TITLE: BAD TABLE MANNERS
SCRIPTURE: ST. LUKE 16:19-30
There are portions found in the Gospel according to ST. LUKE that can make an individual very uncomfortable. This is such a passage. It is DESIGNED to discomfort the comfortable. And, strangely enough it comforts those who may be struggling in this life. My focus this morning will be upon the first section of this powerful text. This is a very interesting Parable that most of us are very familiar. It is a Parable that is often ignored or used for evangelistic sermons about the PERMANENCY AND REALITY OF HEAVEN AND HELL. While it does deal with both of those realities – I would suggest to us this morning that the message that Jesus spoke really has less to do with heaven and hell. This parable is part of a TRILOGY:
• Begins with the Prodigal Son wasting his Father’s money
• Transitions to the Dishonest Steward wasting his master’s possessions
• Concludes with our text for examination
There are TWO SECTIONS to the parable – the PICTURE PAINTED of the situation in verses 19-23 – which is where our focus rests - and the DIALOGUE in verses 24-30. There is a misunderstanding that comes and it is that our Lord was condemning the rich man because he was rich. That is to MISS THE WHOLE POINT of this story. He is not being sentenced to Hell because of his STATUS and RICHES. If that be the case we have some great tension to deal with, especially in the Old Testament.
• Job was rich, matter of fact the Bible says he was the greatest of all men in the East
• King David was very wealthy, blessed with Kingdoms
• King Solomon, we know was wealthy
• He asked God for Wisdom and Discernment and God would also bless him with Riches and Wealth
• Father Abraham, we know, was rich: rich in cattle, in herds, silver and gold
• Yet, Abraham is the person to whom Lazarus goes when he dies
• It is not riches but what is done with them
Another thing about this rich man is that we are not told that he did anything OUTWARDLY THAT WAS CRIMINAL apart from how he treated Lazarus. It is not any SIN OF COMMISSION that is pointed at but the SINS OF OMISSION. We often think of sin as something we do wrong, and it is that. However, the Catechism says, "ANY WANT FOR CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD".
• That is, there are many things that you and I omit to do which is sin in the sight of God
• Often we forget that and we only think of what we have done and not of what we have failed to do
• What is brought home to us here is the great omission in this man's life
So I would suggest to us this morning as we continue to build upon this Message that the Problem with the Rich man was not his wealth – the issue that would eventually condemn him was the fact that he simply had – Bad Table Manners.
• Bible says Rich man clothed in Purple and fine Linen and fared sumptuously every day
• Lazarus was laid at his gate and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table
• The problem was that the rich man piled his money so high on the table that it blocked his view of those in need
• He simply had Bad Table Manners
Nothing disturbs me more than to see children being raised with Bad Table Manners. I see children when parents sit them down at the table to eat and they are – SPINNING AROUND ON CHAIR – UP AND DOWN FROM THE TABLE – SOMETIMES UNDERNEATH THE DINNER TABLE - LEANING BACK IN THE CHAIR. I never would have been allowed to get away with that when I was being raised. You better sit there, sit still and eat your food. We even had to ask to be excused from the table when we were finished with the meal. There is a CERTAIN BEHAVIOR THAT IS EXPECTED when we are blessed to be seated at the table.
There is an expectation placed upon us when we have been invited to take a seat at the Table. There are some RULES OF ETIQUETTE that must be followed. Not everybody has been invited to be able to SIT AT THE TABLE.
• Some eat with TV Trays in front of the television
• Some sit on the sofa with a plate in their lap
• We have an island on the outside of the kitchen with a few chairs sometimes we eat there
• On nice days we can eat on the patio
• The rules are very different there versus being seated at the table
• I’m talking about Bad Table Manners this morning
The first scene in the parable presented, paints a picture of SELF-INDULGENCE. Here we meet a man who cares only for himself and his own pleasures. Each day he dressed himself in purple robes. He had other robes of different colors but purple being the most expensive color of the day it is this which he displays to the outside world. Look how rich I am! Remember Sis. Lawson and I were out shopping and there was a LAMBORGHINI – look at that – she said it was Ugly. I told her not about it looking good – it says LOOK WHAT I CAN AFFORD. We also read that he wore ‘fine linen’. We also hear from the lips of Jesus that this man feasted sumptuously ‘every day’
• This gives us the impression that he did not observe the Sabbath
• His indulgent lifestyle was the most important thing to him
• Even more important than observing the Law of God
It is no wonder that people often chose to ignore this text. In some ways it should make us feel rather uncomfortable this morning.
