Luke 16,19-31. 1. Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever 

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ 

Luke 16,19-31  3115

1. Sonntag nach Trinitatis  046

Paul, Bishop of Constantinople, Martyr 350 

Deocar, Abbot at Herrieden, ✠ 850 

7. Juni 2015 

1. O Eternal and Merciful God, You save, help and answer when we seek You. Have mercy upon us and deliver us.  Amen. (VELKD, Prayer for 1. Sn. n. Trinitatis  § 1) 

2. »Jesus said to the Pharisees: „There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 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.’ 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. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said: ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house – for I have five brothers – so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said: ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said: ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 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.’“   

3. Jesus spoke this parable in the greater context to the Pharisees who were in the crowd. The Pharisees were lovers of money and they justified themselves before men (Luke 16,14-15). This parable put the Pharisees in a difficult spot. They would ordinarily declare the rich man (Dives) as one who is blessed by God and thus a righteous man, however, the rich man in the parable despises his poor neighbor and ignore his plight. Such an attitude clearly violated the law that the Pharisees prided themselves in keeping. Being lawyers, the Pharisees could have parsed the law so that legally the rich man was exonerated and justified in how he treated Lazarus. Consider three indictments Jesus earlier spoke against the Pharisees concerning that very action. »You, Pharisees,  have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said: Honor your father and your mother (Exodus 20,12); and, Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die (Leviticus 20,9). But you say: „If a man tells his father or his mother ‘Whatever you would have gained from me is given to God’“[1], then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do« (Mark 7,9-3). »Woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering« (Luke 11,42.52). »But God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God« (Luke 16,15). 

4. The rich man’s treatment of Lazarus was an abomination before God. The law accused him of this abomination and no amount of parsing the law or his immense wealth could change that accusation. The rich man did not fear, love and trust God, and this was born out by his wicked treatment of Lazarus, for the rich man did not love his neighbor either. 

5. We see the rotten fruit of this rich man’s callousness born out in our midst too. How many children are brought up are brought up to fear, love and trust God? How many are taught discipline, the Bible stories or basic teachings of the Christian faith? What will the outcome to be if Christians are not taught to fear, love and trust God? The Church will have Christian people who do not know the Scriptures, and therefore cannot make and defend simple apologetic arguments against those who are not Christians. When trials and persecutions arrive, they will not be able to give an account or be a witness for the faith. As more and more immoral behavior is tolerated, affirmed and legalized, they will not be able to defend and promote the virtues of Christian morality. In the end, this effects our attitude and we will neglect to help our neighbor because we are too busy, do not want to be bothered or simply do not care about their well-being. Our very inaction is proof that we do not love God, nor our neighbor, as we should but the only true love we consistently have is the love for me, myself and I. 

5. Our Heavenly Father is not pleased with our narcissistic attitude and behavior that is no different from that of the rich man. The Apostle Paul describes God’s reaction in his Epistle to the Romans: »For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men and women, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.« (Romans 1,18). Sometimes this wrath is poured out upon individuals and cultures by God in this temporal world. God uses one person to punish another. This happens in prison. Notorious murderers and vile criminals often receive their discipline at the hands of their fellow prisoners. The rich man in Jesus’ parable did not receive punishment during his earthly life. His punishment was meted out by God in the afterlife. The rich man was punished in hades where he lived in eternal torment. 

6. Contrasted with the rich man is Lazarus who is enjoying paradise at Abraham’s side. Lazarus was rewarded a blessed life. He did not enjoy many blessings during his temporal life, but in the afterlife he was blessed abundantly. Lazarus isn’t enjoying paradise because he was sick and destitute in his temporal life. The rich man isn’t languishing in hades because he was a wealthy man. Lazarus is in paradise because of his faith, and the rich man is in hades because of his lack of faith. 

7. Jesus teaches that hearing Moses and the Prophets creates faith. The Holy Scriptures are about Jesus, and when we hear those Scripture faith in Jesus is created and nurtured. When we believe in Jesus, then someone rising from the dead is also believable. The one rising from the dead is none other than Jesus. Moses and the Prophets is a common way to refer to the books of the Bible we call the Old Testament. Likewise, we could refer to the books of the Bible we call the New Testament as the Evangelists and Apostles thus referring to the Gospels and the Epistles.  If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead. 

