Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 25, 2016
Revised Common Lectionary, Cycle C,
1Timothy 6:3-5,11-19, Luke 16:19-31
Hope International Mission
By Young Kim
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Last week, we talked about the unfaithful servant who squandered his master’s possessions. And through this story, we talked about the right way of using material possessions in the eyes of God. At the same place, Jesus told another story to the Pharisees, and that is what we just read from Luke chapter 16. It is a story that you all may know very well—the story of Lazarus and the rich man.
When we study other sermons and commentaries on the story of Lazarus and the rich man, we usually see it interpreted as a lesson on heaven and hell or a lesson on parsimony, that is, not sharing the material abundance with those who are poor. However, we would like to look at this story through a different perspective today, which is stubbornness.
As you know well, the word stubborn means to be fixed, firm and inflexible. This could mean in a good way like persevering, steady and constant. But the word, stubborn, is often used negatively as not being moved or not being persuaded even by rational explanations. You might have heard the terms such as ‘stubborn as a mule’ or ‘stubborn as a heifer’. It means to be very determined and not changing your decision or opinion about something, even when it is wrong.
The Bible also contains many examples of stubbornness. God often described the Israelite as a stiff-necked people. They constantly turned their back from God and they angered God for worshiping idols. Talking about stiff-necked, I was able to recall my own story. When I was about 5 years old, we lived in a church parsonage and we often had visitors. In Korean culture, we, as younger generations, are supposed to bow our heads before older people whenever we greet them. One day, we had a guest in our house as usual and when he was about to leave our house, my parents urged me to bow my head. But I didn’t feel like doing it and I didn’t even know why I should bow my head. Maybe I was sick of having so many guests and felt annoyed by them. Or maybe I didn’t like the person because I was not allowed to play but sit down quietly. So I didn’t bow my head while my parents kept telling me to do so. I stood firmly and had my chin up straight to protest against my parents. Then, both of my parents stood on my right and left side and started pressing my head with their hands in front of the guest. Guess what I did, I still didn’t bow my head. I resisted against the pressure until the guest waved his hand and said, “That’s O.K.” Out of embarrassment, my parents scolded me so hard after the guest left. This is still a memorable event and it was indeed a good lesson for me to respect others and to put away my stubbornness.
Now, let’s come back to today’s Gospel lesson to see how stubbornness is demonstrated in the story. Jesus was still sitting at a banquet table at a Pharisee leader’s house on a Sabbath day from Luke chapter 14. The people sitting around him were observing Jesus’ behavior closely to find any fault from him. In the most awkward spot, Jesus was trying to teach the Jewish religious leaders through several important parables. The story of the rich man and Lazarus was the last story of his teaching to enlighten them from their mistaken belief on their religious life.
There were two men in the story. Jesus was comparing and contrasting between the two. One was very rich dressed in purple and fine linen and enjoyed his wealth and privilege, while the other one was very poor begging at the rich’s gate, disabled and covered with sores that even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The rich man’s purple and fine linen shows how rich he was. He loved to be clothed in purple; it was the color of royalty. And it was allowed only to the very rich ones like kings or high rank nobles. Fine linen was also considered very expensive because of its brilliantly white color and complicated process using a special clay pot. Jesus also mentioned that he feasted every day. But on the other hand, a man named Lazarus was laid at the rich man’s gate longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. His clothes must have been sticking to the sores that covered all of his body. The only companion he had was the dogs who licked his sores. Dogs in the ancient world symbolized contempt and despise. So we could guess what miserable situation Lazarus lived in and how he endured the sufferings and torments in his hopeless life. Do you see the contrasting imagery Jesus is picturing before us?
Here is another comparison and contrast Jesus depicted in the rest of the story. The two men both died at the end. No longer were they living their earthly lives. Notice the switch in their circumstances. When Lazarus died, he was carried to Abraham’s side. He no longer suffered; he was no longer hungry; he was no longer a homeless. Now he had a home; he was cared for and he feasted in the presence of Abraham and the angels instead of wild dogs like it was on earth.
