The rich man in our Gospel lesson would be welcome in any society, as much today as in Jerusalem two thousand years ago. Rich men are the enviable men. Our songs celebrate what it would be like “If I Were a Rich Man.” We make TV shows that ask, “Who Wants to Be a…Rich Man?” People compete to be “The Apprentice” of a rich man. Poor men, and women, wishing they were rich, spend hard earned cash on lottery tickets so they could, by some stroke of luck, become rich men and women. Yes, rich men are always welcome, or at least envied.
On the other hand, poor and sick people are not so welcome. Certainly they are not envied. How many of you parents out there hope and pray that your children grow up to be poor? How many songs celebrate, “If I Were a Sick Man”? on the other hand, perhaps the lottery is, in the end, proof that poor people really do wish to stay poor. No, nobody envies the poor man.
And yet, the rich man did exactly that when he wound up in the torment of hell: he envied Lazarus, the poor man. Of course, he did not envy Lazarus’s poverty, but rather his comfort. Lazarus was now comforted at Abraham’s bosom. This means that Lazarus’s comfort was the same as Abraham’s. Remember that Abraham, unlike Lazarus, was a rich man; but Abraham’s comfort was not in his riches. Abraham’s comfort was in the words and promises of God.
Which brings us to the real problem with the rich man and all of us fallen, sinful beings—we don’t fear, love, and trust in God above all things. We don’t treasure His Word. We don’t put our trust in His promises. The rich man trusted in himself, in all the things he had acquired for himself, in his social prestige among his friends and neighbors. Beware of such proud self-reliance, of thinking that you can face eternity on the basis of your own merits, achievements and strength; beware of saying “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.” For the destiny of all that believe that way is nothing but fiery torment and separation from God.
What made Lazarus’ destiny different from the rich man was not that he was merely poor, but that he was poor in spirit. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” To be poor in spirit means to be humble and penitent before God, to trust not in yourself but in Him alone, to rely not on your own goodness but on His goodness. It means to look to the Lord for all that you need and to run to Him for every help and comfort. The Scriptures say this, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” In this, Lazarus was a true child of Abraham.
And notice when the rich man pleaded for his brothers, Abraham tried to direct him to the same source of help and comfort, “(Your brothers) have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.” Jesus did the same thing while he walked with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.” Moses and the Prophets all point to Jesus. The poor man went to heaven because he believed Moses and the prophets. That is, he believed in the Messiah of whom they spoke, who would take the sins of the world upon Himself and earn for him God’s favor and a place in heaven.
That is what Jesus, the Messiah, has done also for us. In order to deliver us, Jesus made Himself like Lazarus. He put Himself at the mercy of the rich and powerful so that He might take away the judgment of God from us on the cross. As Isaiah prophesied, “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. . . He was pierced for our transgressions . . . and by his wounds, we are healed.” The blood that flowed from Christ’s holy wounds bought our forgiveness and cleansed us from our sin. That is why the Apostle wrote, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who though He was rich, yet for your sakes became poor, so that you, through His poverty, might become rich.”
Who, then, is the enviable man in this account? It is Lazarus. For the unnamed man dressed in fine clothes laid up treasures for himself on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But Lazarus laid up for himself treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal–everlasting treasures. A treasured wardrobe is not found in purple and fine linen, but in the robe of Christ’s righteousness placed upon us in baptism. Treasured food is not the sumptuous feast of a rich man’s table, but the heavenly Feast of Christ’s Body and Blood given from the Altar of our Lord. And the comfort and help that we all may treasure is what Abraham and Lazarus treasured: the incomparable Word of God. Of both men it may be said, “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”
Today, then, let us not envy the riches and pleasures that are seen, which charm and entice our senses, but rather let us seek the heavenly riches that are hidden, grasped only by faith. Let the trust of your heart ever dwell on the heavenly side, even in the midst of afflictions and troubles. Do not despise bodily suffering, but receive it as a gift of God that turns our hearts away from what is perishable to what is imperishable. Take your place with Lazarus. For in so doing you are taking your place with Christ, who suffered anguish of soul for you that your soul may be received into the peace and solace of heaven. That is Lord’s promise to you. Believe the Lord, and he will count it to you as righteousness.
Amen.Click here to add text.
