Lazarus and the Rich Man

There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And 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. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. Luke 16:19-23

We live in a time in our nation and especially our world where the gap between the rich and the poor has never been greater. While CEOs and hedge fund managers make multi-million dollar salaries with even greater bonuses, the middle and lower class are under assault. Teacher and public worker unions are being blamed for state deficits, senior citizens and those in poverty see their taxes increase, while the wealthiest Americans and corporations receive tax breaks (or in the case of General Electric pay no tax at all!). This is a spiritual issue more than an economic issue and God's word is not silent.

Jesus shares the story of the rich man and Lazarus to make a prophetic point. Those who have wealth must not ignore the needs of others if they wish to remain in good standing with the Lord. Jesus cannot sit back and watch poor Lazarus suffer while the rich man feasts in luxury. God loves justice and reminds us that if we use our resources for self-centered and self-indulgent purposes we will not be received by the Lord.

This story also tells us that although the world may forget about the poor, the elderly, the widow and the orphan, God does not. God's heart is with the oppressed, the poor, and the broken hearted and offers them a vision of heaven filled with hope, love, and transformation.

While most of us would reject the choices the rich man makes in Jesus' story, what we fail to realize is most of us are more rich than not. We may not being in upper 1% of income in our country but if we have a job, a car, a home we are rich in wordily standards. For us the question becomes: what will we do with our wealth? Will we even notice the Lazarus in our midst? Will we even bother to look for ways to helps others?

Hear the word of the Lord, repent and live life on God's path.