God Helps the Helpless
Luke 16:19–31
[Jesus said to the Pharisees:] “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
“The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’
“But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’
“And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’
“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
“And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
“He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (ESV)
Prayer: Heavenly Father, teach us to honor and value the things which are pleasing to you. Draw our hearts to the true riches you have prepared for us in Jesus. As we have received your mercy, so fill our hearts to show mercy to others. Make us glad to be beggars who rely on your help and mercy, for then we will never want for more. Amen.
Dear Friends in Christ,
“When I grow up, I want to be Lazarus.” If we would have grown up in the city where the rich man and Lazarus lived, our parents would certainly be alarmed to hear us say, “When I grow up, I want to be Lazarus.” While there might be an occasional young person today who wants to try being homeless for a short time to see what it is like, that is purely a response to living in a first world country in the twenty-first century. There was nothing exciting, adventurous, or fun about being a beggar in the first century. Nobody wanted to be Lazarus. Nobody coveted his life. However, people would have certainly coveted the rich man’s life. When he walked down the street, people would have noticed him. When he talked, the people would have surely listened and hoped to gain some insight to his success. It would be more likely for people to say, “When I grow up, I want to be like the rich man.”
The rich man lived in luxury. He was arrayed in costly clothes and feasted each day. He was concerned about happiness and earthly pleasure, and he found it. Outside of the rich man’s gate was a poor beggar named Lazarus. It says that he was laid there indicating that he could not walk. His body was clothed in sores. He only hoped for scraps from the rich man’s table. Lazarus was abandoned by others; his only company were the dogs who licked his wounds. It would not be difficult for us to decide whose life we’d prefer.
But Jesus shows us that looks can be deceiving. The man who appeared to be rich was poor. The man who appeared to be poor was rich. The one whose life looked as if God cared nothing about him, was helped by God. The man who had everything he could want in this life could not in the end even receive a drop of water to quench his burning thirst. The rich man was poor, and the poor man was rich. Things are not always the way they appear.
This parable was prompted by Jesus’ interaction with the Pharisees. Earlier in Luke 16, Jesus had instructed his disciples on the proper use of wealth. When the Pharisees heard Jesus’ words, they mocked him, for Luke explains they were “lovers of money.” So, Jesus said to them, “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.”
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus does not teach that riches and wealth are necessarily evil and lead to hell. Nor does this parable say that poverty and misery necessarily lead to everlasting life. Money is not in itself evil. Scripture says that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (I Timothy 6:10). For instance, Abraham was a wealthy man, but he was a friend of God. Wealth nor poverty neither save nor condemn. However, Jesus does teach us that we cannot serve both God and mammon.
We see that the man he was lost in his pursuit of earthly pleasure. He cared more about his body than his soul. He got caught up in this world and made money his god. He loved it. He trusted it. He feared losing it.
When we see the result of this man’s life after his death, we realize how truly fleeting the things of this world are. We agree with the hymn, “What is all this life possesses? But a hand full of sand that the heart distresses” (ELH 377:6). We remember Jesus’ words, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” We know how temporary the pleasures of this life are. We know they can’t save us. We know that we can’t find lasting happiness in them. But Jesus knows that we easily forget this. He knows that we are often more concerned about our physical needs than our spiritual needs. He knows how much we can be tempted to care more about what others think of us than what God does. He knows how easy it is for us to fear and love the things which can’t save us. When the stock market has a bad day, where do you turn to first? Do you check out your portfolio and retirement accounts, the prices of commodities and what you have in the bin? As the election draws nearer, do you put your trust in your preferred political candidate? Or do you bow your head in prayer and entrust your life and family to our good and gracious God.
Jesus never teaches us something that is unimportant. Whether or not you think this parable applies to you it does. It is meant for all of us. Jesus warns us now to check our priorities, our allegiances, our love, because there are no second chances. When this life is done, the results are final. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.
