“LAZARUS & DIVES”
Saint Luke 16. 19-31
The First Sunday after Trinity: 14 June Anno Domini 2009
J.W. Watson, pastor
There are rich men. There are beggars. There are men and women. All are sinners. All deserve to die and go to hell. You are in one of these categories, probably several.
The only difference that matters is God's grace shown and bestowed upon His children. The only differentiation is that the Lord's chosen ones have been given faith to grab on to Jesus. There is a separation between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of this world. One is perfect (in Christ Jesus) and the other is diseased. One is filled with believing sheep while the other teems with non-believing devil goats.
There are only pagans and Christians.
Christians can have many worldly things such as house, home, field and cattle. Possessions used by followers of the Lord in a ministerial way, that is, for service to God, are not evil. A Christian can have money. The coin of the realm is not evil, because Jesus only said the "love" of money is the root of evil. A disciple of the Master can also be destitute and bereft of all mammon. A man's riches do not consist in his things but in His Savior. To be rich is neither a sin nor a curse nor a blessing for a Christian. To be poor is neither a sin nor a curse nor a blessing for a Christian. To be forgiven of your sins by Jesus' perfect commandment keeping and by His shed blood on Calvary is the only good. Of course the Lord sees fit to also provide you and all others with many First Article gifts. But the gift of being at one with the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit is the gift that keeps on giving. In it, you have both life and salvation.
For those who reject the Lord, it also matters not whether they are a pauper or a prince for their only eventual, and eternal, dwelling place will be with the fallen prince of the air.
Though Dives was clothed in sumptuous purple raiment, he was neither a King nor the brother of a King. He was only a sinner who didn't recognize his sins or his need to have them washed away. The purple he wore was in reality the color of the Christ's victorious Easter Robe, the color of royalty placed upon you in your Baptism. Every white Christening gown, every white garment indicating the Lord's sinlessness and "Light of Light" is also a robe dyed purple in Christ's precious blood-a blood more valuable than all the jewels, gold, and money in the universe. The rich man dined every day on a feast of the finest food and wines. But his banquet hall was only an illusion.
Poor Lazarus who was clothed in rags knew that anything he did, or ever could do for God or his fellow man, was only filthy rags in the omnipotent sight of the Creator. Lazarus though hungry and thirsty knew that it wasn't what a man ate or drank that made for lasting happiness but in what One had for His Redeemer. Lazarus was a believer in Messiah, the Son of David, and because of this gift of Holy-Spirit worked faith, Lazarus now sits with Abraham and the rest eating and drinking celestial and heavenly food that puts to shame anything eaten in this world.
Remember, not only was the rich man un-loving and un-sharing at times, not caring for the poor, but Lazarus himself sinned every day as well. Lazarus wasn't better than Dives; Lazarus was follower of the Lamb.
The dogs, ceremonially unclean as they were, licked Lazarus' wounds. Lazarus' shameful predicament and eventual lowly death would point to the death of the teller of this story Himself. Jesus came not just for the Chosen Seed of Abraham, but also for all the dogs, all the outcasts and unclean gentiles. But you need not lick the wounds of the beggar Lazarus, because you are given to drink the very Blood of the King of Kings. You are no longer dogs but sons and daughters of the Father.
At his earthly end, the beggar man was carried by messengers of the Evangel to heaven.
Luther is correct, you all, Christians, are beggars. Good.
The same messengers of Christ, the pastors in your parishes, carry you each Lord's Day into the very presence of Jesus (Abraham's Bosom) by preaching His Words, and by handing out His Words of Body and Blood attached to bread and wine.
While we feel sadness at the hard heart of Dives, and those like him in our own day, we instead focus and fasten our attention on the smiling face of the Trinity's Grace in the Word of Christ which speaks remission and restoration. No further miracles of power are needed, or will be given. No additional signs or omens will be granted. The only sign that the Christ gives is the sign of Jonah; or as the Apostle preaches: "Christ Crucified."
Saint Moses preached and caused to be written the Law of God and the Blessed saving Good News of Christ Jesus in the entire Pentateuch. God's other Hebrew Christians (Samuel, King David, Elijah, Isaiah and the others) also caused the word of "Repent and Believe" to sound forth in all its purity and joy. Lazarus believed and is saved.
Hallelujah, you hear and believe and are saved.
In the Name of The Father and of + The Son and of The Holy Ghost