On the other hand, the rich man was now in great need. He was begging for a drop of water in great pain in the eternal fire. The one who feasted every day in his earthly life, surrounded by so many relatives and friends now suffered greatly all alone for all eternity.
What was Jesus trying to teach the Pharisees through this story? Jesus was pointing out their wrong assumptions based on their religious convictions.
Firstly, the Pharisees believed that being rich is a blessing from God and being poor and needy is a curse from God as the result of sin. You might notice that most of the Pharisees in the Bible were rich and they were proud of being rich. This was not included in today’s Gospel reading, but it says in verse 14 that the Pharisees loved money.
They believed that the richness was the sign of God’s abundant blessing. At the same time, they despised the poor and disabled considering them as the cursed from God because of their sinfulness. For this reason, the rich man might have treated the beggar with contempt and indifference thinking that the beggar was carrying his own burden from God out of his own sin.
But Jesus was pointing out clearly in verse 13 “You cannot serve both God and Money.” The rich served wealth rather than God. He lost sight of God and the treasure of heaven because he was preoccupied with seeking happiness in material things. In Luke chapter 6 verses 24 and 25, Jesus said “Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.”
You might have heard about “Prosperity Gospel.” So many churches and preachers have taught that God rewards faith with financial blessings. This Prosperity Gospel has been criticized by leaders in various Christian denominations, but the concept of financial blessing and physical well-being still remains inside many people’s mind and their prayers.
Secondly, the Pharisees believed that they will enjoy the kingdom of heaven according to their Jewish heritage. The rich called out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me…” To be a child of Abraham is to be a child of God. It is true, Abraham addressed him as child but this indicates that he indeed was a physical descendant of Abraham and this had nothing to do with a personal saving faith. John the Baptist said in Luke 3:8, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not say to yourselves, ‘we have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” They were idle and arrogant in their faith life due to the misconception of salvation.
Thirdly, the Pharisees believed that they were the ones who observed the Law of Moses perfectly. The rich asked father Abraham, “Send Lazarus to my father’s house. For I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.” Then, Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the Prophets; they should listen to them.” “’No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’” “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
The rich man knew that his five brothers would come to his place as well. Also, he knew that his brothers would not listen to Moses and the Prophets just like he did. The rich man and the five brothers here depict the Pharisees who were listening to this story from Jesus. This is what Jesus was implying: “The reason why you do not believe in me is because you are not listening to Moses and the Prophets!” This is because speaking of the one who comes from the dead was a prophecy of Jesus himself who will carry the sins of this world, die on the cross, and live again until he is raised into heaven.
Interestingly, Jesus also raised another Lazarus from death in John 11. Maybe by naming him Lazarus in his story, Jesus was intending to remind them of the resurrected Lazarus, where the Pharisees still rejected to believe and accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
Even though the main point of the Law of Moses was to love God and our neighbors, they did not love anything else other than themselves and their materials. Even in torture, the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to give him some relief. And again, he asked another request to send Lazarus to his house to warn his brothers. The rich man assumed that Lazarus would still be in a low status compared to himself. He didn’t care about Lazarus coming across the great chasm to satisfy himself with a drop of water. He didn’t care how Lazarus would feel going back to his miserable earthly life just to warn his brothers. The rich man simply cared for his people, his own.
This story should be a great awakening for us, too, as it might have been to the Pharisees in Jesus’ time. It is so important that we understand that the Law and the Prophets (Old Testament) teach us our need to repent. Only the Word of God brings forth repentance. But their wrong assumption of believing that they are observing the law perfectly led them more to stubbornness, arrogance and self-centeredness.
Now it is clear that the rich man did not go to hell simply because he was rich and lived a luxurious life ignoring Lazarus. Rather, it was a result of not following the Law to love the neighbors with a God-fearing heart. He trusted his own rich and his own physical heritage.
Then what is the right attitude of faith before God according to the Bible? 1 Timothy in today’s reading gives us good guidance.
