Loving God, your concern is for all that you have made, and especially for the “least of these.”  Clear our vision this day, helping us to see things as you see and to love as you love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    People in Jesus’ time, it seems, had ended up with a rather warped view of what God is like.  They firmly believed that if somebody was wealthy, it was a sign of God’s blessing upon them, and thus of the goodness of that person.  On the other hand, they believed that if somebody was poor or sick, it was their own fault, and a sign of God’s judgment upon them.  The Pharisees, who are described only a few verses before today’s gospel as “lovers of money” (Lk. 16:14), undoubtedly shared and taught these beliefs.

    However, Jesus keeps trying to bring them back to what is right there in their own Scriptures - in the law and the prophets.  They are to look after the poor and the needy among them.  They are to look out for the widows and the orphans and the strangers.  They are to give generously to those who are in need.  They are to love their neighbours as themselves.  They are to share their food with the hungry and to invite the homeless poor into their homes.  They are to fight against injustice and oppression.  All of these things are part of the Law of Moses and are constantly being lifted up by the prophets.

    Yet, somehow the religious leaders have forgotten all this.  Somewhere along the line, the love of money got in the way and obscured their vision - not only of God, but of the people who were right there in front of them.  The people in need, just like Lazarus in the story, became invisible to them – sitting at the gate begging for food.  And so Jesus tells a story that tries to give them a new vision and reminds them to love God and to love their neighbours as themselves.

    Many people who hear this story today assume that it’s all about the afterlife and is a literal description of heaven and hell.  However, once we delve into the story, the afterlife is hardly the point.  In fact, at least one scholar (Jeremias) suggests that the story is actually all about the six brothers and should be called the parable of the six brothers rather than the rich man and Lazarus. Here’s why he makes such a suggestion:

    The first part of the story is actually based on an Egyptian folktale that all of Jesus’ listeners would have known.  The folktale tells about a poor scholar and a rich tax collector who both die.  The poor scholar has nobody at his funeral but ends up in paradise.  By contrast, the rich tax collector (named Bar Ma’jan) has an elaborate funeral with many people present.  He ends up standing by a river in the afterlife but unable to reach the water.

    When Jesus tells the story, it includes the same reversal of fortunes in the afterlife, but the details are different.  This time, it is the poor man who has a name - Lazarus, which means “God helps.”  At the same time, many details are piled on to show how wealthy the rich man is - the purple and fine linen - and the fact that he can afford to have a feast every day (the same kind of feast, by the way, as the father has for his wayward son when he comes home).

    Once again, there is the reversal of fortunes in the afterlife.  However, in this case, the rich man is still wanting to make demands and thinks that Lazarus should serve him.  His concern is for his five brothers who are still alive and who need to be warned somehow.  In the story, Abraham says, “they have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them” (Lk. 16:29).  The crux of the matter, of course, comes right at the end: “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead” (Lk. 16:31).  Hmm.  What could Jesus possibly be referring to?...

    Ultimately, this parable calls us to a change of vision.  It helps us to see who and what matter when it comes to God, and it asks us whether we rely on the things of this world or on God.  As to who matters in the sight of God, surely the answer has to be “everyone” - for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son (Jn. 3:16).  However, God has also always had a special concern for the poor and the outcast and the needy.  Nobody is invisible in God’s eyes, and as we grow up into Christ, our vision will also include those whom it might be easier to ignore.

    As to who or what we rely on, we have the contrast in the story between Lazarus, who only relies on God, and the rich man, who only relies on himself.  We do not all need to be poor beggars, and neither would we want to be.  However, if we have so much that we trust in ourselves rather than God, then maybe it’s time to get rid of a few things.  Our Hindu friend who was here on Wednesday has obviously learned to live very simply.  He said that if somebody gives him some money, and he already has a bank balance, then he doesn’t need it.  His answer to this is to give it to the church, which in his case would mean the Hindu Temple.  But isn’t that a different way of looking at things?...  I have a bank balance, so I don’t need it.

    The thing is that ultimately, anything we trust other than God will prove to be false.  It will prove to be useless in the end.  The only one who is worthy of our trust is Jesus Christ, for he brings not only life in all its fulness now, but life that lasts into eternity.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Lent 4 (NL 3)                                Luke 16:19-31
March 26, 2017
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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