"Lessons from Lazarus"

Readings: Psalm 91:1-6,14-16, Jeremiah 32:1-15,1 Timothy 6:6-19,  Luke 16:19-31
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, on September 25, 2022

"Lazarus and the Rich man" is a drama of three acts. In act one the Rich man feasts whilst Lazarus festers. In act two the Rich man fries whilst Lazarus feasts. In act three the Rich man pleads for mercy whilst Lazarus enjoys Paradise.

Act One: The Rich man feasts whilst Lazarus festers

Picture the scene. "A rich man habitually living in splendor".  A man who thinks he has it all. Dresses like royalty. Fine Linen and purple.  Attire reserved for the cream of society, Emperors, Governors, Princes and Ceasers. Rolex watch. Ferrari in the garage, parked next to the Rolls Royce. Thick pile carpets. Chandeliers. Paintings by Rembrandt and Cezanne hanging on the wall. Gold medallion the size of a saucer hanging round his neck.  Silverware on the table that shone like... well... silver.

He clicks his fingers.  The string quartet playing Mozart in the corner bring their immaculate performance to a close. In comes the butler and the attendant maids with dinner. "Would sir like the Lamb or the Beef?"  He points at one and it is served onto his plate whilst the maid pours an ample quantity of sparkling wine into the sparkling crystal glass. "Give the other to the dogs" he says.

He rises from his table and strolls across to the window where he stifles a yawn as he surveys his ornamental garden, the fountain he had specially imported from Italy, the rare Japanese trees lining the mosaic path that led to the summerhouse. His yawn dissolves into a smile.  "Ahh" he sighs contentedly "It's all soo perfect."He sits at the table. With a click of his fingers, the Mozart resumes and dinner is consumed.

Outside, beyond the security fence, beyond the barbed wire and video surveillance cameras, beyond the high, broken glass rimmed wall that kept the views and smells of the squalor of the city from invading the rich man’s castle, lies the poor man, Lazarus, at the gate.

Those gates. So impressive. So impassable. What went on behind those walls was anybody's guess.  But Lazarus was beyond guessing. He had been laid at the gate by some well-meaning passerby in the hope that somebody might take pity on him. His filthy clothes barely concealed the rotting sores that covered his body. Bent over in pain, it is difficult to say if that is a human being or a pile of rags. His face contorted by pain.

He drifts in and out of consciousness. His lips bloated and blistered. His eyes glazed. He can't remember when he last had food. Times were good when he worked up at the rich man’s house. Times long gone by. "Sleep, sleep, let me rest for there is no pain in my dreams."

A passing dog sniffs at the wreckage of this once proud man. It idly paws at him, but seeing no reaction moves along the alley to investigate the more profitable trash cans.

Act Two: The Rich man fries whilst Lazarus feasts

As he bites into the succulent beef steak, the rich man is aware of a numbness in his left arm, that rapidly spread up his arm, across his chest and felt uncomfortably like a severe attack of indigestion. He tried to catch his breath, but the pain became stronger, more intense, like an elephant sitting on his chest.

Then the pain was gone, and he found himself in an unfamiliar environment. It was dark and cold. At the same time, he was burning up. A place of dark shadows and deep sighs. A place of longing and loneliness; desperate loneliness characterized by a total absence of light or love.

He was aware of others around him, wrapping their darkness around themselves like fearful animals caught in a trap.  There was weeping. There was pain. And there were haunting memories of tasks left unfinished, words of love that were never spoken, constant compromise and failure, never forgiven, never atoned for. Now it was too late.

He remembered this place from his nightmares. When you sleep in life you wake to a new day. In this sleep of death, he felt he would never escape his most fearful dreams. Sheol. The waiting room for Judgment.  Hades. Hell. The place of the dead.

For a moment the darkness cleared. He glimpsed, through what looked like the perimeter wall of his estate, there, on the other side, through the impassable gates; green fields, clear cool springs and flowing water, warmth, light and... who was that?

Father Abraham! Laughing, talking, with someone at table. Who was that close by his side? It looked like that servant ... What was his name, "I remember, Lazarus, that was him, Lazarus. Oh, things will be all right now.  Lazarus will be sent to help me"

Act Three: The Rich man pleads for mercy whilst Lazarus enjoys Paradise

The Rich man called out "Father Abraham... Send Lazarus over here with some of that clear cool spring water. I'm burning up here. Send Lazarus." “He heard a voice in the darkness, "Your wasting your time rich man.  Lazarus is not going to be taking care of your errands anymore.”

Then Abraham spoke. "Child, you had your share of good things. Lazarus had nothing.  Now he has his reward, and you have yours. Remember that wall you built around yourself? Your security, your protection from having to care or share? Death has closed the gate.  You can no more share in this table than Lazarus could share yours. Those things you welcomed in past days have determined your welcome in eternity. Your actions have fixed a great chasm between us, "

A great sadness descended on the Rich Man. He hung his head and choked back tears. He thought of his family. "Abraham... one thing... just send Lazarus to my Father’s house, I have five brothers, warn them, tell them of this dreadful place".

Again, a voice from the darkness; "You are not listening. Rich man... Lazarus is not going to be taking care of your errands anymore.” Abraham said, "Why send Lazarus? God's already sent them the message of Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them. They have a synagogue to learn in, teachers to help them, scriptures to reveal God's way, God has provided for them the Word they need to hear, they're hardly likely to listen to Lazarus".

The rich man pleaded. "Don't you see! If you send Lazarus, a man who was dead, but has come back to life, it will work. They'll turn their lives around; they'll start living right." Again, a voice from the darkness. " Lazarus is not going to be taking care of your errands anymore.” Sadly, Abraham replied, "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead!"

Lessons from Lazarus

In Scripture the measure of how welcome eternity will be to us appears to be measured by the neighborliness we show to each other on earth. Those who in their pretensions enthrone themselves as Kings and see others as mere pawns to be used for their personal face a harsh awakening.

God has sent to us the words of Moses and the prophets. We furthermore have the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, a grace event that was only emerging as Jesus told this tale.

That grace was powerfully revealed to the disciples when they witnessed another man, this time not the Lazarus of this parable, but Lazarus, a brother of Mary and Martha, a great friend of Jesus, brought back to life from the tomb. (John 11)

The Sting in the Tale

Yet the sting in the tale is the very last verse. People hear the parable and think, "Now who do I identify with, the rich man or with Lazarus?"

But at the end of the parable, we are called to identify with the ones who had been sent the message of Scripture, the ones to whom the testimony of Christ died and Risen would be told:- the Father and five brothers of the Rich man.  (Verse 31) "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead".

The Resurrection of Jesus makes all the difference. The conclusion of the parable is to point us to personal repentance and to embrace the message of the Living Christ for ourselves.  It is more than just a story about humanitarian aid or a picture of judgment on the self-centered.  As we declare every Easter, "Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!"

These final words suggest that the hope of the world lies in me and you accepting the gospel message of the Good News of the risen Christ. Accepting it in a way in that causes us to embrace in love those who stand at the gates of our lives in need of help and prayer.

God has done everything God can do to persuade us to accept His love. God has given us the Word of Truth in the Scriptures.

He raised His Son, Jesus Christ from the dead.  God sends the Holy Spirit to be our Helper and Guide.

It is for us to respond; through loving actions towards our fellow human beings, through faithful stewardship and worship, through living our lives in a way that brings glory to the name of Jesus Christ.

There are indeed many lessons we can learn from Lazarus. 

To God be all glory!

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.