First
Sunday after Trinity.
The
Collect.
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O
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GOD, the strength of all those who put their trust in thee;
Mercifully accept our prayers; and because, through the weakness of our mortal
nature, we can do no good thing without thee, grant us the help of thy grace,
that in keeping thy commandments we may please thee, both in will and deed;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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T
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HERE was
a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared
sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was
laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which
fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into
Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up
his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his
bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send
Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue;
for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in
thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but
now he is com-forted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us
and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence
to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then
he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my
father’s house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest
they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have
Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham:
but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto
him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded,
though one rose from the dead.
(Luke 16:19-31)
Before we look more closely at this great parable of Jesus, we must understand
that Christ never uses a parable of things physical or spiritual whose
principle is not consistent with the truth. This story of the rich man
and Lazarus may be just as actual as it is figurative. God’s principles never
change and neither does His truth.
The parable addresses the issues of the hereafter in stark illustration of
Paradise and Hell. There are those whose wealth dim their eyes to mercy
and compassion, and encrypt their hearts in greed and malice. There are, on the
other hand, those who would prefer to give whatever material possession they
have if it will render a greater good in improving the life of that one
standing nearby. Because their hearts are not centered on the material, their
souls are fixed on goodness and mercy. Christ does not mean to teach that there
is evil in riches, but in the way that we may covet such wealth. There is no
honor is being desperately poor, either, but the circumstances of life may
render any of us unable to provide for ourselves and impoverished by
misfortune. When poor men, such as Lazarus, are made to beg by the gates of the
wealthy, this condition is an illustration of the sin in the sin that lies
covered in the purple garments of the wealthy who refuse to share their excess
with those who are so deprived even of food to eat.
It should be noted that God does not always provide material reward to His
righteous in this world. The tables are often turned so that the wealthy are
the wicked, and the poor, the righteous. It does not necessarily need to be so,
but often is. Even a very righteous man may be corrupted when he comes into
great wealth. He may forget the estate from which he has come, and dwell only
on the improvement of his finances.
We must not misapply Scriptural counsel regarding money: it is not moneyt
itself that is evil, but the love thereof. For the love of
money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred
from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Tim
6:10) If God rewards you will a million dollars in your account, the mere
possession of so much money does not make you a bad person. The manner in which
you use the money for good is a measure of your virtue.
The deference which Christ shows to the poor man in giving him a Godly name,
Lazarus, or Eleazar, is notable. The name means, God is MY Help. We have
churches in the AOC in parts of the world in which every member depends upon
God alone for the next morsel of food they consume. This Holy name imputes a
righteous character to the poor man.
But what of the rich man? He is given no name at all. Why do you suppose this
is so? Because if our names are not written in the Book of Life, then they are
not written at all. In fact, there are no names in Hell. Why would you need a
name there?
19There was a certain rich man, which
was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day
This man was filled with himself and cared not a whit for those around him. He
had much more than he needed, yet was unwilling to share a morsel from his
well-stocked pantry to a poor man diseased and dying. The love of wealth
petrifies the heart and closes its gates of mercy. Christ only refers to this
man as a “rich man.” He has no redeeming qualities that recommend him to God.
20 And there was a
certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores You may wonder why Lazarus is a beggar?
Could it be a result of his complete helplessness due to disease. He could not
help himself – he had to be helped. Someone must help those around us who are
unable, due to tragic circumstances, to help themselves. Before the advent of
utopian and socialistic philosophy, the Church and Community were the source of
help – and still should be.
21 And desiring to be
fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs
came and licked his sores. He desired no great thing – only to be fed the crumbs from the rich
man’s table. These the rich man did not need, but it is doubtful that the rich
man cared enough to give them to Lazarus. Even though men of means showered no
mercy on their own kind, at least the dogs lived up to their reputation of
loyalty. The dogs comforted Lazarus – not with food which they had not – but
with compassion and love. Are we better than dogs?
22 And it came to
pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom:
the rich man also died, and was buried How casually does the LORD make reference to
that grave which awaits every beloved reader of this devotion. It shall come to
pass that each of us shall die. Then what?
