Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:19-31

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit + Amen!

“‘No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.’ The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For that is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God’” (Lk 16:13-15).

These are the verses that immediately proceed this morning’s parable. We once again have a parable in a long string of parables preached by our Lord Christ as a warning to the Pharisees and all who hear. “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Lk 16:15).

And what was it that the Pharisees highly esteemed? Wealth, money, mammon.

Now it is true, that till this very day we highly esteem wealth. We admire power and honor those who are honored by the world. Perhaps more dangerously, more dangerously to our own soul, is we desire to be honored by them. We seek the approval and recognition of the wealthy, powerful, and esteemed even if we don’t imagine that that wealth and power is accessible to us. And therein lies the powerful temptation to hide our beliefs, or even to let the teaching of God be twisted within our own hearts in order to conform with the spirit of the age.

We still highly esteem wealth but perhaps not as much as the Pharisees. The Pharisees had what we might call an over realized eschatology, eschatology referring to the end of things, the end of days, and the final judgement. The Pharisees knew that God promised blessing on those who kept his Law and followed His will, and in that, they were not wrong. Where their problem laid was that they applied that which would be true in the final judgement too fully and too completely to this life as we live it now in this vale of tears, in this world of sin and death. So when Luke tells us that the Pharisees were lovers of money, he does not simply mean that they loved money for its own sake, although I am sure there was a good deal too much rank greed in their midst. But, the Pharisees loved money because they saw it as a sign of God’s blessing upon the righteous. God promises to bless those who keep his Law and do His will, ergo, if you’ve got wealth, well then you must be a righteous man beloved by God.

It is to this that Jesus tells this parable about the rich man and Lazarus. And of course we do not admire the rich man in the parable at all. He is a selfish man, obviously devoid of righteousness, he did not even send his table scarps to the beggar at his door which would have cost him nothing. He is a pitiable selfish man, who lives in the lap of luxury, with a heart full of wickedness. He is one of those “who lie on beds of ivory,” which doesn’t even sound that comfortable to me to be honest, “and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils” (Amos 6:5-7), while caring nothing for his neighbor.

His wealth may have made him the envy of the world, it may have justified him in the eyes of the world, truly this man is a man blessed by God they’d say “but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Lk 16:15). He was a servant of mammon, not of God, and Lord saw it well, even before his disregard for Lazarus as the fruit of this fact showed it. His hope was in his wealth, not in the Lord, and he got his heart’s desire as Abraham reminds him, “Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things” (Lk 16:25).

So when he died he went to Hell. And what a vivid, horrifying picture of Hell the Lord Christ gives to work in the Pharisees and in us a salutary fear of damnation, to warn and admonish them and us to repentance before the light closes on this little day of life . Even there in perdition the rich man’s heart was wicked, turned in on himself. Indeed he takes no responsibility but accuses God for his fate claiming that no one warned him as to what was coming. Of course it was for this very reason that God had sent Moses and the Prophets, which is Abraham’s response “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them” (Lk 16:29). Indeed, God’s Word is sufficient to create and sustain faith. It is the rich man who stopped up his ears and would not hear. So great is the rebellion of the sinful heart that Christ will soon prove in his own resurrection, there are those will not be convinced even “if someone should rise from the dead” (Lk 16:31).

We know more about the rich man than we know about Lazarus. What we do know about Lazarus is that he was not esteemed by men. Yet the parable does not record his good works, but when he dies he goes to heaven. The key to understanding Lazarus is in his name. Lazarus means “the Lord is my Help.” Lazarus doesn’t do much of anything in the parable, he doesn’t even speak but he is identified by his name as one whose hope is in the Lord and in His grace and mercy. Lazarus is only shown reclining, first at the rich man’s door, his wounds being licked by dogs, and then by no work of his own, instead being lifted up by angles, happily, at Abraham’s bosom. Lazarus is a picture of the passiveness of saving faith.

In this parable, Jesus wishes to teach us not esteem power and money but to love our neighbor. And above all he wishes to teach us that we, unlike the rich man and like Lazarus, should trust God’s Word and not demand from Him that we win the lottery or that He work a miracle at our command here and now. We do not over realize our eschatology but wait on God’s timing in faith according to His promise. He will bring it to pass. We should know that we are beggars before God. We cannot save ourselves. We are not worthy of what we ask. But we wait for Him to reveal Himself and the fullness of His mercy because we trust His Word.

If that is the main point, neither should we miss the side point, the idolatry of money. We all know well that the love of money is the root of great evil. Nonetheless, we all too often remain deluded and deceived by the world. How often do we daydream about what we could do if only we had more money, how we would set up our loved ones and even our Church with nice things and trust funds. Or perhaps I’m just telling on myself. If I were to tell you that it is harder for a tall man to enter into the Kingdom of God than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, would you tell me that it is so great to be tall that you are willing to risk it? No. Of course not. But if Jesus says that of a rich man, how many of us say “I like those odds.” Repent. The blasphemy that which scoffs at the words of Jesus is most dangerous to faith. Because we are most tempted to scoff at Jesus’ Word when he contradict the passions of our flesh that most enslave us. And that is a good tool for sussing out that to which we are most enslaved and that of which we must repent. Wherever you recoil at Jesus’ word, it is there that the serpent is coiled spilling his venom. So head Christ well, he tells this parable to warn us, do not store up treasure in this world. Store it in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy.

Nor should we think that we are unlike the rich man in the parable, because if we were rich we would be generous. As Jesus says, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much” (Lk 16:10). And you are richer than you know. The perfect is the enemy of the good. Something is better than nothing. The widow’s mite was the greatest offering ever given in the Temple. You can’t give your kids a million dollar trust fund or the car of their dreams, but you could babysit for them or buy them a vacuum cleaner. The beggar Lazarus wasn’t longing for a mansion on a hill, just for crumbs. Share your crumbs. They are more than you know.