Paul instructed young minister, Timothy, by saying in verse 11-14, “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Then, what does it mean to fight the good fight as it says in 1 Timothy? One should continuously put effort and work hard in order to earn money and accumulate riches. Similarly, we need to continuously put effort and study hard to achieve the faith that God wants from us. Where does God want to lead me to? Where am I now? Which part of me should I change and get better? We are in the process of completing our faith in God as we ceaselessly put effort and reflect on God and ourselves.
You might have wondered how Lazarus was able to enter into heaven and carried to Abraham’s side by the angels. We don’t have enough clues about it. But we can guess from his name Lazarus, which means God helped, that perhaps Lazarus did not choose to be in despair but lived a life of endless longing for God’s help in his miserable situation.
Paul continued his teaching in verse 17-19, “As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.” This may be what Jesus meant when he said to store treasure in heaven and not on this earth. Lazarus possessed nothing in his life. The only companions he had were the dogs licking his sores. But as you know, the dogs do not sympathize a stranger or an evil person. For the dogs, Lazarus was kind enough to share the crumbs of bread which he got from the rich man’s table. Unlike the rich man, he shared whatever he had even with the dogs when he had nothing. That is why the dogs were with him licking his sores.
Hearing this lesson, let us look back to ourselves. What are the stubbornness and wrong assumptions that we still carry before God. Like the Pharisees and the rich man, aren’t we assuming that we will go to heaven just because we come to the church regularly? Aren’t we considering our blessings and our family’s blessings to be more valuable and important than the life of others who are naked, hungry, and in pain? Aren’t we focused more on other people’s sins and mistakes thinking that we are righteous before God and that we obey the Ten Commandments very well? I encourage all of us to reflect onto ourselves and see whether or not we are lazy and idle in counting our sins in daily prayers.
Now, I would like to ask you to examine your heart seriously during this week and ask yourself “Am I listening to God or am I listening to myself?” “Who do I resemble more, the rich or Lazarus?”
Revised Common Lectionary, Cycle C,
1Timothy 6:3-5,11-19, Luke 16:19-31
Hope International Mission
By Young Kim
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Last week, we talked about the unfaithful servant who squandered his master’s possessions. And through this story, we talked about the right way of using material possessions in the eyes of God. At the same place, Jesus told another story to the Pharisees, and that is what we just read from Luke chapter 16. It is a story that you all may know very well—the story of Lazarus and the rich man.
When we study other sermons and commentaries on the story of Lazarus and the rich man, we usually see it interpreted as a lesson on heaven and hell or a lesson on parsimony, that is, not sharing the material abundance with those who are poor. However, we would like to look at this story through a different perspective today, which is stubbornness.
As you know well, the word stubborn means to be fixed, firm and inflexible. This could mean in a good way like persevering, steady and constant. But the word, stubborn, is often used negatively as not being moved or not being persuaded even by rational explanations. You might have heard the terms such as ‘stubborn as a mule’ or ‘stubborn as a heifer’. It means to be very determined and not changing your decision or opinion about something, even when it is wrong.
The Bible also contains many examples of stubbornness. God often described the Israelite as a stiff-necked people. They constantly turned their back from God and they angered God for worshiping idols. Talking about stiff-necked, I was able to recall my own story. When I was about 5 years old, we lived in a church parsonage and we often had visitors. In Korean culture, we, as younger generations, are supposed to bow our heads before older people whenever we greet them. One day, we had a guest in our house as usual and when he was about to leave our house, my parents urged me to bow my head. But I didn’t feel like doing it and I didn’t even know why I should bow my head. Maybe I was sick of having so many guests and felt annoyed by them. Or maybe I didn’t like the person because I was not allowed to play but sit down quietly. So I didn’t bow my head while my parents kept telling me to do so. I stood firmly and had my chin up straight to protest against my parents. Then, both of my parents stood on my right and left side and started pressing my head with their hands in front of the guest. Guess what I did, I still didn’t bow my head. I resisted against the pressure until the guest waved his hand and said, “That’s O.K.” Out of embarrassment, my parents scolded me so hard after the guest left. This is still a memorable event and it was indeed a good lesson for me to respect others and to put away my stubbornness.
