A good friend of mine, Brad Jones sent me the following sermon he recently preached in New York City. We used the same scriptures and gave different perspectives. I hope you enjoy! -Jim
Message by Brad Jones
Many years ago I was walking down the street in downtown Atlanta, when a homeless person approached my best friend and me. He began to tell us that his car had broken down the night before and that he needed a little money to get it fixed. My friend immediately told the man he had no money. The man then turned to me. I reached in my pocket and pulled out a five dollar bill. I then gave the money to the man. He gratefully thanked me and then began to walk off. As soon as he had walked away my friend turned to me and said “Why did you give him that money? You know all he is going to do is go buy alcohol or drugs.” I replied “I did not give him the money with any strings attached. I gave it to him freely, for him to decide what to do with it.” It is not my desire to say you should or should not give money to those who ask. My reason for mentioning this is to point out that when we have an abundance of something wouldn’t we be better off sharing with those around us.
As we look at today’s parable we see that Lazarus, a poor and sickly man, is lying in the doorway of the rich man. The rich man pays him no attention, and is portrayed as a man which sees directly through Lazarus, as if he doesn’t exist at all. How could anyone stand to have such a person lying on their doorway, covered with sores, those sores being licked by stray dogs – a poor man who longs for nothing but the crumbs falling off the table? Aren’t we outraged by such an action? Here this rich man who longs for nothing, a man dressed in purple and fine royal linen, a man who had plenty to eat every day, a man who lived in a “gated” community, a man who chose to ignore this poor man? We cannot be surprised to find out that such a man would end up in Hades and can’t even get a tiny drink of water.
It’s easy to feel pretty self-righteous about the rich man. However, don’t a lot of us relate more with the rich man? Who after all, would want to be the hungry one lying in the doorway? Most of us would not want to imagine such a need and, in truth cannot. The poor man who suffered on earth is rewarded in heaven because those with the means to help him while he was alive, didn’t. The rich man who had more than enough is sent to Hades because he didn’t share.
Let’s look a little closer at this parable. This parable is certainly not hard to understand, but perhaps more difficult to hear, because its message is clear: riches cannot save you. This parable describes two physical worlds: the earthly life and the life beyond this one. This parable describes the world of haves and that of the have-nots, the world of the rich, and that of the poor, the world of the comforted, and that of the afflicted. This should resonate with us. This is speech we hear all the time on radio, TV, and the internet. The lesson is clear. Those with many gifts should see that those who have little get the help and assistance needed for them to live a decent life. If you are rich, then give freely to the poor. This is obviously a moral lesson for rich people, churches, and nations. So there we have it, my job is done and everything is clear as a bell.
But what do we do with the verses of Luke that come before and after this passage? This story of the rich man and Lazarus is the last in a series of parables Jesus tells in Luke. Jesus has told us stories about a Good Samaritan, a rich fool, being watchful and faithful, about a great banquet, and a dishonest manager. Jesus ends with this story which affects every one of us. The Book of Common Prayer says it best: “Do not let the hope of the poor be taken away.” What Jesus is trying to relay to us all is that we have to change. Jesus preaches and teaches the kingdom of God. Which means He wants us to understand that we must see and hear Him in a different way. To be a part of God’s kingdom is to live and see differently. We feed the hungry not because we feel obligated or feel as if it is the right thing to do, but because we see their hunger, see as if we were the ones who are hungry, and then act accordingly. To see others in the light which God see’s us is to live in the kingdom of God.
There are a lot of people like Lazarus all around us. As we walk down the streets here in New York we see men and women with all their worldly possessions with them, huddled up in corners and stoops, walking by us pushing their possessions on hand made carts. Some of them are out of sight and hidden from public view. Poverty is all around us. Jesus is not telling us that we all need to be poor too. He’s teaching us that we are poor too, for every last one of God’s children is dependent on God for everything, even for life itself.
So are we to understand that true life begins when we die and have earned enough merits to stand beside Abraham? We seem to think that we must figure out all the rules and regulations so that we can receive the kingdom of God. But the kingdom doesn’t work like that; it’s a free gift. We can’t earn it, no matter what we do or do not do.
This is not a parable to reveal good news for the poor and bad news for the rich. The gap between the rich and the poor is one the most important issues of our day. The moral story of this parable is that if you do not cross this gaping chasm between the rich and the poor in this life time, you certainly will not be able to do it in the next. For those who have more than their share on this earth, there is no reprieve that will be offered in the life to come. This parable urges “the haves” to do justice now, for there will be no opportunity later. No matter how one tries to soften this message, this parable is a warning to the wealthy and a word of comfort for the poor. Jesus came to “preach good news to the poor.” He spoke out against the injustices of his day by his firm and insistent warnings to the wealthy to share their wealth and to end oppression wherever it existed.
And yet we are all rich, all of us. Not just the people in our country, but people throughout this world. Every last person on earth is rich in one respect: God’s unmerited love. God cares about everyone. Therefore all who live in God’s kingdom are bound to do the same. We should offer our riches to everyone, whoever they may be. This also means that we are potential recipients, not only of the gratitude of the needy but also of the lessons their lives have to share with us.
So consider who is on the other side of that door. For Jesus tells us that it is he. He is the one laying at our door hungry, thirsty and unclothed. He is the marginalized one that you can easily walk by. It is God’s Christ which stands by our doorway, knocking. When we answer, we may not find someone who looks, sounds, or dresses like us, but who we may very well find is someone who looks like our God.
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