READ: Luke 16:1-17:10
Verses
chosen for meditation: Luke 16:24-25, 28-31
24 And he called
out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of
his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this
flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you
in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad
things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
28 for I have five
brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of
torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They
have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And
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 hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if
someone should rise from the dead.’
REFLECT
Jesus
tells the story of a wealthy man who died and went into eternal torment. A
beggar, Lazarus, whom he refused to care for, instead was greeted by Abraham in
paradise. The rich man feasted lavishly every day, while Lazarus longed for
only crumbs. In Luke 16:21, he could not even get the dog’s share (leftover
crumbs). The rich man won’t give even that much. He’s so pitiful that he even became the dogs’ share, as they licked his
wounds.
The
rich man can’t claim ignorance as he was aware of Lazarus’ presence at his gate
and his need for food. We then see a reversal when they both died. Now in
torment, the rich man requested for Lazarus to ease his pain by cooling his tongue.
I don’t think Abraham missed the irony in the rich man’s request. He couldn’t even
walk to his own gate to give food to a starving man so he could survive, and now
he wants that same man to cross the great chasm just to ease his suffering. Whether
Lazarus was willing, Abraham said that their place in the afterlife is fixed (Luke 16:26). At this point, the rich man can do nothing to alter his fate. All the
decisions he made when living are irrevocable.
The
rich man then requested that his brothers be warned with a supernatural message
from the dead, so that they’ll repent. Abraham pointed out that if they didn’t
listen to the prophets’ warnings, they wouldn’t listen even if they heard from a
miraculous source. Jesus tells this tale to warn the Pharisees of their greed, lack
of kindness towards others, and their hardened hearts in refusing to listen,
which would damn them to hell.
RELATE
In this story, Jesus is not saying that those poor or have a hard life on earth will be rewarded
with a place in heaven. He does not also mean that those who are rich or enjoy life more will end up in
hell. Rather, this is about stewardship. What do we do with the riches and
resources that God blessed us with?
The rich man was damned not because he was wealthy
or wore nice clothes, but because he did not want to share when there’s a high
need. He gathered only earthly treasures and got a lot of it, but did not store
up treasures in heaven. His lack of compassion shows that he did not know God
and did not desire to honour God by being kind to others.
We must be careful to note that this does not mean salvation is earned through
good works. Salvation has always been by grace through faith. A total gift from
God, not by our efforts. However, showing compassion and good works are signs
of a true faith. As James pointed out in James 2:26, faith without works is
dead. A true follower of God would seek to honour God with good works.
Though converted, sin and pulls of the world will
still be a huge part of the Christian’s life, making our love imperfect. Loving
others will still pose a struggle. But a truly reborn Christian will be guided
by the spirit, propelling a desire to share our resources to help those in
need. Good works are done, not because of the motive of earning salvation, but as
a natural by-product of a true faith, in our love for God and others.
V28 shows that the rich man and his family do have a
religious department in their lives. They were brought up in the teachings of
Moses and the prophets but that did not save them. It’s an ominous depiction
because it shows that being brought up in the church and regularly listening to
sermons do not guarantee one’s place in heaven. There is no point if we do not
heed seriously the messages we hear. There is no point if we don’t allow God’s
word to transform us.
If we think we’ll listen better if we hear it from a
supernatural source or be more convinced by a miraculous event, think again. It's clear in v31. If we don’t bother listening when God’s word is taught
to us, it won’t stick even with the supernatural intervening. The people in the
OT experienced many of God’s miracles, but that did nothing for their faith,
because their hearts were hardened. We pray then for God to help soften our
hearts, to help us not cling on to earthly pleasures and be tight-fisted with
our riches.
REST
Father, may you give us a heart of learning and see
the need for change when we hear your word. Help us be good stewards of what
you have given to us. Give us compassion for those in need. In Jesus’ name we
pray, Amen.
Chris
Chong
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