Listen to the audio of today’s Reflection:
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Luke 16:19-31
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25“But Abraham replied, ‘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. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
Just last weekend, while our sons were visiting, we were talking about the old movie Trading Places, with Eddie Murphy and Dan Ackroyd. If you didn’t see it or don’t remember it, two filthy-rich commodities traders casually cast aside their successful young protégé, and replace him with a petty criminal they pluck from the streets. Then the discarded protégé and his street-wise replacement turn the tables on their wealthy manipulators.
I mention this because I think this parable shares a couple of central themes with that old movie. Both are about how “the first shall be last and the last shall be first.” And about how easy it is for those who are richly blessed to see the less fortunate as inferiors and servants.
I think this parable actually has an element of humor in it, too. Of course, that’s based a crackpot theory I have about it. Some of you might remember. My crackpot theory is based on the fact that this parable has an odd distinction – it’s the only one of Jesus’ parables in which a character has a name. The poor man in the story is the only character with a name, and his name is Lazarus. And that’s also the name of the man who is believed by some readers to be Jesus’ best friend.
So my crackpot theory is that Jesus told this parable on an occasion Lazarus was present. And as he described this utterly miserable, poor guy lying in the dirt with dogs licking his sores, I think Jesus said, “Let’s call him Lazarus” – just as a joke. That’s so typical of male humor. We know Jesus included jokes in his teachings, and it just doesn’t seem like a coincidence that his only named character had the same name as his best friend.
As I’ve freely confessed in the past, I have absolutely no evidence to back up this theory, which I guess is what makes it crackpot.
Anyway, the miserable Lazarus in the parable sits at the outer gate of a very wealthy man to beg. Our NIV Bible says that Lazarus was “laid” there, but the original Greek actually says that he was “thrown down” there. Apparently he was literally treated like trash – he was so weak and sick he couldn’t even move into a sheltered place. So he lived on the street and begged from those who passed by. The rich man inside is said to ‘live in luxury every day,’ and apparently ate so well that Lazarus longed for some of the table scraps, but it seems they went to the household dogs instead.
Then the two men die – and, so to speak, ‘trade places.’ The rich man finds himself in Hades, while Lazarus is immediately transported to heaven, where he is welcomed at the side of Abraham, the patriarch of the covenant people. So in the reversal promised in the Beatitudes and elsewhere in the teachings of Jesus, the rich man has been cast down, while the poor man whose earthly life was filled with suffering finds peace and rest in heaven.
In his misery, the rich man cries out to Abraham to send Lazarus to bring him water. Even after the reversal of their circumstances, the rich man sees Lazarus only in terms of what he might do for him. But Abraham says no such help is possible, and points out that the rich man had nothing but good in life, while Lazarus suffered constantly.
The rich man then asks that Lazarus be sent to his family, to warn them of what awaits unless they repent of their selfish way of life. But Abraham replies that they have ‘Moses and the prophets’ – the scriptures – to show them how to live.
Finally, the rich man asks that someone be sent from the dead to warn his family. But Abraham answers that if they refused to pay attention to the scriptures, they won’t listen even to someone who rises from the dead. It’s hard not to conclude that Jesus was foretelling that some would refuse to embrace his message even after the resurrection.
You might remember that before Jesus was born, his mother uttered a great prophesy that’s found in Luke 1:46-55. It’s usually called “Mary’s Song.” And in this prophesy, Mary foretold that by her son’s life and ministry, God would scatter the proud and the rulers, but lift up the humble. He would fill the hungry with good things, but send the rich away empty. This parable of Lazarus and the rich man seems to communicate the same message in story form.
Most of us don’t usually think of ourselves as ‘rich.’ But of course, compared to most of the people in this world, we live in great comfort and even luxury. And the Bible consistently communicates the message that when God blesses a person richly, God intends that person to share those blessings richly with those who are in need.
About one in ten of the people around us live in poverty. About one in ten struggles to feed their family. And in spite of what we often tell ourselves, most of the poor work just as hard as we do – or even harder. Charitable giving by Christians doesn’t come close to meeting the needs of the needy. And millions of people who call themselves Christians eagerly vote for candidates who promise to cut benefits for the poor so they can cut taxes for the well-to-do.
Maybe that’s why this parable is so seldom used as a preaching text in well-to-do American churches – because people like us find it profoundly disturbing when we actually think about what Jesus is saying here. We realize that in God’s version of Trading Places, we can’t count on being among those who ‘trade up.’
Let’s pray. Lord, you know that for the most part, our lives are more like the rich man in this parable than like the poor beggar. Move in our hearts and fill us with a greater willingness to share of our rich blessings to help those who are in need around us. Let us obey your word in scripture and embrace the truth of the resurrection as confirmation of your commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. Amen.
Have a great weekend, and may you worship God joyfully on Sunday!
Henry
(The listed readings for today are Psalms 19 and 20; Deuteronomy 5:1-22; II Corinthians 4:1-12; and Luke 16:10-17. Our readings come from the NIV Bible, as posted on Biblica.com, the website of the International Bible Society.)
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