Luke 16:19-31
19“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ 25But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 26Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ 29Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”


Mark Twain was once famously quoted as saying, “It is not the things about the Bible that I do not understand that bother me most; it is the things in the Bible that I DO understand that bother me most.” This passage bothers me. It bothers me because I know what Lazarus looks like. I know the underpass that he calls home. I’ve seen the layers of clothes that he wears every day because he has no place to leave the extras. I’ve seen Lazarus standing by the side of the off-ramp, pelted by rain, clutching a disintegrating sign which asks me for some help, and then wishes God’s blessing on me. I’ve seen Lazarus, digging through the trash outside my school, looking for something to eat or for cans to exchange for a few cents at the recycling center. But that isn’t all I have seen.
I’ve seen the rich man too. I’ve heard the roar of the engine as he stomps on the gas, racing though a stoplight, lest he be detained and have to lock eyes with Lazarus and read his sign. I’ve seen his fine purple linen – the designer labels and exotic fabrics. I’ve been to the restaurant where he eats each night, the waiters in tuxedos, the napkin starched just so, and meticulously folded into the shape of a swan. A violinist strolls by as the unfolds the calligraphy laced menu, and looks over the multitude of choices. Yes, tonight will be a feast indeed. I have seen the conspicuous consumption, the all consuming desire for the newest, the fastest, the tallest, and the most extravagant. And the fixation on all of those things that steal time and energy from God, family, and Lazarus.
It is not the things about the Bible that I do not understand that bother me most; it is the things in the Bible that I do understand . . . I wonder who I’m like. I search my memory looking for those times where I’ve been the one in need, unable to care for myself – dependent on others for the things that I could not get on my own. I try to tally them up against the times when I have feasted sumptuously and then passed by those who are in need. Am I a Lazarus? The rich man?
And then I look around once more and I see a third option - five brothers, the forgotten characters in Jesus’ parable. I see the ones who are the ones left behind, on our side of eternity. It is the brothers who are left to live the life that the rich man left behind. They are stuck - working within the social structure that created the division between the rich man and Lazarus in the first place. I see people who have heard from Moses and the prophets and now see Lazarus at their gates. They have heard from the Pharisees that your economic status is a sign of your spiritual status. The more wealth you have, the better connected you must be to God. Those who are poor deserve to be so, because they are sinners and have not followed God. Yet they also have Zechariah saying, “render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another”(Zechariah 7:9) and Micah telling them that God wants for them “to do justice, love kindness, and walk in humility with God” (Micah 6:8) . This is the road, with all of its pitfalls and obstacles that cause these brothers to stumble.
And as they stumble down this path, we are right there beside them. Stumbling though choices about how we live this life. The pundits say, “This is the land of opportunity! Anyone who is poor just isn’t working hard enough.” And yet Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” (Luke 6:20) What does in mean to serve God by how we spend time and money? How can we not only meet Lazarus’ needs, but do so in a way that is compassionate and caring? What role will we let our checkbook and date book have in how we treat our neighbors? Then we open another book, the Bible, and it is not the things that we do not understand that bother, it is the things that we do understand.
As we walk down this path we are sure to stumble back and forth from feast to famine. From those nights where the family shares a meal around the dinner table and there is enough money left over to buy ice cream - to those days where even though you worked through lunch, there is still work to bring home at night. From a stack of bills too thick for the checking account – to giving generously of our time to organize a food drive. We stumble though life until we are finally welcomed into a very different feast.
At this feast, no one lies outside cold and hungry. At this feast nobody wonders if there will be enough. Nobody takes too much - there is plenty to share. There is no reason to hoard, everyone’s needs are met. Here Jesus is the host, and we gather together as the modern five brothers, united with all of God’s creation in the feast which has no end. And so we gather today, in this place, around this Table, grateful for the guiding love of God and anxious for a foretaste of that promised feast. And we offer thanksgiving not only for this meal, but for the guidance and stamina that God provides along the way.
Let us pray: God your handiwork is all around us. Forgive us for those times when we have failed to care for your creation. Forgive us for those times when we have cared for creation, and kept the praise for ourselves. Thank you for the many blessings that you pour into our lives. Help us to release them according to your will. In Jesus name, Amen.