• It challenges me about my attitude towards others
• Am I self-indulgent – feasting sumptuously each day and ignoring those in need at my gate?
• Do I spend my life seeking self-fulfillment and ignoring everything and everyone else?
• Are my priorities God’s priorities?
• What is my attitude to the things of God?
• What is my attitude to God Himself?
• Do I really place enough focus on my Table Manners?
This first man that enters our text was a man who lived altogether for HIMSELF. He lived for this world and the things of this world. He OMITTED HIS DUTY TO GOD AND HIS DUTY TO MAN. I am not saying that he was an IRRELIGIOUS man; there is nothing to suggest that. Indeed, on the contrary, when we come to the end of this vivid picture, or parable, you find in the conversation between Abraham and himself the suggestion, or the INFERENCE that he himself, as well as his brethren, had heard of, or had been hearing in the synagogue or elsewhere, Moses and the prophets.
This text has always captured my attention in that - The RICH MAN HAS NO NAME mentioned in our text. I know our Bible Scholars are saying, now wait a minute Bishop. I know that the Rich Man’s name was DIVES. Well, you are partially correct. He is often given the name “DIVES.” But the word Dives is LATIN for “RICH MAN.” Interestingly the poor beggar does have a name, LAZARUS. This is the only parable by Jesus that we know about that gives a name to at least one of the characters. When the audience heard the description of the rich man and Lazarus, the poor man, they would naturally think the rich man is a good man; God has blessed him, because he possesses so many riches. His wealth was evidence that he was a good man who was blessed and highly favored by God.
This is why it is important to understand that this Parable is not about Heaven or Hell. We may be tempted to conclude from these versus that the poor will end in eternal bliss, while the rich must end in torment in Hell.
• I know that many like the Prosperity Preacher and Preaching
• But, Salvation is not by wealth, or by lack thereof
• Salvation is by grace through faith on account of Christ
• Both poor and rich may enter the Kingdom of God
• On the other hand, both poor and rich may find stumbling blocks that can lead them to destruction
The rich may love their riches too much. The idols of material things in their hearts may block out true faith and worship. The rich man in the story always dressed and ate richly. He worshiped every day at his dinner table by FEASTING WITHOUT RESTRAINT. He lived for physical pleasures.
• Let’s not be too critical in our haste to move toward a close
• The rich man was typical of Americans
• We Americans love our physical pleasures
• We love our food
• We want just the right food to suit our taste
• We want our favorite drinks
• We want our favorite movies
• We want our favorite pastimes
• We want the right car for our needs
• We want the right house
• We want this, we want that
• Our grandchildren, 2 – 4 -7 years of age all ready tell us what they like to eat and what they don’t like to eat during dinner time
It's not wrong in itself to enjoy physical blessings from God. But they can so easily occupy a central place in our lives, where we organize our whole lives around our pleasures. One symptom of the rich man's IDOLATRY was that he did not care for the poor people whom God set near him. The rich man ignored Lazarus, EVEN THOUGH HE KNEW HIM. So lack of charity is evidence that our priorities are off-center.
Jesus addresses this particular parable to the Pharisees. They were the KEEPERS OF RELIGIOUS TRADITION - and the managers of the congregation’s resources. They were comfortable, they had enough- they would have been considered very rich men next to a man like Lazarus. But I think Jesus is suggesting that it is sinful to have money and not to use it to ALLEVIATE THE SUFFERING OF OTHERS. To literally walk over someone in need to get to the gate of your home and not to have compassion- that is the sin of the rich man.