Now, let’s come back to today’s Gospel lesson to see how stubbornness is demonstrated in the story. Jesus was still sitting at a banquet table at a Pharisee leader’s house on a Sabbath day from Luke chapter 14. The people sitting around him were observing Jesus’ behavior closely to find any fault from him. In the most awkward spot, Jesus was trying to teach the Jewish religious leaders through several important parables. The story of the rich man and Lazarus was the last story of his teaching to enlighten them from their mistaken belief on their religious life.
There were two men in the story. Jesus was comparing and contrasting between the two. One was very rich dressed in purple and fine linen and enjoyed his wealth and privilege, while the other one was very poor begging at the rich’s gate, disabled and covered with sores that even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The rich man’s purple and fine linen shows how rich he was. He loved to be clothed in purple; it was the color of royalty. And it was allowed only to the very rich ones like kings or high rank nobles. Fine linen was also considered very expensive because of its brilliantly white color and complicated process using a special clay pot. Jesus also mentioned that he feasted every day. But on the other hand, a man named Lazarus was laid at the rich man’s gate longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. His clothes must have been sticking to the sores that covered all of his body. The only companion he had was the dogs who licked his sores. Dogs in the ancient world symbolized contempt and despise. So we could guess what miserable situation Lazarus lived in and how he endured the sufferings and torments in his hopeless life. Do you see the contrasting imagery Jesus is picturing before us?
Here is another comparison and contrast Jesus depicted in the rest of the story. The two men both died at the end. No longer were they living their earthly lives. Notice the switch in their circumstances. When Lazarus died, he was carried to Abraham’s side. He no longer suffered; he was no longer hungry; he was no longer a homeless. Now he had a home; he was cared for and he feasted in the presence of Abraham and the angels instead of wild dogs like it was on earth.
On the other hand, the rich man was now in great need. He was begging for a drop of water in great pain in the eternal fire. The one who feasted every day in his earthly life, surrounded by so many relatives and friends now suffered greatly all alone for all eternity.
What was Jesus trying to teach the Pharisees through this story? Jesus was pointing out their wrong assumptions based on their religious convictions.
Firstly, the Pharisees believed that being rich is a blessing from God and being poor and needy is a curse from God as the result of sin. You might notice that most of the Pharisees in the Bible were rich and they were proud of being rich. This was not included in today’s Gospel reading, but it says in verse 14 that the Pharisees loved money.
They believed that the richness was the sign of God’s abundant blessing. At the same time, they despised the poor and disabled considering them as the cursed from God because of their sinfulness. For this reason, the rich man might have treated the beggar with contempt and indifference thinking that the beggar was carrying his own burden from God out of his own sin.
But Jesus was pointing out clearly in verse 13 “You cannot serve both God and Money.” The rich served wealth rather than God. He lost sight of God and the treasure of heaven because he was preoccupied with seeking happiness in material things. In Luke chapter 6 verses 24 and 25, Jesus said “Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.”
You might have heard about “Prosperity Gospel.” So many churches and preachers have taught that God rewards faith with financial blessings. This Prosperity Gospel has been criticized by leaders in various Christian denominations, but the concept of financial blessing and physical well-being still remains inside many people’s mind and their prayers.
Secondly, the Pharisees believed that they will enjoy the kingdom of heaven according to their Jewish heritage. The rich called out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me…” To be a child of Abraham is to be a child of God. It is true, Abraham addressed him as child but this indicates that he indeed was a physical descendant of Abraham and this had nothing to do with a personal saving faith. John the Baptist said in Luke 3:8, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not say to yourselves, ‘we have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” They were idle and arrogant in their faith life due to the misconception of salvation.