8. We can distill the Holy Scriptures into five doctrinal loci (points): 

i. All children of Adam and Eve are sinful and have sinned (Erbsünde). Romans 3,23. 

ii. The penalty for sin is death, both physical and eternal (Die Strafe für die Sünde). Romans 6,23. 

iii. Jesus paid that penalty by His crucifixion (substitutionem poenali; solus Christus). Romans 5,8. 

iv. Justification is pure gift and not your works (sola iustia; iustia imputata). Ephesians 2,8-9.

v. The assurance that you are right now justified before God (Heilsgewißheit). Romans 1; John 5,12-13. 

9. Both Lazarus and the rich man were sinful and received the penalty for sin which is death. Lazarus then enjoyed eternal bliss in Paradise, but the rich man was punished with eternal torment in hades. The difference between them was faith: Lazarus had it, but the rich man did not. Therefore, Lazarus believed and trusted in the messiah who would pay for the penalty for sin with His own death by crucifixion. Jesus’ crucifixion has universally purchased the forgiveness of all people, including unbelievers like the rich man. This is pure justification that is a free gift given to us by Jesus; we cannot earn it or improve upon it by our own works and deeds. The assurance that faith gives is that we are right now justified, forgiven and saved before God. 

10. Where does one find the proof of this assurance? We find the proof that we are justified before God in the Holy Scriptures. Moses and the Prophets, the Evangelists and the Apostles, tell us again and again and again that God has redeemed us and saved us. God the Father even sent His Only Son into this world to be the Word made flesh so that we would hear from His own lips and see in His deeds that our Heavenly Father indeed justifies us through the vicarious sacrifice of His Son. 

11. This gospel soothes consciences burdened by false christs and false prophets who seek to lead the elect away with great signs and wonders (Matthew 25,24). Every generation sees its share of false prophets who peddles a gospel mingled with the law and things we must do to be assured of our salvation. The gospel brings you blessed assurance (seligste Versicherung): Fear not, dear Christians, fear not, for you are saved by Christ alone (solus Christus) and no one and no thing can snatch you out of Christ’s redeeming hands: not your sins, not false teachers, not the tribulations of the world and not even the devil himself. You are free; you are forgiven; you belong to Jesus. Christ’s vicarious and substitutionary death solves your real problem: sin. There is now full and complete peace between God the Father and you. You are righteous and justified on account of Christ’s merits which have now been credited to you. 

12. Jesus tells us: »The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.« This is the destination for all who believe in Jesus as the Christ. Abraham believed, and so He is also in the presence of Christ Jesus. Paradise is a place of bliss and relief from all earthly toils and tribulations. But the end of our Christian journey is not the Paradise of God. Jesus spoke about another Lazarus. This Lazarus became sick, died and was buried in his tomb. Four days after his burial, Jesus arrived and Bethany and raised His friend Lazarus from the grave. Soon thereafter Jesus would be crucified, died, be buried and raise Himself from His own grave on the third day. Paradise is just the way-station in everlasting life. Paradise is the abode of the disembodied souls who have died in the faith. Our final destination is everlasting life with God and the heavenly host as resurrected people with a purified body and soul. Lazarus of Bethany, Abraham and the poor man Lazarus are all in Paradise in the presence of Christ enjoying the bliss of that state, but nevertheless awaiting with all believers who have joined them there for the last day when Jesus returns and raises up their bodies once more. On that day, the angelic hosts will sing a marvelous song of praise for the goodness of the Lord through Christ Jesus.  Amen. 

13. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Your testimonies are righteous forever; give us understanding of Your grace so that we may live on this earth in joyous expectation of the eternal life that is to be ours with You.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm 

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All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

Chemnitz, Martin. Ministry, Word and Sacrament. Copyright ©

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. 

   Wenz, Armin. A sermon preached on 19. May 2013 (Pentecost Sunday) in Oberursel, Germany on Numbers 11. Copyright © 2013 The Rev. Dr. Armin Wenz. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2013. 

[1]  Corban is the Hebrew word for the phrase „given to God“.