Scripture: Luke 16:19-31
19 “There was a certain rich man who clothed himself in purple and fine linen, and who feasted luxuriously every day. 20 At his gate lay a certain poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21 Lazarus longed to eat the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Instead, dogs would come and lick his sores.
22 “The poor man died and was carried by angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 While being tormented in the place of the dead, he looked up and saw Abraham at a distance with Lazarus at his side. 24 He shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I’m suffering in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received good things, whereas Lazarus received terrible things. Now Lazarus is being comforted and you are in great pain. 26 Moreover, a great crevasse has been fixed between us and you. Those who wish to cross over from here to you cannot. Neither can anyone cross from there to us.’
27 “The rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, Father, send Lazarus to my father’s house. 28 I have five brothers. He needs to warn them so that they don’t come to this place of agony.’ 29 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. They must listen to them.’ 30 The rich man said, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will change their hearts and lives.’ 31 Abraham said, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, then neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”
Questions
- Why is Lazarus given a name in the parable, but the rich man is not?
- What is the true sin/fault of the rich man that he ends up separated from Abraham and in torment?
- Read yourself into each of the three characters in the story: Lazarus, the rich man, and Abraham how would you think and feel about the other two characters in these interactions?
Background
Related Scriptures: Matthew 7:2, 15:28; Luke 12:15-21, 13:22-30; Acts 5:1-11; James 1:9-11
We must notice that the poor man is given a name, Lazarus, which means “the one who God helps”, while the rich man is anonymous. Lazarus is the only named character in any of Jesus’ parables. This detail is meant to highlight the fact that God helps the poor and forgets those who do not help them.
The reversal is further implied in Lazarus being taken by angels to Abraham while the rich man is buried by other people.
The rich man even in torment thinks he can order Lazarus to do his bidding, and instead of humbling himself he tries to assert privilege over Lazarus.
“The rich man was crueler than the dogs, because he felt no sympathy or compassion for him but was completely unmerciful.” Cyril of Alexanderia[1]
Reflection
When we read this story we tend to have sympathy for Lazarus and this fact shows how much Jesus and his teachings have impacted our culture. In the ancient world a poor man, sick from sores, who died unattended and whose body may well have been eaten by the dogs who he lived with would have been popularly understood to have been under Divine judgment or curse. Conversely, the man who lived in luxury, with all the blessings life can afford whose dead brings on a proper burial would have been seen as someone living under God’s blessing. Yet, in the story it is the rich man who, lacks even the blessing of a name and ends up in torment; while the destitute Lazarus is carried to paradise and feasts with Abraham, the patriarch of all the faithful. How do we explain this reversal of fortunes? It is easy to understand a merciful God who welcomes the poor outcast man into the reward of paradise, but what is the sin that leads to the rich man’s suffering and torment? Christians have wrestled with this question for centuries, trying to understand what was the reason behind God’s judgment.
Now it is possible that this parable is simply meant to highlight for us that we do not know God’s mind and that the people we think are righteous are not always righteous and the people we think God has cursed are truly righteous. Some have made this claim but it seems unlikely. The early church read this parable as a warning about how one uses wealth (Similar to Luke 12:15-21). To paraphrase the great commentator Jerome, the rich man is not condemned simply because he was rich, he is condemned because he has wealth and overlooks the needs of those around him. But even this was a delicate line for the early Church where there was a stark contrast between the wealthy and the poor. Wealth in and of itself might not be a sin but it was theft to accumulate more and more wealth without taking notice of the needs of the people around you. The rich man, despite the fact that Lazarus lived on his doorstep, never came to the aid of the man in need, he prioritized his own life and pleasure over the desperate needs of his neighbor. The name Lazarus means “the one who God helps”, and the parable is meant to highlight that the rich man is so focused on himself that he cannot see the ones that God is helping and that we should also be helping. The rich man is not inherently focused on making money, he simply has wealth, he is not spiteful a=or demonstrating hatred toward Lazarus, he is unconcerned. He sees Lazarus, he must recognize his plight but he doesn’t care.
I resonate with the commentator who said that had Lazarus been out-of-the-way or his issues not been obvious we can understand him not noticing his needs. But Jesus points out that Lazarus was at the man’s doorstep and the rich man would have encountered him every time he left his house. But the rich man does not care about Lazarus, even when he is in torment and Lazarus is in paradise the rich man acts as though Lazarus is a slave to be bossed around. The rich man twice says “send Lazarus”, this man who took no concern for Lazarus in this world believes he has the right to have Lazarus do his bidding in the next. Abraham makes it clear to the man he has learned nothing from the Scriptures and neither has his family, because even in torment this man cannot recognize the error of treating Lazarus poorly while only being concerned with himself and those immediate family members he cares for. Abraham is implying that the Scriptures are full of instructions about how to treat those in need and warnings for those who how fail, but this man in his torment still only thinks about a limited group and does not concern himself with Lazarus. The focus of this parable is not to say the wealthy are sinful but for us to recognize that we are to help those in need and if we willingly shut our eyes to their plight we are in danger of judgment. The rich man becomes the example because the wealthy have more resources to help the needy and so bear a greater responsibility but this parable touches us all. Like the Good Samara tin it is teaching us to care for those who are in need and give generously because the things we have are the rich blessings God has given us.
[1] Arthur A. Just, ed., Luke, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
Squinting in the Light 
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