Amos 6:1a, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31
Who do you notice?
Once again, it’s pretty hard to miss the message in the Amos reading. Don’t go bragging about your wealth, if at the same time you are not reaching out to help the poor. This text matches well with the gospel reading about a certain rich man and a poor man named Lazarus.
It never ceases to amaze me. When I read the Bible, there is always something new to see in these familiar stories. This time, it jumped out at me in the Gospel reading that the rich man knew Lazarus’ name, and he still refused to see him, to notice him, to help him. Until it was too late for it to make a difference.
Let’s give Lazarus a back story. This is totally my imagination, but it will help us get the point Jesus is making. Let’s suppose that Lazarus had been doing well enough for himself and his family. He worked every day, he gave the right offerings at the right time, even gave some alms to the poor.
One day, his family grew ill from the flu and died. Then,
distracted by his losses, he suffered a workplace injury, maybe a building stone fell and broke his arm.
The arm didn’t heal right, because he couldn’t afford a doctor, and he was unable
to work. Which meant he was unable to feed himself, and with no family to care
for him, he ended up living in the homeless camp outside of town. Every
morning, he went to sit outside the gate to the rich man’s house, hoping for a
coin or two, or a chunk of bread, to ease his hunger.
But he rarely received anything, and after a year or two,
his body had no resistance, so any slight bump developed into a major wound. The
dogs came to lick his wounded body, and he wasn’t strong enough to defend
himself against them.
In the meantime, the rich man went in and out past Lazarus, 2 or 3 times a day. He knew him by name, because Lazarus had worked for him, and was injured at his worksite. But he chose to ignore him.
You see, the rich man believed that he was wealthy because
he was so righteous. He followed the laws as closely as he could, and God
blessed him, rewarded him with wealth. He deserved what he had because he was
so faithful.
And, Lazarus, well, he had nothing because God saw how he
didn’t obey all the laws. He must have been disobedient, that’s why his family
got sick and died, that’s why he broke his arm that day. He was not blessed by
God. So, he didn’t deserve to be noticed or cared for.
… This story has often been used to caution – or more, threaten – people to behave or they will be punished, sent to hell. The description of the rich man suffering in hades is a warning to keep many people behaving well, following the rules. Behave or you’ll go to hell!
But Jesus didn’t tell this story as that kind of warning. He
told the story to say that just because you have wealth doesn’t mean you are specially
blessed. And, just because you
are poor doesn’t mean God doesn’t bless you.
Jesus doesn’t want us to be distracted by the story about
Hades and Heaven. Instead, the point of this story is to value everyone as God
does, to treat everyone kindly, respectfully. The point of the story is to see
that there are hurting people in our midst, and God wants all people to have
enough.
… Paul’s letter to Timothy echoes these thoughts. “Those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped … by their desires. … For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” And then Paul tells us what we should do instead of chasing wealth. “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, 19 thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.”
If we spend less time thinking about money, accumulating it,
managing it, spending it, we have time for other things. We have time for daily
prayer. We have time for Bible study. We have time to make sure our Facebook
posts are kind and respectful. We have time to make sure our generosity is
truly generous, and supporting those causes that please God.
… At University Lutheran Church in Gainesville, there is a bench in the covered walkway between the sanctuary and the office/fellowship building. Frequently, people who were unhoused sat or slept there. Often, they were connecting to our internet / wi-fi on their phones.
As long as they were not using illegal substances or leaving
inappropriate stuff there, I had no problem with them being there. I usually
greeted them and asked if they needed anything. Usually, they ignored me, or
simply nodded a greeting. But I still felt good because I had not ignored the
Lazarus at my gate.
It doesn’t take much to be kind to someone. It doesn’t take
much to pay attention to our surroundings and the folks who populate that
space.
