Luke 16:19-31 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost Sunday, September 25, 2022 “Live Like Lazarus”
“The pattern for many leaders is to be exalted in life and forgotten after death. The pattern for all who serve God – famous or obscure, respected or ignored – is that death is the door to glory.” With those words, the Archbishop of Canterbury of the Church of England began a relatively brief sermon for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth this past Monday. I did not tune in live to watch the funeral, which many believe was the mostwatched televised event worldwide. I did watch much of it after the fact. Like many people, I was curious about the pageantry, I was wondering what might be said, and I recognized that the end of the longest reign for any monarch of England ever was a historic occasion. I would also say that I was impressed by what I heard in the sermon and in the service. Biblical comfort regarding the resurrection and eternal life was shared, all based on the death and resurrection of Jesus. I was impressed and maybe a little surprised by this, because I kind of expected something different. I expected that I would hear more about what a good person the queen had been. I expected to hear about what a big loss came to the world at the time of her death. And I expected that if there was any mention of eternal life at all, it would have at least suggested that the queen had earned or deserved it. I was glad to have been mistaken about these things. And I suppose I expected those things because so many people have had so many false ideas about what really makes a difference in life and in death. In Luke 16, the Gospel we heard just a bit ago, Jesus told a story about life and death issues. It’s interesting that this story is not called a parable. It has some features that make people think it might have been, that it is a made up story. It is also possible that Jesus was recounting a real event, though there are some details that might make us wonder about that conclusion. In any case, he teaches some clear truths about the things that are important when it comes to eternal life. And what he tells us encourages us to live like Lazarus. So, how did Lazarus live? First of all, he suffered patiently on earth. Lazarus was a poor beggar. He had sores all over his body that were licked by dogs as he longed for scraps of food. His was the sort of existence no one would desire. He was in pain. He was hungry. He begged for whatever mercy others might be willing to give him. And most of the time, he did this right outside the mansion of a very rich man. In Jesus’ story the rich man doesn’t even have a name. But he had everything else. He had the fancy clothes and the gourmet food. In today’s terms we would expect that he had the fancy car and the biggest television and whatever else constitutes luxury. He was able to very successfully avoid any concerns about the dirty beggar at his doorstep as he went on enjoying his feasting and extravagance. Now there are plenty of people who look at this story that Jesus tells and they think the point is that being rich is bad and being poor is good. They know that Jesus says that the rich man went to hell and the poor man to heaven. They might even assume that heaven or hell is just sort of a cosmic payback that evens things out: if you had riches on earth, you need to face suffering, and if you faced suffering on earth, then you get rewarded. But you can clearly tell that Jesus is making a different point. After all, we also find Abraham in heaven, and he was a very rich man when he lived on earth. Living like Lazarus means that we take the attitude that he did. He patiently suffered when that was his lot in life. We don’t know whether he had made poor choices that got him there or if he had been mistreated previously or really any details about how he ended up in that circumstance. What we know is that he put his faith in action. When he suffered, he still trusted that God would take care of him and would ultimately bring him to heaven. Lazarus didn’t assume that he needed riches or luxury. He knew that those things could not possibly do him any good after death. And you know that’s the case, too. The rich man couldn’t take anything with him. Queen Elizabeth couldn’t take any of the rich treasury of the royal family with her after death. None of those things mattered. Lazarus suffered patiently on earth, and he was comforted forever in heaven. Again, we don’t know whether this glimpse into heaven gives us any details about what our experience will be. What we know will be
consistent is what Abraham explains: “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in misery. 26Besides all this, a great chasm has been set in place between us and you, so that those who want to cross from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.” The judgment is permanent. Heaven or hell. Comfort or misery. The reason we want to live like Lazarus is so that we may end up in the eternal comfort of heaven like Lazarus. But don’t be mistaken. His suffering didn’t earn him heaven. His willingness to patiently endure suffering was a fruit of his faith. His faith and eternal life in heaven were gifts to him of God’s grace. Those are gifts God has given to us, too. Those are the gifts that are so much more important than any earthly thing. Those are the gifts on which we ought to focus when we are perhaps tempted to act more like the rich man. He ignored constant opportunities to show compassion and to use his wealth for helping and serving others. No, being rich is not sinful, but the selfish attitude and actions are. But the key to making sure we understand the lessons of this story correctly is really found in the last point in the story. The rich man asks that his brothers might be spared the same fate as him by sending Lazarus back to them. He supposes that if the beggar, whom they all apparently knew, came back to life, that would convince them to change their ways. But Abraham explains that this is not the case. He says, “They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them.” And he goes on to explain, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” “Moses and the Prophets” is a term for Scripture. It is what we would call the Old Testament, since the New Testament had not been written at the time. What Abraham says and Jesus teaches is that God’s Word is the power that changes lives. There is an unspoken implication that Lazarus knew God’s Word and believed it. We know from Scripture that Abraham believed God’s promises. In other words, it is important for us to recognize that Lazarus was saved the same way that we are saved. He believed in God’s promise to send a Savior. We believe that the Savior has come in Jesus Christ, who not only taught these things but also went to his death on the cross in order to keep God’s promises and take away sin. And that changes everything, for us and for the story Jesus tells. Live like Lazarus means first listen to God’s Word, listen to Moses and the Prophets, listen to the Bible. And that means more than just hear what it says. Believe it. Trust Jesus. Trust him because you need him, because you know that you haven’t lived up to the perfect standard of selfless service. Trust him because when you have suffered you haven’t always dealt with it patiently. Trust him because you know you are a sinner who needs him. And trust him because he died for you and rose again. Trust him enough to put the needs of others above your own. Trust him enough to ignore the lure of worldly wealth and luxury because you know that it will do you no good at the time of your death. Lazarus listened to Moses and the Prophets. That’s why he suffered patiently when that was his lot in life. It’s why he was comforted forever in heaven. The rich man did not listen to Moses and the Prophets. That is why he ignored the needs of others as he enjoyed the wealth of this world. Those factors that were so important to him, and to many others, in this life had no value at the end of this life. But the suffering and pain of Lazarus that seemed to ruin this life were worth facing as they led to his eternal life. Over 4.1 billion people are said to have watched the funeral service for the queen this past Monday. They were reminded that the end of this life will come for all of us. The queen’s outward circumstances were clearly much closer to those or the rich man than those of poor Lazarus, but the outcome of her life was determined by something else. Did she listen to God’s Word and take it to heart? I was encouraged to hear in that service what others said about her. I pray that what was said of her was true. I know that her funeral sermon concluded with words that can also remind us to live like Lazarus: “We will all face the merciful judgment of God: we can all share the Queen’s hope which in life and death inspired her servant leadership. Service in life, hope in death. All who follow the Queen’s example, and inspiration of trust and faith in God, can with her say: ‘We will meet again.’” That is the goal, life eternal with all of God’s people. That is why in faith we want to live like Lazarus.
The Text: Luke 16:19–31 (EHV) 19“There
was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. 20A beggar named Lazarus had been laid at his gate. Lazarus was covered with sores and 21longed to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Besides this, the dogs also came and licked his sores. 22Eventually the beggar died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell, where he was in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus at his side. 24He called out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in misery in this flame.’ 25“But
Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in misery. 26Besides all this, a great chasm has been set in place between us and you, so that those who want to cross from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27“He
said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s home, 28because I have five brothers—to warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29“Abraham 30“
said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them.’
‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31“Abraham
replied to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”