. So the rich man's punishment includes not only his loss of his stuff, but actual pain. It's made worse like I said, he sees Lazarus, than the dialogue he has with Abraham represents the thoughts ofChrist. Son, remember, Christ says to him, Abraham says to him, just think about that son, remember? Wow. That's probably the last thing you want to hear when you're in his situation.
 
Remember your Creator. Remember your Redeemer. Remember the many warnings I gave to you that you did not regard.
 
Remember the many offers I made to you have eternal joy in life that you ignored or rejected. Remember the gifts I gave you. And that you were not grateful for them? Should I use them as a blessing for others?
 
Remember your unkindness and the little you did for others. Remember how you did not improve upon the talents that I gave you. So it's too late for him to ask for help.
 
Now all he can do is remember that this is the great mercy and grace of God for those who accept his offer. When we go into heaven, our sins are forgiven and washed away. And they are remembered no more. That is the great, amazing gift. Especially when you compare it to what the rich man is left to do for eternity. We are forgiven through His mercy and grace. We will not remember any of that. It's gone. But for him, it is too late now to ask for help. The day of help has passed, the day of mercy has gone. If he had asked for help in his life, he would have received it. He begs Lazarus, then go to my brother. Tell them hey, look, They have Moses and the prophets dumb to read that. No, no, they won't. That's there to read blah, blah, Moses prophets. They need something special to come. Right? We get used to these things. And you just tell us look, if they did not listen to Moses and the prophets and either where they live, be convinced even if someone does arise from the dead and go to them, their hearts are hardened. That's not gonna it won't do anything. They have the written word. That is the ordinary means and a miraculous and merciful means by which God has given us to be convicted and converted of our sins and to accept His mercy. That's how it works. That's it. But they gotta have something special for them. No, that's it right there. Foolish people. We like to think that any any kind of method of conviction or you know, God is better than the one God came up with? What does he know? So they find reasons to reject God. Probably because they just don't want to believe that it could be because of the Pharisees and unlike what he teaches, but they don't know that they're rejecting the joy, of eternal life with God and the joy that is found every day on this earth with God.
 
Where's it at? Here it is. God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Trust God. And those of us in this is this I think, father, Jack Winchester last week in this country so rich and everything. We all the poor has always been with us. Jesus said, Therefore we always have work to do to succor and help those in need.
 
The dead if they came back, they could say no more than what is in Scripture. And they could say it with no more authority. Then the scripture says that Jesus verifies this very point. Both when he raises Lazarus always wondered, did he did he have? Did he come up with the word Lazarus here? He's telling the story, because he knew I'm gonna raise Lazarus from the dead here little while? I think so. You know, a lot of people weren't convinced by that. Who else was raised from the dead? To show the power of God, Jesus himself. You tell that to people. They won't be convinced even if someone is raised from the dead. Therefore, what do we do? We ask for God's mercy. We pray for His mercy for us and for others, that we would all come to see and hear and learn and see that the word is true and taste of it and taste how beautiful it is. But we must read it and we must ingest it in order for it to it for us to experience its beauty, the beauty of holiness that is there for us.
 
Let us pray. Father, God, we thank you so much for the gift of your word, and for the teachings that Jesus came to bring us so that we would know the wonders of Your mercy and forgiveness and the wonders of your salvation. Help us Father God, to obey you and to follow Jesus in pathways of righteousness so that we go about doing good for others in your name. Help us Father God, to be about your business. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. Please stand now and turning to page seven in your booklet let us confess our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed. We believe in one God, the Father and the Almighty.