Parables - Consequences
Notes
Transcript
Most Americans seem to live their lives today as if there will be no consequences for their actions. Today, I want to look at the parables Jesus used to teach us about consequences.
Rich Man, Poor Man
Rich Man, Poor Man
“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
In this parable we see a dichotomy, two people with very different lives.
One is rich and lived a pleasant life, the other not so much.
One ate fine food, the other wanted the crumbs from his table.
So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
Both men died,
The poor man went to “Abraham’s bosom”.
An image of peace and contentment.
The rich man was buried,
And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
The rich man looks up and what does he see?
The poor man sitting with Abraham.
Is this a parable about how the rich will suffer and the poor will be rewarded?
Is Jesus a socialist?
Is He stating that the rich are evil and will be punished?
After all, the only way these two men are described is by their wealth or lack thereof.
“Then 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.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.
So the rich man begs Abraham to send the poor man to relieve just a little of his pain.
The rich man is tormented, all he wants is a little bit of relief.
But Abraham notes the difference between how the men lived.
The one received good things in his lifetime, and now he is tormented.
The other recieved evil things in his lifetime, and now he is comforted.
Does that mean that those of us who are wealthy will spend eternity in torment?
Before you answer that, remember that even the poor in America have higher standards of living than 90% or the rest of the world.
Even if you are poor in America, you are rich.
After all, Jesus did say to the rich young ruler...
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
Is that what we are supposed to take away from this parable?
And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
Besides, there is no way for Lazarus or Abraham to go to the tormented rich man.
It is impossible for them to relieve his suffering.
This all sounds pretty bad for the rich of the world.
It sounds like we are going to be tormented, with no hope of relief.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Woe is us...
But, there is more to the story.
“Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’
OK Abraham, if I cannot be saved, please send Lazarus to save my brothers.
I wonder what message the rich man expects Lazarus to deliver?
Don’t be rich anymore?
Be more generous to the poor?
After all, the poor man in the parable just wanted the crumbs from the rich man’s table.
Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
Listen, rich man, your brothers have Moses and the prophets,
There is plenty of information for them to know how to act to avoid your fate.
Of course, the rich man had Moses and the prophets as well.
So the rich mans says, “No, but a dead person showing up will lead them to repentance.
Think about that for a minute...
How often in Scripture do we see people observing miraculous signs, only to ignore them shortly thereafter?
Sure, Moses followed God after seeing the burning bush,
But he spent 40 years wandering around the desert because the people of Israel kept “forgetting” all of the powerful signs God had done for them.
Balaam didn’t think twice about a talking donkey,
And how many times did the disciples worry about what was going on after seeing Jesus...
Feed 5,000 with some loaves and fishes.
Quiet the sea with a word.
Heal untold numbers.
Walk on water.
Raise people from the dead.
And after all of that, Peter denied Him three times.
And after Jesus’ resurrection, Peter still was not willing to say that he truly loved Him.
Let’s face it, people are fickle.
Moses told the children of Israel to care for the poor.
Jesus told us to care for the poor.
He even said if we do something nice for the least of these, it is doing it to Him.
Yet still, how many of do little if anything to help those with less than we have?
But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”
If the rich man and his brothers would not hear Moses and the prophets, they won’t hear anyone.
Similarly, if people today won’t hear Jesus, no miracles will change their minds.
It seems this story is less about the evils of being rich, but about our blindness to the needs of others.
In other words, unless our eyes are opened, we are all blind.
We may see the poor and needy right in front of us, yet not see our need to help them.
Blind Leading the Blind
Blind Leading the Blind
Speaking of not seeing what is right in front of us...
And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?
This saying of the blind leading the blind persists today.
When someone who does not know what they are talking about, yet “expertly” opines on what should be done.
And both are led into a ditch.
We see this acted out almost daily today.
Those in government making decisions without knowing the facts.
“Church” leaders ignoring inconvenient facts about Scripture.
Non-parents who will tell you how to raise your children.
And these are just a few examples.
Yet we do not seem to learn the importance of vetting who we listen to before we start following them.
When I moved to Tennessee, I met with pastors of potential churches before I took my family there.
And that confused a lot of church secretaries and pastors.
We attended this church for almost a year before we even considered joining.
As the husband and father, it is my responsibility to make sure my family isn’t following a blind leader.
So we don’t end up in a ditch.
How are you vetting those you follow?
How are you vetting me?
A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.
While I was a disciple, I was under the discipline of someone else.
I was learning from him.
I could ask questions, for clarification or if I thought there was something wrong,
But I did not think I was above my teacher.
Today, we act like young people and children, those who have little if any experience and even less learning, know everything and we should follow them.
Think Greta Thunburg, David Hogg, or even Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
We should be teaching the younger generation, not being taught by them.
Does that mean there is nothing to be learned from a younger person?
No,
But that should be the exception, not the rule.
And if you do not know more than the people you are supposed to be teaching, you are in the wrong role.
If you truly loved them, you would step down.
So as not to lead them into a ditch.
And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
This is more than just your ability to see what you are doing.
It is the ability to see your own foibles and limitations.
If I am to counsel you on how to deal with a problem, but I suffer from the same problem, am I truly the best counselor?
How can I see the truth about your situation if I am blinded to an even greater problem in my own life?
How can I say I love you if I blindly try to take something out of your eye?
I may be dating myself, but just imagine Mr. Magoo as your eye surgeon.
Yes, it is hypocrisy to complain about others who have the same problem we do.
But it also points to the need for self-reflection and the willingness to listen to criticism.
“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.
I am not a horticulturalist, but even I can understand this parable.
When I was a child, there were apple trees on my grandparents property.
Sometimes, my grandmother would send me out to pick apples for her to make a pie.
There were two types of apple trees, I don’t know their official names, but I do know that among the “good” apple tress were crabapple trees.
And trust me, you didn’t want to confuse them when it came time to make a pie.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
The same way the crabapple tree brought forth “bad” fruit, at least if you took a bite, there are people who are bitter to be around.
As Jesus said:
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
But if your heart is full of love for others, than the fruit is sweet.
But if your heart is full of yourself, they the fruit is bitter.
Conclusion
Conclusion
What do these parables have in common?
The rich man was blind to the consequences of the decisions he was making.
It wasn’t simply that he was rich, but most likely that he was willing to overlook the needs of others, even those right at his door.
Not only was he led into a ditch, but it appears as if his brothers were as well.
There are always people to follow and learn from.
But if we are not careful, they will lead us astray as well.
In the same vein, we need to be aware that we have blind spots.
Not only can they lead us to error, but often to hurt others as well.
We need to look not at the labels that we, or society, or the church, place on people.
What is the abundance of their heart?
What comes out of their mouth?
What is the fruit of their lives.
Otherwise, when your life is the pie made from the apples of your heart,
You may find it a bitter pie indeed.