Lazarus and the Rich Man - Luke 16: 19-31

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house— for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 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 listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

Commentary

It seems like I make a habit of starting at the end. I am going to do that again today. ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ I would suggest this is a troubling statement from a Church that gives the resurrection of our Lord a central place in its teachings.

Do we believe this statement? And if so, what does it mean to our actions?

First of all, we aren't really dealing with the same situation. In Jesus' day, most people went to synagogue. Regularly. They heard about Moses and the prophets all the time. And Moses was the bringer of the Ten Commandments. The prophets were all about bringing the people back to God when they had strayed away from his teachings. The prophets were all about the dangers of not following the commandments, and the potential joy of being in God's presence. So Moses and the prophets had certainly laid out a good case. Yet we are told in this parable that the people didn't pay any attention. In fact the old testament is a thousand year history of the people not paying any attention. And Jesus is telling us here that if someone is raised from the dead, people will still not pay any attention.

In 2022 Reno, the average person is less likely to know much about Moses and the prophets than in 30AD Palestine. But today, we have Jesus' own story to learn from. And while the average person may not be a Christian, they are very likely to have heard of Jesus. They are very likely to have heard the story that Jesus died for our sins and was raised from the dead to give us eternal life. Yet the average person is very likely not to be convinced. Just like Jesus said.

Well the first really big question is, “Do I have this right?” Am I just being a pessimist and a doubter, or are most people really not convinced? What do you think?

If people are just not convinced by Jesus having been raised from the dead, why is that? Do they not believe he WAS raised from the dead, or is there something else at work? Since most of us seem to be doubters by nature, it is not surprising that we immediately assume the problem is doubt. People aren't convinced by Jesus having been raised from the dead because they doubt that he was. Fair enough. But some people think as a result they just have to shout louder. Doesn't work.

So I am going to suggest something else. The whole value of the eternal life thing is the assumption that life itself is the pearl of great price. What if it isn't. I would suggest that most people have times in their lives when life itself is not looking like such a great deal. I would further suggest that there are many of us wandering around where MOST of the time life is not such a good deal. Maybe people are not convinced by someone being raised from the dead, because they are not sure they would want to be. Where would that leave us?

I know that in the Christian belief, eternal life is spent in heaven. That's a nice concept, but I would suggest that a future conceptual heaven just can't overcome the experience of a current present hell.

So what do we do? Is it "not our problem" if some people just can't hear the message as presented? Or are we challenged to come up with a different way of conveying it? The future is never the best argument. Especially since most of us have come to expect that our ideas about the future are seldom what actually happens. So what about the present. What is the message of Jesus for us right now today? Not what did or did not happen 2000 years ago, or what might or might not happen in 20 years, or 10 years, of even 5. What can you tell me for right now, right here?

What about Jesus loves you. Right now, right here, right as you are, no questions asked. What about Jesus will stay with you and comfort you, regardless of what you have done. What if YOU deliver that message personally. With your love and your comfort, and your presence? Don't you think that would work? If we have tried it, we all know it will work. But we tend to compare our efforts to Jesus dying on the cross, and of course we come up short. So we hang back. But that is not the message Jesus intended. He did not die on the cross for his own glory, but for the glory of God and to empower us ALL to be instruments of God's love.

Let us make it so.