St. John’s Lutheran Church, Toluca, IL – 16th Sunday after Pentecost
Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Psalm 146; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31
Gospel: Luke 16:19-31
[Jesus said:] 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.’ ”
NRSV
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The Great Reversal of Fortunes
Grace and peace to you, God’s beloved, from our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
Some gaps can never be bridged. For instance, as long as Aaron Rogers plays for the Packers, he will always own the Bears. It seems impossible for Rogers’ Packers to decrease enough, or the Bears to improve enough, for the mice of the midway to even have a chance. It is hopeless.
Other gaps, or distances, can be overcome. Some may take a while, like the Cubs becoming good enough to win the World Series. Others can be instantly pulverized, like Zoom meetings over a computer screen when we are apart.
What about the immense abyss between Lazarus and the rich man? Can it be bridged? Depends on who we ask.
This image of the afterlife is typical of the Jewish tradition of Jesus’ time. The books of Moses containing the Covenant God made at Mount Sinai in stone tablets and all the instructions and teachings that followed were available to anyone, especially to someone in the position of the rich man in the parable. All you needed to do was to go to a Synagogue on the Sabbath and listen to them. The same went for the words of the prophets like Amos and others. They relentlessly reminded the people that disregarding the needs of the poor would not end up well for them. Apparently, no one in his household ever did. Worse, he had Lazarus on his doorstep every single day and did nothing. Consequently, despite his status, the rich man ends up in agony, unnamed, distant from God and those who were rewarded in the afterlife. He is dishonorably dead.
On the other hand, Lazarus is named – I wonder if the rich man even knew how to call him. He has been restored and granted utmost honor by being in the company of Abraham, the father of faith. He had done nothing to deserve it but to have lived a miserable life in this world. Lazarus had found favor with God, who heard his cries. The gap is established, and the fate of the dishonored rich man is sealed. He does not seem to have what it takes, even if someone rises from the dead and shows him that the promise of resurrection is real.
If you ask a Christian, a believer in the resurrection of the Christ and heir to the new covenant in his blood, the answer is, “of course! Everything is possible for the God who promised to erase our trespasses and remember our sins no more. Hope is everlasting for those who God chose to gather at the font, gifted with faith.
You and I were given everything we need to inherit the promise of joy in the life yet to come, here or elsewhere. However, faith can be lost. Faith that is not nurtured by listening to the Word of God and by receiving the sacraments for the forgiveness of our sins, faith that is not practiced and told among God’s faithful people, will dwindle and cease to bear the fruits of repentance, kindness, mercy, and love for the neighbor.
See, the rich man thinks he is entitled to speak with Abraham and keeps asking him to order Lazarus around. He lacks the humility or the courage to address Lazarus directly and to say I am sorry for what I did or did not do. He has concerns only for himself and for his own. If he ever had faith, it is dead now.
Beloved of God, it is up to us to fight the good fight of faith, empowered by the Holy Spirit and in the company of our Lord Jesus and the whole community of saints. The fight is against whatever pulls us apart from each other and from God and stays in the way of us gathering together and doing ministry for Christ. Remember this, such faith was sealed on us by the mark of the cross of Christ. It may be lost but never gone. There is a difference. What is lost can always be found. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Bridging Faith 