• Sad reality is churches don’t do enough
• Spend money building bigger barns
• People in congregation losing jobs, homes
• Churches all pulled their resources together
We cannot call ourselves Christ centered and never get involved, hands on involved, with the poor. If our Bible studies and sermons and theology and reading of books never lead us to get out and leave our homes and churches to stand side by side with those in need then we have utterly lost sight of Christ and we too will be exhibiting - Bad Table Manners.
Like all tragedies this story illustrates a disappointing aspect of the rich man’s character. His downfall comes about because his CHARACTER IS FATALLY FLAWED. Our character is who we are when no one is watching. He was a man who was seriously lacking in GENEROSITY and COMPASSION when it came to his wealth and to the way he chose to live his life.
His flaw was not that he was wealthy, but that he used his wealth selfishly and failed to use it for the relief of the beggar who lay at his gate.
• He had an opportunity to use his resources to befriend Lazarus
• To make a difference in his life
• But he was too callous to care!
He was also a man who failed to embrace the compassionate nature of the God He worshiped. He lived his whole life in the FALSE SECURITY THAT JUST BEING A SON OF ABRAHAM WAS ENOUGH. In today’s terms, the parallel would be that JUST COMING TO CHURCH OR CALLING ONESELF A CHRISTIAN does not make us Christ-like or Christ followers. Clearly the rich man did not take seriously the Biblical teaching that the heart of God is with the poor and that if we are to be in unison with God we need to reach out to those less fortunate in whatever shape or form they present themselves to us, as the SICK – NEEDY – MARGINALISED – UNLOVED – UNCLEAN. God clearly calls those of means:
• Be they materially rich
• Time rich
• Rich in talents and giftings to a ministry of sharing
• Those blessed to sit at the table are asked to share their resources with generosity
How does all this relate to us in our lives? It is about our SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. It is about how we are expected to behave at the Table. We are challenged this day to live our lives as best to our ability to fulfill the work of God.
• Life is not about doing just what we want
• It is never enough just relaxing, eating, drinking and being merry
• Our lives are not to live comfortably by ourselves
• We are to care for those that are in our midst
• Our blessings and gifts should be used in promoting a better life for the whole community
• Can you identify the Lazarus in our community?
• What do you have that you could share?
Back to our rich man, in some sense God gave him free will to choose the manner in which he will live out his life. Ultimately God extends same courtesy to each of us – FREE WILL – This man NEGLECTED HIS RESPONSIBILITIES – he had Bad Table Manners. The more significant evidence is in the verse 24.
• Let me ask you a question?
• How did the rich man remember Lazarus' name when he begged Abraham to send Lazarus to give him a drop of water?
• Could it be that the rich man had known Lazarus during his life on earth, even before seeing him with Abraham?
• What does it say about this rich man?
• Is this evidence enough of how he neglected his responsibility while fully knowing about Lazarus, his poor neighbor?
This is a SAD STORY IN ONE RESPECT AND A REDEEMING ONE IN ANOTHER. The Rich man probably thought that GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES. There may be some here today who think that. And I have heard so many who have repeated this all of my life. In fact, some may even think it a verse from God straight out of the Bible. It is not. It is verse from Ben Franklin straight out of Poor Richard’s Almanac. God is in the business of helping those who cannot help themselves. And how will he do that?
• By using our hands
• By using our feet
• By using our voices to give comfort and relief to others
Today’s Gospel is trying to warn us to be COMPASSIONATE before it is too late. The unnamed people before you day after day are no mistake.
• The people God places before us are not just a part of our landscape
• We may not have a Lazarus right outside our gate but we may have one like him right inside our door
• Who do you see every day who is broken and has given up hope?
• Is it your wife or maybe a child?
• Is it your husband who is in an impoverished state at his work where he feels acute agony?
• Look around you
• Who is crying out in so many ways that you have grown to ignore what you hear?
• Is there real poverty in your marriage?
• Maybe you, yourself, are dwelling on crumbs just to survive
• Or, have you become so numb to pain and suffering that your heart no longer can weep?
--Let’s look around us today and MIND OUR TABLE MANNERS
--Most of us will not be condemned for what we have done
--Most of us will be condemned for what we have failed to do
--I’m talking about Bad Table Manners
