The Great Reveral

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Luke 16:19-31
"The Great Reversal"

The Word of God for today probably makes us squirm a little - maybe a lot. Living as we do in the richest nation in the world, how do we hear what the prophet Amos, the apostle Paul, and the Lord Jesus Christ have to say to us? In all likelihood, we probably don't consider ourselves rich, and by American standards we probably are not. However, by standards of most of the rest of the world, we are fabulously wealthy - beyond imagination. This was driven home to me in my visit to India last January - a nation beset by poverty, illiteracy, and disease. It was not uncommon to see people regularly sifting through piles of stinking garbage for whatever they could salvage and sell. Or were they looking for food? The very thought of this turns our stomachs, and yet this is Lazarus. Except Jesus tells us that Lazarus lay at the gate of the rich man (Luke 16:20), so he was unable even to sift through the garbage. He was dependent on what others threw at him. And yet we learn of God's compassion for the poor and dispossessed, and ultimately of the great reversal when the hungry will be filled with good things, and the rich will be sent away empty (Luke 1:53). That is the theme for today's message: The Great Reversal. May God's rich blessing rest upon the preaching, the hearing, and the living of his Word, for Jesus' sake.

Is it sinful to be rich? The simple answer is no; however, there are real risks and dangers that go with wealth, as Paul tells us in today's second lesson: "But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs" (1 Timothy 6:9-10). The money itself is a non-entity, and is itself not the problem. Paul tells us it's the love of money that causes trouble. The trouble becomes when our love for money, wealth, or materialism gets in the way of our love for God. Whatever we put our trust and confidence in, that becomes our god. And when God is dethroned from our hearts, we start to forget about others and focus on self - getting, having, keeping. This was the problem with God's people of old that we hear about in today's first lesson (Amos 6:1-7). Their main concern, like that of the rich man in the Gospel lesson, was their personal comfort and convenience. Through his servant, Amos, God blasted them: "Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria... Woe to those who lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the midst of the stall; who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp... who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!" The Lord God brought about a great reversal for those whose trust was in themselves and their wealth. His chosen people were sent into exile; their wealth and security gone.

The rich man is mentioned first in the parable that Jesus told, and that's usually how it works. The rich and powerful, the "Who's Who" of the movers and shakers, get top billing. Everyone must have known the man's name, but we don't. Ironically, we are told the poor man's name, but not the rich man's. We know Lazarus by name, and his name means "God has helped." But the rich man is anonymous. Ironic, isn't it? The moment of their death becomes the great reversal. Remember what St. Paul wrote in the second lesson, how "we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it"? (1 Timothy 6:6). Even in death, the rich man continues to think of Lazarus as his personal servant. He wants Lazarus to come and cool his tongue. He wants Lazarus to go and warn his brothers. It's still all about him and his wants. Father Abraham will have none of it. He tells the man: "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them... If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead" (Luke 16:29, 31).

Before God, we are all Lazarus; we are all beggars. All of our earthly wealth, power, and accomplishments count for nothing before Almighty God. What does count is God's love in Christ Jesus that moves us to share our food with the hungry, our drink with the thirsty, our clothes with the naked, our compassion with those who are in need. Can we do that? We must, for Jesus' sake, do that! As John tells us: "If anyone has material possessions and see his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" (1 John 3:17). There is another Great Reversal - of One who did rise from the dead, but who first died upon the cross. One who left behind his glory and splendor to take upon himself our sin and shame. The Lord Jesus is the One who did all this, and who now calls us to love one another in word and in deed.

Today our congregation will gather to decide on the disposition of the adjacent property, of which we will assume ownership in one month's time. Whatever decision is made, our calling is to see Lazarus at our gate, ministering to him as we would to Christ. May God open our eyes and our hearts to do this, for Jesus' sake. Amen.