The only thing the rich man and Lazarus have in common is that they both died. Lazarus was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side, but the rich man was condemned to hell. In the torments of hell, the rich man raised his eyes and saw Abraham and Lazarus. Even in hell, he is still spiritually blind. Instead of calling out for the mercy of forgiveness, he asked that Abraham send Lazarus to help quench his thirst—he still only wanted earthly peace.
But the climax of the conversation is that when the rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers to warn them of hell, Abraham says, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.” Even in hell, the rich man still disagrees with Abraham. He responds, “No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” But Abraham explains, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.”
Here is the major lesson from the parable—God’s Word is sufficient for us and we need to listen to it. This was the great error of the Pharisees. The reason they had an improper understanding of money, and were so called, “lovers of money,” was because they did not listen to the Moses and the Prophets—the Word of God. If people don’t listen to the Word, then nothing will convince them. Not even if someone is raised from the dead! We know this to be true. When Jesus did raise the historical Lazarus from the dead, it did not convince the Pharisees to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Instead, it deepened their hatred for him and resulted in their scheming of how they might kill Jesus and Lazarus. This is why Jesus did not appear to unbelievers after the resurrection. Only the Word, on Pentecost, could convert.
Just as a beggar may be despised in the eyes of this world, so too the Word of God is often despised. But God works through the foolishness of the Word of God and the foolishness of the cross to save those who believe in him. This is why we treasure the Word of God. This is why we belong to a church which clings to the truths of Scripture and wouldn’t let a single word be removed from it, even if we were offered the world. Because Jesus has given us the words of eternal life. We stake our eternal salvation on Jesus’ Word.
Just as Jesus doesn’t teach us anything that is unimportant, so also he doesn’t give us anything that is unneeded. Jesus gives us the Word of God because we need it. We need the Word because we need Jesus. The Bible points us to Jesus and the Word gives us Jesus. This is why Paul declares, “The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation.” For how was Abraham saved? Scripture says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). He was saved by trusting in the promises of God, just as we are today. The Word of God creates faith in us, and faith receives the righteousness of Jesus.
Every one of us deserves the torments of hell for our sins, but Jesus endured hell on the cross, so that we wouldn’t have too. Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” As the only begotten Son of God, Jesus lived in perfect fellowship with the Father from eternity. As a man he served his neighbor with pure and holy love. He did everything that love required but he still went to the cross. Why? He was carrying the sins of the world on his back, and he had to bear it alone. He had to suffer hell. He had to die to make full satisfaction for all our sins. He was forsaken so that we never have to be. He was punished so that you could be forgiven; he died so that you could live.
Our dear Lord Jesus loves us and so he warns us not to get carried away by the pleasures of this fleeting world. God desires all people to be saved, Jesus has paid for the sins of the world. He graciously welcomes all those who come to him. All those who come to him in humble repentance, acknowledging their sins and trusting in God’s mercy, will live. In death, believers will be carried by the angels to our heavenly home.
Lazarus was a helpless beggar. He had nothing in himself to put his trust. The world ignored him. He was a nobody. But Lazarus trusted in the Word of God, and he was remembered by God. Even though outwardly he looked as if he was abandoned by God, the Lord was his helper. The name Lazarus means, “One whom God helps.” He was saved through faith in Jesus, who won heaven for us, by his perfect life and death on the cross. Heaven is a gift. God gives it to beggars. God helps the helpless.
May we all grow up to be beggars before the throne of God, trusting in God’s mercy and care, for Jesus’ sake. The only thing that truly matters in this life is God’s opinion of you. What a comfort! There is no need to keep up with the joneses, no need for jealousy or competition. We have Jesus. No matter the crosses we bear in this life, it does not indicate God’s disfavor. God disciplines those whom he loves. The world might forget us or hate us, but none of that matters. If we have Christ, we have everything. We might not see it now, but Jesus has given us his Word. So, believe it. Trust it. And may God give you strength to bear whatever comes your way, until at last he sends his angels to bear you home to heaven. What a glorious day that will be! Amen.