Lazarus does nothing in the parable. He does not speak or even stand. He neither speaks anything great nor does any good works. Yet he is carried by the holy angels to Abraham’s bosom. He is a beggar, too weak to fend off the dogs, longing like the prodigal son for food from the trash heap, but his heavenly Father is richer than the rich man. Lazarus is passive, but His Father is most active. Thus he is brought to his Father not because of his worthiness, but because of God’s mercy. He is not esteemed by men, but he is esteemed by God.

There is a sense in which saving faith is passive, that is, that it is something that is done to us rather than by us. Our only action is to accept what is given instead of rejecting it. The rich man was confident in himself, the beggar was not. He knew that he was weak and had no resources. He did not esteem himself. Instead, he believed God’s Words and promises without miracles or much in the way of experience or evidence. He simply trusted God to be faithful to His own Word, to be good to him according to His promises, and to do what He said He would. Thus he was saved and the rich man condemned.

This is what we mean when we talk about faith alone. We do not mean that faith exists in isolation of good works or that there is no sense in which faith is active and growing. What we mean is that God declares us righteous not because of our good works or lineage or intellect, but because of the all-sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for the sins of the world. He gave up His riches. We esteemed Him not, but by His stripes we are healed. His riches are given to us when we believe it.

It is clear in all of Holy Scripture that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and yet all are freely justified by God’s grace through the redemption that was promised in the Messiah. Whoever believes and trusts in this, despite his sins or background or history is declared righteous by God.

Jesus, the teller of this parable, Son of Mary, is Himself the Messiah, a Man of us, and yet still and forever true God. Everything the beggar waited for is found in Him. For the Father has set Him, Jesus Christ, His greatest treasure from heaven, as a propitiation for our sins. We receive this by faith, not by works or an act of the will. It isn’t something we do, but what God does to us through the Word. It is ours when we hear the Spirit’s testimony of the Son and He causes us to believe.

God Himself is just and is the justifier of those who have faith in Christ. Seek first the Kingdom of God. Seek to be Lazarus. Disciple your daydreams. And whatever we must suffer in this life, even if the only mercy we find is from wild dogs, let us not lose this faith but remain ever in it by God’s Holy Word and Sacrament.

In name of Jesus our priceless treasure + Amen.

Beyond the Grave: Lessons on Wealth and Consequences

Bible Passage: Luke 16:13–31

Summary: In Luke 16:13-31, Jesus presents the story of the rich man and Lazarus, contrasting their earthly lives and eternal destinies. The passage emphasizes the consequences of our choices regarding wealth and the importance of faithfulness in what we have been given.

Application: This message challenges Christians to reflect on how they use their resources and to prioritize compassion and justice, especially for those in need. It encourages a reassessment of our values and actions, urging us to align them with eternal perspectives rather than temporal gains.

Teaching: The narrative teaches that earthly wealth is not indicative of divine favor, and our treatment of the marginalized has eternal implications. It warns against complacency in our spiritual lives and highlights the urgency of sharing God’s truth and love with others while we still have time.

How this passage could point to Christ: In this story, Christ embodies humility and compassion, showing that the Kingdom of God is accessible to the poor and marginalized. The passage points to the ultimate choice between serving God and wealth, which culminates in the sacrificial love of Christ, who became poor for our sakes that we might become rich in Him.

Big Idea: This sermon communicates that our choices related to wealth not only affect our earthly lives but have significant implications for eternity, prompting a call to use our resources wisely in service of God's Kingdom.

Recommended Study: As you prepare this sermon, consider delving into the socio-economic context of both the rich and Lazarus to better illustrate their contrasting lives. Explore how the parable's teachings on wealth correspond with other biblical passages such as Matthew 6:19-21. Using Logos, investigate commentary discussions on the afterlife beliefs in Jewish tradition to provide depth to the consequences highlighted in the story.

1. Choose the Right Master

Luke 16:13-16

Perhaps you could explore how Jesus begins by setting the stage with the stark reality that loyalty to wealth and devotion to God cannot coexist peacefully. The choice between serving God or wealth becomes a turning point that challenges the listener to re-evaluate priorities, encouraging a wholehearted commitment to God's values. This passage reflects the profound call for Christians to choose God over materialism, a choice mirrored in Christ's own life of humility and service.

2. Cling to God's Eternal Law

Luke 16:17-18

You could delve into how Jesus underscores the enduring and unchanging authority of God's law, demonstrating that divine standards are not flexible to accommodate human desires. Highlight how Christ, the fulfillment and embodiment of the law, offers a contrast to the prevailing cultural norms that prioritize wealth over godliness. This calling reminds believers of the steadfast nature of God's principles and the eternal consequences tied to our earthly actions.

3. Contrast of Eternal Outcomes

Luke 16:19-26

Maybe you can focus on the dramatic contrast between the life of the rich man and Lazarus, depicting the reversal of fortunes beyond the grave. This paints a vivid picture of eternal consequences, urging the audience to reflect on how their current actions align with God's priorities. Jesus' message suggests a reevaluation of how wealth is used and stresses the importance of caring for the marginalized, as Christ did during His earthly ministry.

4. Call to Immediate Action

Luke 16:27-31

You could highlight the rich man's plea and Abraham's response as a powerful reminder of the urgency to heed God's word and share the message of salvation. The lack of second chances post-mortem underscores the need for timely action in faith and charity. This passage compels believers to live compassionately and urgently, using their resources not just for personal gain but to further the kingdom values championed by Christ.