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: O Lord, Your word is enough. Help us to hear it, believe it, and trust in it, until at last Your angels comes to bring us to You in heaven, through Jesus Christ Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One true God, now and forever. Amen.
If we have Christ, we have everything
Dear fellow redeemed,
I once heard a story from a pastor who was asked to visit a friend of a friend who was in the hospital and near death. The man had a terminal disease and was not expected to live much longer. He had been raised as a Roman Catholic but had not attended for years. He had lived a hard life of drinking which was accompanied by decisions and actions that often follow such choices. Suffice it to say, he was no Sammy Sunday school. When the pastor got to his room in the hospital, he told him very plainly, “There is a four-letter word on your forehead describing your future. HELL. Your choices and your actions have proven this. If you keep on this trajectory, it’s going to stay that way.” But the pastor didn’t stop there. He went on to say, “But it doesn’t need to be that way. Jesus came into this world to save you. He suffered on the cross for the sins of all people—including yours. He made you his child in baptism years ago and he won’t go back on his promise to you if you believe him. Do you know you need him as your Savior?” The man said, “yes.” The pastor said, “Do you believe that he has the power to forgive you and welcome you to Paradise?” The man said, “yes.” Then pastor said, “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The man said, “Amen. Thank you.” But then to everyone’s surprise, the man got better! He was later confirmed as a Lutheran.
I love stories like these. They make my heart glad. A person is near death and headed straight for hell, but then God provides a messenger, to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation. It’s the powerful Gospel that saved a thief in his dying moments and the contrite David after he committed the worst of sins. It’s the Gospel message that has the power to save sinners like you and me.
But the story about the man I just mentioned is not common. What I mean is that people are rarely given a timeline of how many days they have left. Most of us go about our lives thinking we will live until a ripe old age. And that is a good thing, but it can also lull us into a sense of security. “Oh, I don’t need to be worried about the life to come… that is years away. I need to be concerned about my job, my family, my hobby. I’ll focus on that Christian stuff later.”
When we think about the story of the rich man and Lazarus—if you would have personally met each of them, who would you be quicker to say, “He needs to get his life together!” I’m guessing if we weren’t in church, we would be much quicker to criticize the life choices of Lazarus—he was a beggar, a bum—clearly, he needs help! We would probably be hesitant to critique the rich man—because he must be doing something right. If you were a parent of one of these two, which one would you want to be able to tell your friends about?
Jesus gives us this story to make us think. Looks can be deceiving. The man who had everything he could possibly want in this life had nothing in the end…not even a drop of water to quench his thirst. While Lazarus who had nothing but dogs to lick his wounds, received eternal life in paradise.
Now, before I go further, I should mention one thing this lesson does not teach. It does not teach that riches are inherently evil or that poverty is inherently virtuous. What it does teach is that there is nothing that can save you in this life other than Christ. If you trust in your money, your power, your knowledge, more than Jesus, you will not be saved. You will receive the just punishment your sins deserve in the fires of hell. Those who are content in themselves and do not see their need for a Savior will not be saved. This is why Scripture says, “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils” (I Timothy 6:10).
God only saves beggars. He saves those who know they have nothing to offer God, who realize that they cannot be their own savior—that they need another. He saves beggars who rely on the mercy, grace, generosity, and kindness of the only begotten Son of God, who shed his innocent and holy blood on the cross to save sinners and who rose again triumphant from the grave opening paradise to all believers. God saves sinners who confess their sins and believe that the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses them from all sins. God saves beggars who know Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
Lazarus was a helpless beggar. He had nothing in himself in which 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 life and death on the cross. Heaven is a gift. God gives it to beggars. God helps the helpless.
No one is beyond God’s saving help. This is a tremendous comfort! But this is also why it makes it all the more saddening when people throw away this free gift. Whether it’s because a person trusts in themselves, despises God’s grace, loves money more than God, or simply ignores God’s gracious invitation.
There are a lot of important things in this life that we can get distracted with. It can be the career we have to support our family, it can be the blessing of rest and leisure, it can be the sports where we get to utilize and grow the abilities we have been given, it can be the blessing of family. Even good things can distract from the most important thing.
When the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to convince his brothers so that they might not have to end up like him—what did Abraham say? “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” Moses and the Prophets refer to the words of Scripture.
God wants us to listen to his word. Not tomorrow, not in a little while, but today. Jesus said again and again, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Are we treating Christ as the treasure we desperately need? Do we run to Christ as a hungry beggar who runs to an available meal? Does our life reflect someone who knows Jesus is the only thing that can bring us true peace and lasting joy? Does where we spend our time, talents, and treasure reflect the life of someone who knows this life is temporary compared to the eternity that awaits?
This past week at VBS we learned about the Means of Grace—God’s Word and Sacraments. One of the days we learned about the story of Mary and Martha. Jesus had been invited to their home at Bethany. While Martha was busy getting everything ready, Mary sat and listened to Jesus. Now, Martha was doing important work tending to the house and getting things ready for Jesus. But she was angry that Mary wasn’t helping her. So, she went to Jesus to try to get him to tell Mary to help her. But Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41, 42).
There are many things that we can be worried and troubled about. But one thing is needful—listening to the word of God which brings Jesus to our sinful hearts. If we have Christ, we have everything. Our bodies will one day fail, our minds will one day go, our homes, our money, our toys, will break down and decay. But our Lord Jesus has prepared a place for us where moth and rust cannot destroy. He has given us his word to create faith in our hearts, strengthen our faith, and teach us of his love for us. This is why the word is our greatest treasure—because it is the power of God unto salvation, for everyone who believes it.
Our hymn for this week was “Now, thank we all our God.” This hymn was written by a pastor in the 1600s who lived during the Thirty Years’ War. He was a pastor in Eilenburg, Saxony which was a walled city that served as a refuge for political and military fugitives. Due to overcrowding, disease, famine, and military attacks, there were many deaths. Pastor Rinkart performed as many as fifty funerals a day and over 4,000 in one year, which including the funeral of his own wife. Despite the hardship he faced, he knew the hope we had in Christ, which caused him to thank God. It was this hope that sustained him in the midst of all his earthly sadness. It is the same hope that sustained Lazarus throughout his life. And this is the same hope that sustains us. We can thank God even in hardship, because we know what he has done for us, his promise to be with us through it all, and the blessed inheritance he has waiting for all those who have faith in Christ. If we have Christ, we have everything. And so, we pray,
Lord, let at last Thine angels come,
To Abram’s bosom bear me home,
That I may die unfearing;
And in its narrow chamber keep
My body safe in peaceful sleep
Until Thy reappearing.
And then from death awaken me
That these mine eyes with joy may see,
O Son of God, Thy glorious face,
My Savior and my Fount of grace,
Lord Jesus Christ,
My prayer attend, my prayer attend,
And I will praise Thee without end.