Luke 16:19-31
“We All Know Lazarus”
We have all seen him.
He lies on a pile of newspapers outside a shop doorway, covered with a rough blanket.
Perhaps he has a dog with him for safety.
People walk past him or even step over him.
Maybe he occasionally rattles a few coins in a tin cup, asking for more.
As we see him, we may hear voices which have told us: “It’s his own fault.”
“He’s chosen it.”
“He should go and get a job.”
“If I give him money, he’ll only spend it on alcohol.”
“I don’t have time for him.”
“Stay-away—he might be violent.”
Sometimes, in some places, the police will move him on, exporting the problem somewhere else.
But he’ll be back.
People like him camp in tents in Oak Ridge and Knoxville.
Some live with their families in extended stay hotels.
Many of them have jobs, but they are minimum wage…
…not enough to get them out of where they are.
They are in debt, and it seems the debt will stay.
They live from one emergency to another.
Every day is hand-to-mouth.
So, we all know Lazarus.
He is our neighbor.
Some of us may be rich, well dressed, and well fed, and walk past him without even noticing…
…others of us may not be so rich, or so finely clothed or fed, but compared with Lazarus we’re well off!
Lazarus would be glad to trade places with us, and we would be horrified to have his life—even for a day!!!
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is not just a morality tale about riches and poverty—though, it should be read that way as well.
No, it goes much deeper than that.
It’s about indifference, selfishness, and what it really means to “Love God and love our neighbor as ourself” …
…which is THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT…
…everything else falls in line if that one is fulfilled!!!
In 1994, South African photojournalist Kevin Carter won the Pulitzer Prize for a photograph that depicted an emaciated Sudanese child crawling toward a feeding center—under the hard stare of a nearby vulture.
As you can imagine, the image, which so powerfully captured the horror of famine-stricken Sudan in the early 1990’s, drew international attention.
But with Carter’s acclaim came the questions.
People wanted to know—what had happened to the child?
After snapping the picture, what had Carter done to help the dying child?
Painfully, Carter admitted that after spending about 20 minutes framing the shot, he had simply walked away.
Within two months of receiving journalism’s most coveted award, the 33-year-old photojournalist took his own life.
We human beings were created by THE LOVING GOD to love and be loved!!!
And for our love to be real, it must reach out actively.
For our lives to be full and fulfilling we must help one another.
In Jesus’ parable, the rich man’s sin was not that he was rich, but that he did not take any notice or care for his neighbor in need.
He was too self-absorbed.
And thus, he created his own “hell.”
So, what are we, as Christ’s followers to do about this?
One of the most important things we can do is get involved in the mess and muck of life.
And we do this best, together, as the Church!!!
Jesus said, “Where two or three come together in my name, there I am also.”
As most of you know, we have a lot of ministries at this church which are aimed at reaching out to the Lazarus’ of this world.
The people involved in these ministries are taking an active role in helping their neighbors.
They are feeding the hungry through the Free Community Meal that takes place here every Wednesday evening.
And they could use more help.
They have recently had to stop feeding on the 5th Wednesday of the month due to a lack of volunteers.
But the people who do volunteer are happy, fulfilled, and making new friends and connections.
And best of all they are serving Christ…getting to know Christ by serving others.
In Matthew Chapter 25, the Parable of the sheep and goats describes a future judgment day where Jesus separates all nations into two groups, like a shepherd separates sheep from goats.
The “sheep” are those who showed mercy and cared for the hungry, thirsty, stranger, the naked, sick and imprisoned.
Jesus says that caring for these people is equal to caring for him…
…that is how “in solidarity” Jesus is with humans.
When we love and care and take care of one another we are, quite literally, taking care of Jesus himself.
And so, yes.
I experience Jesus.
I get to know Jesus best when I am serving others.
I think we all do.
And there are so many ministries in this church where we are interacting, helping, and quite literally serving Christ by serving our fellow human beings.
Are you involved in any of the ministries of this church such as: The Morgan Scott Project where we load up and drive our boxed truck full of food every Friday to a Morgan County Food Pantry that gives the food away to hungry people living in poverty…
…or…
Our Food for Kids Program where, two days a month we pack and deliver hundreds of bags of food for at-risk children in our local schools….
Or
You can get involved in our First Recovery Ministry which helps those who are suffering from substance misuse…
And the list goes on and on and on.
If you want to know more about how you can become involved in these or any other service ministries of this church, please speak to me after today’s service.
Arthur Burns, a Jewish economist was once asked to pray at a gathering of evangelical politicians.
Stunning his hosts, he prayed this,
“Lord, I pray that Jews would come to know Jesus Christ.
And I pray that Buddhists would come to know Jesus Christ.
And I pray that Muslims would come to know Jesus Christ.”
And then, most stunning of all, he finished by praying: “And Lord, I pray that Christians would come to know Jesus Christ.”
We all have the opportunity to come to know Jesus Christ—because We all Know who Lazarus is.
In our parable, “The rich man said, ‘…I beg you, Father, to send Lazarus to my father’s house.
I have five brothers.
He needs to warn them so that they don’t come to this place of agony.”
“Abraham said, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, then neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”
Someone has risen from the dead—and that Person is Jesus the Christ!!!
Do we believe this?
And if we believe this, what are we doing about it?
(pause)
We all know Lazarus.
We see him every day, on way too many faces.
He is our neighbor; our co-worker, our classmate, and yes, he is the homeless man or woman on the street.
When we see or hear of someone who is lost, alone, broken down and hurt…
…Do we simply say, “It’s a shame, but it is not my problem,” or do we take action—do we put God’s love where the rubber meets the road and do something about it?
Jesus did not say to the goats, in His parable of the Great Judgment, “You killed the hungry, you cheated the naked, you assaulted the poor.”
He said, in effect, “When I was hungry, thirsty, naked, imprisoned—when I was desperate for your help—you ignored me.”
A heart captivated by God’s love is what God desires above anything else, because it’s a heart that God can use, a heart that is free to love others and to serve others.
Many of us have probably seen the movie: Shindler’s List.
Oskar Shindler was a German businessman who saved thousands of Jews from the Holocaust.
He employed Jews in his factories, but when these Jews were finally liberated, he broke down in tears, saying, “I could have gotten more out…I didn’t do enough.”
I suppose every one of us can say that.
When I look at my life, and when you look at yours, what do we see?
So much indifference to the suffering of others and so many privileges for ourselves?
So much more we could have done?
There is a mountain of evidence to sink any one of us when we stand before the judgment of God.
But that is not the last word.
The last word is that in Jesus Christ God has taken the judgment for us on the Cross.
And so, we live—by grace!!!
And we are to celebrate this grace by seeking to return to God and thus to others all that we can!!!
And God uses even our tiniest faith, when acted on, to accomplish great things!
We, followers of Christ, are like a 4 year-old, drawing a picture and offering it to her mommy or daddy.
“Beautiful!!!” the parent says.
And with that same excitement, God also accepts the flawed offerings of our lives!
“Beautiful!,” says God, Who sees not the flaws but the love, made perfect in Christ, which lies behind every Christian action aimed at helping, loving, consoling, healing, and caring for one another.
There are so many people in this world who are in need of help.
Some are rich, some are poor, but they are all around us.
How exciting it is to be given the great privilege and opportunity to change their day from gray to sunny!
Will you pray with me?