Thirdly, the Pharisees believed that they were the ones who observed the Law of Moses perfectly. The rich asked father Abraham, “Send Lazarus to my father’s house. For I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.” Then, Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the Prophets; they should listen to them.” “’No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’” “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
The rich man knew that his five brothers would come to his place as well. Also, he knew that his brothers would not listen to Moses and the Prophets just like he did. The rich man and the five brothers here depict the Pharisees who were listening to this story from Jesus. This is what Jesus was implying: “The reason why you do not believe in me is because you are not listening to Moses and the Prophets!” This is because speaking of the one who comes from the dead was a prophecy of Jesus himself who will carry the sins of this world, die on the cross, and live again until he is raised into heaven.
Interestingly, Jesus also raised another Lazarus from death in John 11. Maybe by naming him Lazarus in his story, Jesus was intending to remind them of the resurrected Lazarus, where the Pharisees still rejected to believe and accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
Even though the main point of the Law of Moses was to love God and our neighbors, they did not love anything else other than themselves and their materials. Even in torture, the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to give him some relief. And again, he asked another request to send Lazarus to his house to warn his brothers. The rich man assumed that Lazarus would still be in a low status compared to himself. He didn’t care about Lazarus coming across the great chasm to satisfy himself with a drop of water. He didn’t care how Lazarus would feel going back to his miserable earthly life just to warn his brothers. The rich man simply cared for his people, his own.
This story should be a great awakening for us, too, as it might have been to the Pharisees in Jesus’ time. It is so important that we understand that the Law and the Prophets (Old Testament) teach us our need to repent. Only the Word of God brings forth repentance. But their wrong assumption of believing that they are observing the law perfectly led them more to stubbornness, arrogance and self-centeredness.
Now it is clear that the rich man did not go to hell simply because he was rich and lived a luxurious life ignoring Lazarus. Rather, it was a result of not following the Law to love the neighbors with a God-fearing heart. He trusted his own rich and his own physical heritage.
Then what is the right attitude of faith before God according to the Bible? 1 Timothy in today’s reading gives us good guidance.
Paul instructed young minister, Timothy, by saying in verse 11-14, “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Then, what does it mean to fight the good fight as it says in 1 Timothy? One should continuously put effort and work hard in order to earn money and accumulate riches. Similarly, we need to continuously put effort and study hard to achieve the faith that God wants from us. Where does God want to lead me to? Where am I now? Which part of me should I change and get better? We are in the process of completing our faith in God as we ceaselessly put effort and reflect on God and ourselves.
You might have wondered how Lazarus was able to enter into heaven and carried to Abraham’s side by the angels. We don’t have enough clues about it. But we can guess from his name Lazarus, which means God helped, that perhaps Lazarus did not choose to be in despair but lived a life of endless longing for God’s help in his miserable situation.
Paul continued his teaching in verse 17-19, “As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.” This may be what Jesus meant when he said to store treasure in heaven and not on this earth. Lazarus possessed nothing in his life. The only companions he had were the dogs licking his sores. But as you know, the dogs do not sympathize a stranger or an evil person. For the dogs, Lazarus was kind enough to share the crumbs of bread which he got from the rich man’s table. Unlike the rich man, he shared whatever he had even with the dogs when he had nothing. That is why the dogs were with him licking his sores.
Hearing this lesson, let us look back to ourselves. What are the stubbornness and wrong assumptions that we still carry before God. Like the Pharisees and the rich man, aren’t we assuming that we will go to heaven just because we come to the church regularly? Aren’t we considering our blessings and our family’s blessings to be more valuable and important than the life of others who are naked, hungry, and in pain? Aren’t we focused more on other people’s sins and mistakes thinking that we are righteous before God and that we obey the Ten Commandments very well? I encourage all of us to reflect onto ourselves and see whether or not we are lazy and idle in counting our sins in daily prayers.
Now, I would like to ask you to examine your heart seriously during this week and ask yourself “Am I listening to God or am I listening to myself?” “Who do I resemble more, the rich or Lazarus?”