Key Scripture: Luke 16:19-31

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

Relevance

I never tire of the story of Lazarus and the rich man. It offers numerous life lessons to reflect on. The story highlights the state of a specific wealthy man's heart and where it led him.   

Some say that Jesus told this story to challenge the priesthood, specifically Caiaphas, the Sadducee High Priest, who had five brothers-in-law who were all priests. But we won't worry about that. Let's make it about ourselves!

I'm sure we all agree that being rich is not a prerequisite for apathy towards others' woes. Somewhere along the line, the wealthy got a bad name for that. But anyone can become detached. They just need to imbibe the spirit of indifference, and that can affect any of us.

The scene of a beggar holding out his hand as the rich walk past is almost as old as time itself. Scammers have long tarnished the reputation of honest individuals, and as a result, some passersby give, while others don't. 

Our scripture highlights the dichotomy of the rich and the poor meeting daily at the same intersection, yet nothing changes.

Ironically, both the rich man and Lazarus knew in their respective situations the best way to make money. The rich man, by doing what he did successfully every day, and Lazarus, choosing to lie at the rich man's gate, knowing that other rich people entered and left as well.

For Lazarus, it was a matter of Location. Potentially, this was where the money was. However, it is clear that all the rich man's visitors were as mean as he was. Lazarus went to his grave a beggar.

Lazarus may have had a business brain that could have helped the rich man if he had stopped to ask even the most meagre of questions or taken the least bit of interest. 

Not far into the story, we find out what the theme was about—the real riches of John 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

The rich man's kingdom was fully established to operate in this world only—all the trappings related to the here and now, with no retirement fund for the hereafter. The lives of all five of his brothers were the same.

Nobody denies the rich their riches, but even rich people can repent, ask the Lord into their hearts, live godly lives and reap the rewards of the true kingdom. 

Jesus said that His kingdom is not of this world, so the entirety of this man's labour was, as Solomon put it, vanity. Besides creating jobs for others, it only served as a means of financing the pleasures of this life. 

For this very reason, Jesus warned us about how hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom, because of the almost irresistible magnetism of riches that draws us away from reliance upon the Lord. Our rich man found that the only thing his greed, labour and cunning business deals bought him regarding the afterlife was a manse in Hell. 

Lazarus, on the other hand, had built a relationship with God. His economy ran internally. Despite his abject poverty, begging for crumbs of food, dogs licking his sores, and being too weak to brush away the flies that were landing on every part of his body, he never lost faith in his Saviour.  The parable is tragic for the rich man and his five brothers.

Wouldn’t it be far better if the story went like this?

One day, the rich man stopped at Lazarus and gave him some money, saying, "If you are going to lie here, at least get some better clothes, and some ointment and bandages for those sores." 

Then a few days later, the rich man stopped by again and gave him some more money; this time for food. Then he stopped a third time and offered money to help Lazarus' family. A relationship began to build as the rich man took an interest in Lazarus. Each visit, the rich man worried less about who saw him talking to a beggar. 

Eventually, the conversation turns to salvation, with Lazarus explaining the spiritual world beyond the one they were living in and how to gain access. The rich man considers it, repents and gives his heart to the Lord, he and all his house. 

And then he tells his brothers, and they are saved, along with all their houses. Then they begin helping the poor in the neighbourhood, eventually setting up a fund to assist the needy and appointing Lazarus to manage it. Upon death, none of the wealthy family members end up in hell. The poor had been saved from a wretched life, and the rich from a wretched afterlife without Christ. 

Isn’t that a far better story?

Anyone can have the spirit of indifference while justifying their position. But it's not the Way of Christ. There is only one spirit for the Christian—the Holy Spirit. When He abides within, there is no room for the spirits of indifference or self-justification or anything else.  

For us, the story of Lazarus isn't about a rich man and a beggar. We are all like the rich man if we carry a disregard for others. We can become so comfortable in our quaint little circle of life that the straits of others become oblivious to us. 

Instead, Paul encourages us in Philippians 2:4-5 to look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

If we all followed this principle with humility, what a wonderful world we would create! Agreed?

Prayer

Precious Lord, let this passage of Jesus sink in. At the time, He was speaking to scribes and priests, but it really involves us all. Please help us follow you by looking over others' lives with as much care as we do our own. 

Photo by Egor Myznik