You will observe a great difference in the disposition of Lazarus after death,
and that of the rich man after death. Christ says of the beggar (he) was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom
Truly the destination of all righteous souls. Abraham is father, not only to
the Hebrews, but all who believe in the Promised Seed – Jesus Christ! What a
royal sendoff did Lazarus receive. Though a poor, sick beggar, he was honored
with the dignity of being carried by the angels to Abraham’s Bosom. Angels are
important heavenly dignitaries, but not so dignified as to ignore any soul that
dies in Christ.
How does the honor paid Lazarus differ from the disposition of the Rich Man’s
body? The rich man also died, and was buried. He was placed, not in the Bosom of Abraham, but
in the depth of the earth – his eternal home, or ultimately, Hell. Instead of
the angels carrying him to Abraham’s Bosom, the rich man lies in the cursed
soil of the world. Quite well do the final words of a poem by Sir Walter Scott
summarize the matter:
For him no minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonored , and unsung.
But
Scott’s words do not fully reveal the extent of the tragedy of such a lifestyle
– the fires of Hell await such a one the very moment his eyes are blinded by
death.
23 And in hell he lift
up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his
bosom. Christ does
not leave the reality of hell open for question, but states the fact outright.
There are fires in Hel, and torments as well. There are no medical stations
there to relieve the pain for, in Hell, the character of its citizens rule – NO
MERCY! The rich man can see Lazaraus “afar off” in the bosom of Abraham. Heaven
is a far off place from Hell. But the wicked can see the delight of those in
Heaven.
24 And he cried and said,
Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of
his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame The pride of wealth no longer dominates the
rich man’s thinking. He takes no longer pride in his fine raiment for that was
burned away the moment he was cast into Hell. The rich man begs for that which
he had none of in life – MERCY! Lazarus is now rich, and the rich man a beggar.
He begs for mercy to be delivered by the very finger of him to whom he granted
no mercy. Hell is a hot dry place. The drought never ends there. It is
interesting to note that there is no evidence that Lazarus is aware of the rich
man’s condition in Hell. Such knowledge might dampen his joy in Heaven for he
obviously was a man of compassion as opposed to the rich man. Hell is a place of
torment. God sends no one to Hell – we send ourselves.
25 But Abraham said,
Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and
likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. We sometimes find men in conditions and
circumstances from which we cannot extricate them, but we still should have
what kindness we can have and show respectful regard. Observe with what
sympathy Abraham addresses the rich man in Hell: He calls him “son!” It is
possible that this man could have been a true son of Abraham as was Lazarus had
he followed in that faith of Abraham in Christ. But he was more likely a son by
hereditary descent and not spiritual. The temporary luxuries of riches born out
of greed will avail nothing in Heaven. The pleasure is so temporary, and
eternity so very long – endless in fact.
26 And beside all
this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would
pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come
from thence. We must
recognize that the distance is so great between Heaven and Hell that none can
pass to and from. No one has descended to Hell and returned to tell of it, and
the same is true of Heaven regardless the cheap little books of commercial
fodder marketed today. If you believe that you can visit Hell, you probably
will do so for longer than you wish.
27 Then he said, I
pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28 For I have five
brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of
torment. Even the wicked in Hell are aware of the
lost condition of their loved ones. Does this give cause for pause? Those in
Hell would do anything to save their loved ones (for the damned also love their
own) from coming to such a place of hot torment.
. 29 Abraham saith unto
him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. Have we, too, heard the voice of Moses from
the beginning in Genesis? Have we heard and heeded the writings of the prophets
and the Gsopel and Espitles that tell of Christ? If so, it is enough! We need
no astounding signs to prove our faith else it is not faith. An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign;
and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For
as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son
of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matt 12:39-40) Is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as your
Lord and Savior enough for you, or do you seek cleverly designed signs of men?
30 And he said, Nay,
father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
Really? Christ rose from the
dead and the obstinate, faithlees Jewish rulers still hated Him. Faith is based
in hope and love, not sure evidence.
31 And
he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be
persuaded, though one rose from the dead. If our faith is not founded on God’s Word, no other
considerations are important. We believe because God’s Love is reflected to our
hearts in the hope and reality revealed by Scripture. If our hearts are made of
lead, the iron Magnet will not attract it. There must be a kinship (even if
distant) in the heart that responds to the Call of God. Do you have that
kinship?
