Today we have the second of two
parables revolving around wealth. The first came last week with the
story of the shrewd manager; and if you don't remember that story,
it's because we interrupted our regularly scheduled readings to
transfer the Feast of St. John. Today's story is the well-known
parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
To recap . . . Lazarus lives in pitiful
conditions outside the rich man's gate where he receives no aid
whatsoever. They both die and Lazarus ascends to heaven while the
rich man descends to hell. The rich man pleads for mercy, receives
none, and then begs for Lazarus to be sent as a messenger to his
siblings. The clinching line is, “If they didn't listen to Moses
and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone rises
from the dead.” – An obvious allusion to the resurrection of
Jesus.
As usual there is a lot going on in
this passage, but I want to focus on the interaction between the rich
man and Lazarus.
Jesus paints a picture for us of the
rich man. He doesn't just say he's rich, but that he dresses in
purple and fine linen, giving us a picture of royalty. Purple was
the most difficult color to manufacture, therefore it was the most
expensive of fabrics. He also feasted sumptuously every day, giving
us a picture of someone who never had a PBJ in his life. And he
lives in a gated community.
Notice, though, that Jesus never
condemns the rich man for being rich. He never tells us that the
acquisition of wealth is a bad thing. He just channels his inner Joe
Friday and gives us the facts – he was rich, he dressed well, he
ate well, and he lived in a gated community. Nothing wrong with
that.
Lazarus, on the other hand, is a poor
man who has camped out by the gate of the rich man. He is covered
with sores. He can't afford to receive medical treatment, so he
relies on dogs to come and care for him by licking at those sores.
He longed to satisfy his hunger with the scraps from the rich man's
table, but was never able to. This scene has always reminded me of
the opening scene in “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” where Nick
Nolte's character is digging through the trash bins looking to feed
himself and his dog.
As the story continues, they both die,
Lazarus ascending to heaven and the rich man descending to hell.
Note, though, that the rich man doesn't go to hell for being rich.
The rich man goes to hell for being blind.
In August of 2001 my family moved to
Evanston, IL, just north of Chicago. The first time we were in the
city my daughter wanted to help every destitute person she saw. It
was distressing to her to see so many people in need being ignored by
so many more. But the longer we lived there, the more we got used to
it. Keep your head down. Look straight ahead. Don't look anyone in
the eye. Don't acknowledge anyone.
This was the sin of the rich man.
Yes, he probably suffered from the sin
of greed. Yes, he probably suffered from the sin of gluttony. He
may have committed the sin of theft. He probably committed a whole
host of other sins we can only imagine. But the most egregious sin
was in not recognizing, or even seeing, a fellow human being.
Maybe it was due to the social strata
of the day. Maybe it was due to contempt. Maybe it was due to fear.
But whatever the reason, the rich man was blind to the poor man
lying outside his gate.
This parable isn't about the evils of
being rich. This parable may be about how we choose to use or not
use our riches. This parable is most certainly about how we see and
relate to our fellow human being.
That is the question before us today:
How do you see or not see your fellow human being?
One of the things I appreciate about
Community Cafe, which we just hosted yesterday, is how it's set up.
There are plenty of feeding programs set up like a cafeteria assembly
line where the people come through, getting plates dished up, with
little to no interaction. We're different. We set people at tables
and interact with them. They are invited to receive personal hygiene
items. Waitstaff takes their order and brings them their food. A
dessert tray is brought to their tables. I wander around meeting and
greeting. In short, they are not pieces of an assembly line, but
they are people to be seen.
Years ago I remember a story of a
homeless man sharing his experiences. He said something along the
lines of, “If you can't or won't help me, that's fine; I don't
expect everyone to give me money or food. But don't ignore me. At
least tell me you can't help.” He had a deep desire to be seen and
to be given the common courtesy of being recognized as a fellow human
being.
A lawyer asked Jesus, “Teacher, which
is the greatest commandment?”
And Jesus replied, “ 'You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with
all your mind.' And the second is like it, 'You shall love your
neighbor as yourself'.”
Today's parable is reminding us to love
our neighbors as ourselves. Today's parable is reminding us that if
we are blind to the people around us, then we fail to live out this
commandment. This parable reminds us that we are to respect the
dignity of every human being, whether they be a rich man in purple
robes or a poor man lying at our gate.
We might not be able to solve the
poverty problems, but we should certainly be able to see those around
us who are in need. And by seeing them we can begin to recognize
their humanity and worth based solely on the fact that they, also,
were created in the image of God.
It doesn't cost us anything to treat
others with dignity and respect; but it will hurt us immensely if we
willingly remain blind to the world around us.
Open your eyes, for the world is at
your gate.
Amen.
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