Kingdom Come Week 6; The Rich Man and Lazarus, Luke 16:19-31
Now that masks are required for your wardrobe, it’s harder to recognize some faces. And if a person wears a hat and sunglasses, I can be totally blind to who’s standing in front of me. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is all about blindness. Jesus opens our eyes to the times we are blind to the needs right in front of us.
Our story opens with an exceedingly wealthy man. His outer garment is dyed purple. The color came from crushed shellfish - a process so costly that purple was eventually reserved for royalty. His undergarments are made of delicate, soft linen woven from Egyptian flax. Few wore undergarments and none wore such expensive briefs. When the NIV says he “lived in luxury every day” the words mean he daily threw sumptuous, splendid celebrations. There’s a lot of partying going on in the rich man’s house. One scholar remarks there is so much food on his table his guests wipe their hands with bread before throwing it on the floor. This guy is living the high life behind the walls and gates of his compound.
A different world lives outside the walls. Each day, friends lay a poor man named Lazarus by the gate. This is the only time Jesus gives a name to a character in his parables. It is not the Lazarus whom Jesus later raises from the dead. He is a sick, hungry pauper covered with weeping ulcers. Longing to eat the bread thrown on the floor for the rich man’s dogs, Lazarus is too weak to drive away the street dogs trying to feast on him. Two worlds side by side separated by a gate. Now we know the rich man is not restricted to his house by Covid. He probably goes in and out every day, completely blind to the needy man lying at his gate.
Eventually Lazarus dies of malnutrition and disease. Just as friends carried him to the rich man’s gate, so now angels carry him to a feast in paradise. He receives the best seat next to Father Abraham. Meanwhile, the rich man also dies but for him the party is over. He winds up in the fiery agony of hades where his aching thirst matches the aching hunger Lazarus once felt. In torment, he looks up and sees Lazarus next to Abraham at the feast. He begs Father Abraham to send Lazarus with a drop of water to cool his parched tongue. Abraham replies,
Son remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
Besides, Abraham points out, there is a chasm which separates paradise and hades greater than the wall and gate which formerly separated him from Lazarus. So the rich man asks for Lazarus to warn his five brothers to avoid this torment. When Abraham says the whole Old Testament will warn them, the rich man replies they will pay better attention to a dead man walking. Abraham refuses. If the Bible doesn’t open their eyes, why would they believe in a resurrection?
On the surface, the simple message of this parable is those who suffer now will be rewarded in the next life while the rich get their just desserts. Yet the rich man’s sin is not his wealth but his blindness. Though he knows Lazarus’ name, he doesn’t see or help with his need. He is blind to Scripture which commands us to care for the sick, poor and powerless. He is blind to his selfishness. All his wealth is spent on himself. He is blind to his ego. Even in hell he is still trying to order Lazarus to do his will. God intends for us to use our wealth to bless others. He makes this clear through the Bible. And to drive his point home, he tells us this through a man who rose from the dead.
The question is: are we blind or do we see? Are we blind to how wealthy we are compared to the majority of the world? Are we blind to the amount we spend on ourselves compared to the little we give to others? Are we blind to the true purpose of life – trying to impress others instead of bless others? Are we blind to the true focus of life? Do we fix our eyes on short term pleasure and miss God’s long term peace?
Lazarus is the only person named in Jesus’ parables. The name means “God helps.” God will help the poor and needy in this life and the next. He asks you to open your eyes and see the need in front of you. Don’t let that be your blind spot.