The Great Eschatological Reversal

Scripture:

Luke 16:19   “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹ who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. ²² The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham.^a The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.^{a  24} He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. ²⁶ Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ ²⁷ He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ ³⁰ He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Observation:

In the original, this passage is not separated from the previous one in which Jesus is speaking with the Pharisees and their lack of understanding regarding the kingdom of God. They would have viewed wealth as God’s blessing on life and now, Jesus turned all of this upside down, but with the use of the law. Remember, they weren’t embracing the law the way in which Jesus had wanted, but they were trying to force the kingdom with their adherence to the law. However, in the Old Testament, those who had wealth were also to carry the burden of social responsibility. This individual basked in his success but was devoted to himself, and not to using his wealth to alleviate the suffering of society. 

We are given great detail regarding this gentleman so that we understand how wealthy he really is! He wore an outer robe made of fine wool, which was dyed purple. No ordinary person could have afforded a purple item of clothing, for Tyrian purple, the dye used to make this color was extremely expensive. Not only did this man have an outer garment of purple, but he had fine white undergarments! The poor couldn’t afford to have white undergarments — or, if they ever did, they didn’t remain that way. In other words, you simply had to look at this person and realize that he exuded wealth. 

Wealth was inherited and rarely something that someone was able to earn. This had to do with the class into which you were born. A laborer might be able to enjoy some of the benefits of their master, if they served him/her well, but they would not be welcomed into the same class. For the wealthy to enjoy their lifestyle, there were others on the other extreme who would have to serve them. 

His estate was large enough that it had a gate, and this is where Lazarus would lay day after day. Amazingly, the wealthy man knew Lazarus’ name, and yet, didn’t seem to do anything to alleviate his suffering. 

Both of these men died, but in death there was a great gulf between them. Sadly, the wealthy man, while even suffering in hades, thought that he still had greater status than Lazarus. First of all, he wanted Lazarus to serve him, by bringing him a cool drink. Then, He requested that he be sent to his family to warn them of what lies ahead. His concern is not for society, or those who are suffering now, but only for his family. During Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain,” Luke spoke about the present status of those who had resources: “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.… But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry” (Luke 6:21, 24–25, NRSV).

While the rich man wants to see Lazarus raised from the dead, Jesus says that even this sign will not be enough. Interestingly, in John’s gospel we read of the resurrection of a man, Lazarus. The Pharisees are not convinced by him bursting forth from the tomb, but rather, want to kill him because of his potential influence. While Lazarus’ resurrection is only in the flesh, Jesus’ resurrection breaks the power of sin and death forever. Lazarus’ resurrection was rejected, and even more so was that of Jesus. The Pharisees would not be convinced by someone who raised from the dead. 

Application:

Beale tells us that this story, “is at the heart of Luke’s understanding of the universal nature of salvation. It encompasses the idea of personal responsibility but also extends to the injustices of a sinful society” (NBBC). Luke is continually reiterating the great eschatological reversal that comes about through participation in the kingdom of God. “Lazarus represents the humble and contrite poor who will be made rich, while the rich man represents the arrogant wealthy who will be left destitute. The twin morals of the story are: (1) Those who value riches more than God will be rejected (cf. 12:13-21); and (2) God demands a heart of love and justice for the poor and lowly (cf. 14:12-14)” (ZIBBCNT).

Yesterday I wrote about the previous short passages that spoke about the danger of forcing the kingdom of God. There were many who liked what was written, but we must always be careful, for God expects his people to be engaged in actions that help to transform society. The judgement upon this man was not that he wasn’t religious, but that he refused to use what God had given him to help the poor and needy. Salvation and resources always come with great responsibility. 

I’m afraid that we could find ourselves in this same story. Salvation has always had a propensity to lift one out of their poorer state in society. This is a good thing, but we are never to forget where we have come from. My great-grandfather left the famines of Sweden to come to America because he had no way to survive at home. He homesteaded a small plot of land in Nebraska, working grueling hours with his hands to try and feed his family. Babies died. Houses burned down. People went hungry. That wasn’t all that long ago, but this current generation has little resemblance to Grandpa Emil. 

Even today those within my tribe who may have had poor parents or grandparents may find themselves with ample resources. Living in a gated community may become the norm for some, but when we go behind those walls, are we shutting out the world that we are to be helping? Are we ignoring the people who are living on our streets, and needing someone to do more than just know their name? How do we treat the laborers who are serving us these days? Everywhere we look there are shortages of people to wait on those who have means. Are we angry about that, or are we willing to look a Lazarus, or a Mary, or a Sarah in the eye and see them for who they really are, meeting their need today? 

We cannot be a people of faith and enjoy the resources that we may have, only for ourselves. It is our responsibility to value God more than any of the riches of this world, and we are to have a heart of love and justice for the poor and lowly. Christians ought to be at the center of transformation, and ministering to the poor. The rich man failed to live into his responsibility as God’s servant. We ought to have the loudest voices when it comes to injustice in society and providing for the rights and needs of those who have no voice. This was at the heart of Jesus’ message to the religious leaders, and it made them uncomfortable. 

Prayer:

Lord, I pray that you would help me to have eyes to see the Lazarus’ of my world, and lovingly engage with them, helping to bring about change on their behalf. Amen.