Trinity 1, 2022
Rev. Thomas Van Hemert
St. Luke 16:19-31
Trinity 1
June 19, 2022
In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit.
When it comes to the strength and glory of men, things often to appear differently than what they seem to be and what they actually are. Our judgments are often incorrect. Strength often masks itself as weakness, cunning in meekness, and wisdom in that which seems folly. This is, in part, why I think we love movies and fantasy novels so much. Cinderella was forced into slave labor, to work for her stepmother and stepsisters but in the end, she gained a kingdom. Beauty often hides itself in modesty. Sauron never suspected someone small and weak like Frodo to destroy the ring of power; an army of 300 Spartans stood strong against the invading Persian army; and certainly, the world did not expect a small ragtag band of thirteen somewhat disorganized colonies to defeat the mighty British Empire twice.
We love cheering for the underdog. We become tired and complacent when a sports team becomes a dynasty. It makes for a good news headline when an inferior team bests the number one ranked club. Everyone assumed during the 1980 Olympics, the United States Men’s Hockey team stood no chance against the Soviet Union Powerhouse, but they shocked the sporting world and ended up winning 4-3 in what became known as “The Miracle on Ice.” One of my favorite Hawkeye football games I ever witnessed was when Iowa beat LSU, who were the defending national champions on a last second touchdown pass in the Capital One Bowl game. It was a shock to the entire sports world when the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, a sixteen seed, defeated the top ranked Virginia in the NCAA tournament. Such a defeat had never happened before. Strength often masks itself in weakness, cunning in meekness, and wisdom in what seems folly. In the world’s eye, things are not always what they seem.
Such is the case in the Gospel account. Here we are presented with two men. They stand in stark contrast to each other. The first is a rich man. He was clothed in purple and fine linen and he feasted sumptuously every day. Not one day went by when he experienced hunger. Not one day went by when he was without. Not one day went by when he did not have all that his heart desired. He had a handsome house filled with money and possessions. As we know from later in the Gospel account, this rich man had a great family, many brothers. And whatever he might do, it was done.
His purple clothing is telling of what kind of man he was. Purple dyes and clothes were extremely rare, saved only for kings and nobles, that is, royalty. And yet we aren’t told that this man was a king or a noble or royalty. His title is “a rich man.” He was not a prince, a ruler, or a governor. He was a rich man without an office. He was one who was lazy—a lazy, fruitless tree who was without faith and thus, he did not produce good fruit, that is, good works. Surely to the world and in the eyes of men he was well off. Because in the eyes of the world, whoever is rich and powerful is fortunate. Surely these people must be blessed by God and loved by Him compared to those who are lacking. This rich man lived a hedonistic lifestyle. He was engaged primarily in the pursuit of earthly pleasure, sensuality, and self-indulgence. But in the end, it did not work out for him. He went to hell. He cared nothing for the Kingdom of God.
The other man before us is a beggar, a poor man, Lazarus by name. He could not attain anything in this world through his own means. He did not lay himself at the rich man’s gate because he was too weak to walk. Too weak to approach the rich man’s palace and so he was laid at the rich man’s gate by his friends. That’s a passive action. There he waited in weakness and in hunger, desiring to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover he was too weak to even bat the dogs away that came to him to lick his sores. This man was a beggar, like that of Job, who desperately needed God’s help. How fitting then is his name? His name is Lazarus, which means, “God is my helper.”
Now the point to be learned here is not a lesson taught in the school of liberal progressivism where those who are rich, those who have more means than others are inherently evil and must be coerced to share their wealth and their means with the masses, and if they don’t, they go to hell. The point is not that the rich man was evil simply because he feasted every day, lived a life of luxury, and was clothed with the finest clothes merchants had to offer. After all, Joseph, King David, Solomon, and Esther were people of great means, who stood righteous before God because of their faith. Neither does Holy Scripture condemn them for their great wealth. Neither is the point of this Gospel account that we should live our best life now and give into all the sinful desires of the flesh. The point is that the rich man lacked the one thing needful: he lacked faith. He stored up treasures in this life and had no care in the world for the treasure of God’s Word. He relied on nothing but his great riches. But a man who has heaven on earth will have hell hereafter. The rich man loved his own things. He gave into the passions of his flesh. He loved his wealth, his riches, his free time and leisure and refused to share them with the beggar Lazarus at the expense of despising preaching and God’s Word, even in the fires of hell. He did not gladly hear and learn God’s Word but instead clung to his earthly treasures, giving in to the sinful desires of his sinful flesh.
On the other hand, because we know that when Lazarus died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side, though he lacked everything in this world, he was rich indeed. The world’s judgments are often incorrect. Strength often masks itself in weakness, cunning in meekness, and wisdom in what seems folly.
Now if we saw the beggar Lazarus laying at the gate of our houses, what would we do? Unfortunately, I’m tempted to think that at least some of us would shoo him away, or at least, call the police. Let them deal with it. Why would we stoop down to his level? Repent.
Though Lazarus was labeled by society as a beggar, a poor man full of sores, who desired to be fed with the mere scraps and crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table and who seemed to lack everything, he had everything he needed. Lazarus had Moses and the Prophets and he received them with joy. We know this because Lazarus was carried by the angels and sits at Abraham’s side in heaven. In his lifetime, Lazarus had only bad things; but because he gladly heard Moses and the Prophets, because he did not despise preaching and God’s Word but gladly heard and learned it, he is now comforted forever in paradise.
And the rich man still will not learn. He is stubborn, even obstinate. In his life, he never had time for Moses and the Prophets, for hearing and learning them. And so, in Hell, after begging Abraham to send the poor beggar Lazarus to his brothers to warn him of this place of torment, Abraham says, “Listen to me. Your brothers have Moses and the Prophets. Scripture is sufficient for them.” Scripture warns all of us because in the Bible, that’s where God reveals His will. He reveals what we need the most, what truly makes us rich. He tells us with words and a language we can understand. And what we learn that we need most, is faith in Jesus Christ, who gave His life as a ransom for many. For everything written about Jesus in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. And in His death and resurrection, it is.
To many people who seem like they’re well off, rich, and blessed by God, Moses and the Prophets are an afterthought. To them, they’re just old dusty books that discuss an ancient, out-of-date religion. And so they despise preaching and God’s Word. If these people do not repent, they will end up in anguish in the flames of hell, at the rich man’s side. To the world, Moses and the Prophets—Holy Scripture—is not what it seems. But Moses and the Prophets testify of Christ, who is the world’s salvation. So just as how strength often masks itself in weakness, cunning in meekness, and wisdom in what seems folly, so also does the Christian faith and Christians themselves seem old-fashioned, out-of-date, and not with the times. We will continue to be labeled by society as wimps, extremists, fanatics, or even bigots. All of us, because of our faith will continue to be misunderstood by the world, just like the world misunderstood the beggar Lazarus. We may even be labeled sheep because in faith, we trust in our Lord Jesus, who at the last will send His angels to carry us home to heaven. And in the meantime, if we are called wimps, if we are called extremists or old-fashioned, or bigots, or even sheep, then let us be sheep. Sheep hear the voice of their Lord and Master who loves them, and who calls to them through Moses and the Prophets. If we continue to be misunderstood by the ever-changing progressive world, that claims Christians suffer from some sense of old-fashioned idealism, then so be it. We have never changed our course. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. May we like the beggar Lazarus, continue always to keep trusting in our Lord and our God, who is our helper.
In +Jesus’ name.
