Luke 16:16-31
16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and 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. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So 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. 26 And 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, 28 for 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.’”
Kingdom Generosity
It’s tempting in our cultural moment with inflation, a high cost of living, and uncertainty of the future, to circle the wagons and hold onto our money a little bit tighter. I know that I have felt that squeeze living in the Fraser Valley. When we moved from Northern B.C. to the Fraser Valley, I knew that life was going to be more expensive, but I don’t think there’s anything that can really prepare you for the weight of living life like this. There’s nothing wrong with saving money or being prepared, but Jesus’ parable in Luke 16 takes us deeper to examine our hearts and values.
Jesus tells this story of a rich man and Lazarus to illustrate that how we care for each other, specifically the poor, has eternal implications. Lazarus goes through life laying at the gate of the rich man. He is covered in sores, eats the scraps from the rich man’s table, and the only “comfort” he would receive would be from wild dogs (not our North American picture of a family dog). The rich man on the other hand wears the finest purple linen robes and feasts every day in abundance while not sharing anything with Lazarus except for scraps from his table. However, when both men pass away, they meet different fates. Lazarus dies and the angels carry his body to Abraham’s side while the rich man receives a proper burial but ends up in Hades.
The rich man sees Abraham far off and calls to him to send Lazarus to ease his agony. From this line in the story we learn that the rich man knew Lazarus’ name and must have known his plight, and yet still chose to ignore him. The rich man then pleads with Abraham to send Lazarus to his five brother to warn them so they will not face the same fate as him. But Abraham points out that they already have the Old Testament, and if they are not listening to passages where God instructs Israel to care for the poor (Ex. 22:21, Deut. 10:18; 16:11; 27:19), then a dead man saying it will do no good. Or if they have forgotten the history of Israel and how God rescued them from slavery in Egypt, then sending Lazarus will not produce the repentance needed.
It is clear from Jesus’ teaching that ignoring the suffering of others is not the way of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is not teaching that we must do good things to achieve eternal life with God, but rather our actions are a mirror into our hearts. The rich man hoards his wealth, lives abundantly, and chooses to disregard the suffering of a man who is at the gate of his home. It’s clear that the rich man’s heart is entangled with the love of money which should remind us of Matthew 6:24 which says, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Jesus makes it clear that our allegiance needs to be with God.
To go back to our cultural moment, how is Jesus calling us to live in this present moment, with the financial uncertainty and high cost of living? Jesus calls us to care for the poor, to give generously to those in need, and to
spread the love and hope of Christ. The mission of the Kingdom does not stop, nor does Jesus’ call to care for the poor. In this past season of life I have experienced the generosity of other Christians in tangible ways: from someone randomly giving us money, or others inviting us into their homes for a meal. When others someone is generous to me, it reminds me that what I have is simply what God has given me to steward. I need to be attentive to the leading of the Spirit to lean into the ways that He is calling me to be generous. It could be that God is calling you to help a family in need in your community, or to volunteer time at a local shelter or community kitchen.
Discussion Questions
• Think of a time that someone was generous to you. What did they do or give you?
• Do you find yourself in this season of life serving money or God? What are some examples in your life?
• List three people in your life that you know, or think might be in need. How can you bless them this week?
Author Bio
Nick Parker is a pastor at
Surrey Alliance church located in Downtown Surrey. He is married to Sarah, who works for the
Canadian Pacific District and they have two kids, Ayla and Declan. In his spare time, you can find him enjoying a nice cup of espresso, hosting people in their home, or going on an adventure as a family.
Luke and Acts taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
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