Luke 16.19-31, 1 Timothy 6.6-19
‘You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.’ (Luke 16.15)
In the name of God, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.
This summer, I read The Pillars of the Earth, a lengthy historical novel about the building of a cathedral in the Middle Ages. The scope of the story is grand and encompasses generations. Having enjoyed the book, I, recently, picked up the sequel. World Without End. There are times that I find my frustration level rising as I read about the motives of the supposed religious leaders in these fictional accounts. It seems that the ones who are truly faithful have no chance against the conniving, self-absorbed back stabbers. In the sequel, there is a character named Godwyn, who the reader knows is only concerned for himself, but who has manipulated the people around him to rise to the position of prior of the Kingsbridge Monastery.
The motivation for every decision that he makes as the prior is to raise his power and prestige, increase his holdings, and provide for his individual glory and comfort. Those who cross him are deemed enemies. Even those in his family are expendable. The few characters that are not duped by his fraudulent religious observance are unable to out flank his authority. And it’s not just the religious leaders who wield power self-centeredly. So do the earls and knights and landowners, and bailiffs. As I read, I find that I begin to cheer for the underdog to overcome the injustice, only to be disappointed.
The situations in the lives of these imaginary characters rile me up because, although the times and setting are different, the same selfish power grabs play out in most of our lives and it is not something that we remember fondly or want to experience again.
There are the occasional stories of the simple individuals who successfully stand up for principles in the face of overwhelming odds. Movies like Erin Brackovich and The Insider and many others portray these crusaders as extraordinary heroes and, most of us, cheer their victories. But for every one of these heroes, thousands, if not millions, fail to find justice in their encounters with the powerful.
I opened with a quotation from Jesus, who said, ‘You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.’ (Luke 16.15)
I read this verse to provide some context to Jesus’ audience for the parable that is today’s gospel lesson. The passage was addressed to those Pharisees, who were ‘lovers of money.’
Last week, we heard the parable of the dishonest manager, which concludes with the line, “You cannot serve both God and wealth.” And the Pharisees ridiculed Jesus for his misunderstanding. See, they considered themselves positive proof that one could successfully balance the two. They were the powerful leaders of Jesus’ time who were content with making spiritual appearances while manipulating the status quo to their advantage.
But Jesus knew that money clouds the human mind with a fallacy of glory. So he called them out with the statement that “what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.” And then, almost immediately, begins to tell the parable we heard today, to teach those ridiculing Pharisees, who believed that checking off the boxes of faith (i.e. showing up for worship, hanging with the right people, and following complicated and exclusionary rules) would lead them to glory in God’s kingdom. Jesus called them to avoid the façade of belief and find true faith in the depths of the heart.
The parable begins by introducing two characters who could not be more different. The rich man, who wears the color of royalty, feasts ‘sumptuously’ and lives in a home set aside for those of his kind. In the short introduction, we don’t know how he became rich, but we are led to believe that it was at the expense of others.
The other is the only named character in any of Jesus’ parables, Lazarus, which means ‘God helps.’ Lazarus is desperately poor. His home, if you can call it that, is outside the gate of the rich man’s. He is covered in sores, and would be content with the scraps from the rich man’s table, but we are not led to believe that he received anything.
Both of these men die. As Andrea mentioned in last week’s sermon, that is one of those unavoidable occurrences. We don’t know how they died. We might assume that the rich man died as he slept, wrapped comfortably in the finest linens. Lazarus, we assume, died from exposure, hunger, or infection. No matter the cause of death, they both found themselves in the afterlife, the scene of many jokes. It almost seems like we should be waiting for the punch line. But instead, Jesus turns the table.
No longer is the rich man enjoying his fine possessions and privileged position, instead he is being tormented in the fires of Hades. Lazarus, on the other hand, is side-by-side with Abraham. It seems that although he was ignored in his earthly life, God helped him in his eternal one. The rich man calls out to Abraham and asks him to send water with Lazarus to cool his tongue. Abraham explains that there is a great chasm that Lazarus is unable to cross. If Lazarus had wanted to help, he couldn’t.
The rich man then asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers so that they can change their ways. This is out of character for the rich man, to show compassion for others, even if it is his family. But then he really hasn’t changed much, he still expects Lazarus to leap at his every whim. But Abraham says, “If they haven’t acknowledged Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced by someone returning from the dead.”
As you know, a parable is a fable told to teach a truth. The truth that Jesus taught in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is that good fortune is not proof of God’s favor. God is not concerned with the trappings of wealth; God is concerned with how we treat our neighbors, with our heartfelt repentance, and the compassion we demonstrate when only God knows.
So as we deal with the many blessings of our lives, all of us live so much better than most people in the world, remember our responsibility to live with compassion that comes from the heart. Don’t do things to be seen. Remember the words of First Timothy: “Command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.”
September 26, 2010
Proper 21C
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